Texas Rangers’ season ends Sunday. Their manager can’t wait for spring camp to start
Around 24 hours before the end of the Texas Rangers’ 2020 season, manager Chris Woodward proclaimed that he’s already looking forward to spring training.
Who’s with him?
The Rangers will head to Surprise, Arizona, in only 4 1/2 months to get ready for another season that will look a lot like this one, only cheaper.
Young players will fill the roster. Wins will likely still be hard to come by. Another last-place finish is entirely possible.
But Woodward is a vital part of the construction crew of this Rangers rebuild. If general manager Jon Daniels is the architect, Woodward is the project manager at the big-league level.
Right now, though, all Woodward has is an empty lineup card for the 2021 season opener.
“Listen, they all have to earn it,” Woodward said Saturday. “As much as some guys may have earned it more than others, I can’t even sit here and tell you five or six of those have for sure earned their spot because they have to come in and earn it. Some guys are maybe a little bit more ahead and have a head start or a bit of a lead in that race, but I can’t answer that right now.”
The Rangers will finish their 60-game season on Sunday afternoon against the Houston Astros and will have one of the worst records in baseball.
Barring wins in their final two games and two losses each by the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers, the Rangers will have the second-worst record and thus receive the second overall pick in the 2021 draft.
Among the players thought to have a decided edge toward regular playing time in 2021 are right fielder Joey Gallo, catcher Jose Trevino and center fielder Leody Taveras. Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Nick Solak will be on the team, though they could find themselves at a few different positions.
Ronald Guzman is the leading candidate to play first base, but the Rangers could find an upgrade this offseason.
Second baseman Rougned Odor must earn his playing time, or so the Rangers keep saying. Veteran shortstop Elvis Andrus doesn’t have his spot locked up. Willie Calhoun might be the front-runner to be at designated hitter, but he needs his mental fog to clear first.
“Guys coming in next year, they put stamp on the team a little bit to say, ‘OK, this is who I am,’” Woodward said. “But at the same time, there’s a lot to prove with a lot of this season, especially the younger guys. Some of our younger veteran guys, there’s still a lot to prove. They’ve got to come into camp and earn their playing time. That’s a good thing, I think, with the competition. Nothing is going to be given to anybody.”
The Rangers are likely to sign free agents, though not anyone to put on the cover of the media guide. A veteran catcher to back up Trevino is an example of the kinds of players the Rangers will add externally, Woodward said.
They might look toward a veteran starter should Lance Lynn be traded away and Corey Kluber not re-sign for less than the $18 million club option the Rangers are unlikely to exercise.
Jose Leclerc will be healthy next spring, giving the bullpen a boost. If there’s one area where the Rangers could get by without a significant expenditures in the offseason, it’s the bullpen.
But all the blanks will be filled in next spring, hence Woodward’s eagerness to skip the offseason and plant his flag at the Surprise Recreation Campus.
“It’s going to be a very interesting offseason and camp when we get there because there’s going to be a lot of competition,” he said. “I can’t wait to start up again.”
