For Texas Rangers, work toward a better future begins the day after doom and gloom
The day after many armchair GMs swore off the Texas Rangers, following a lackluster showing at the trade deadline and a dreary forecast for the future, somehow the Rangers forged on.
They did so knowing that there will be a smaller operating budget for general manager Jon Daniels to maneuver with in the offseason and with top prospects trying to play catch-up next season.
Daniels said the Rangers are more of a rebuilding team than one knocking on the postseason door and that their window to contend has been pushed back some.
As rebuilding teams are wont to do, the Rangers started a youth movement Monday by trading 30-something 2020 free agents Mike Minor, Robinson Chirinos and Todd Frazier. Those moves allowed the Rangers on Tuesday to promote infielder Anderson Tejeda, outfielder Eli White and left-hander John King.
Rookie right-hander Kyle Cody is going into the rotation, where Lance Lynn is still toiling for the Rangers after no team mortgaged enough of its future at the deadline to help the Rangers upgrade theirs.
September, just like others in the recent past, will be a tryout camp and a planning session for the 2021 season.
“We need to see some of these guys for our future,” manager Chris Woodward said. “This is a valuable experience for a lot of these younger guys, and frankly it’s really valuable for us to see what we have.”
Daniels on Monday said that the conversations that failed to find a deal for Lynn or Joey Gallo or another player could be rekindled in the offseason. The Rangers aren’t the only team that is going to be operating with less spending money, at which point prospects become currency.
While on the face it would seem Lynn’s and Gallo’s value would decrease in the offseason, that might not be the case for teams that weren’t contenders Monday but anticipate being contenders in 2021.
The Rangers don’t expect to compete for the playoffs next season, though that could change some if ownership chooses to infuse some extra cash into the 2021 payroll. But the 60-game season has exposed in short order some areas that might be hard to address in one offseason.
The offense lacks firepower outside of Gallo, who on Tuesday had catcher Jose Trevino hitting in front of him and second baseman Nick Solak behind him. That’s barely any protection for the only true home run threat the Rangers have.
The defense has also been a liability, but that has been addressed with the additions of center fielder Leody Taveras and first baseman Ronald Guzman last week. The Rangers gave White his MLB debut Tuesday in left field to give the Rangers three solid defensive outfielders for the first time this season.
The rotation has fallen short of expectations, with the projected five starters either injured (Corey Kluber) or underperforming (Minor, Kyle Gibson, Jordan Lyles). Lynn, Gibson and Lyles are under contract for 2021, and the Rangers hold an $18 million club option on Kluber.
“Obviously, we’re not good enough right now,” Daniels said Monday. “I mean, that’s clear. We’ve talked about that a little bit. And, really, we’re just trying to improve.”
Woodward’s job for the final month is to figure out how to give enough playing time to the young players for the Rangers to make evaluations on how much they could help in future seasons.
He said anyone at the alternate camp site, including top prospects Josh Jung and Sam Huff, could potentially get a look.
“We might not get enough sample, and that’s just the way this year is going,” Woodward said. “We don’t want it to be a lost year for these guys. We don’t want these ‘crown jewels’ to not have experience this year and not have game action.”
This story was originally published September 1, 2020 at 5:09 PM.
