Three takeaways from Texas Rangers beat writers’ recent call with GM Jon Daniels
The reserve lists for all 30 MLB teams were due Friday evening, and the Texas Rangers added two starting pitchers and a catcher to their 40-man roster.
In so doing, the Rangers kept right-handers A.J. Alexy and Yerry Rodriguez and the switch-hitting David Garcia from being exposed to the Rule 5 draft next month.
However, those who the Rangers opted to not select, hard-throwing reliever Alex Speas and righty starter Jason Bahr, might have been more newsworthy to some.
It was a tricky process this year, with the Rule 5-eligibles coming off a year in which they did not play. MLB rosters are expected to shrink to 26 players, as opposed to the 30- and 28-man rosters teams had during the COVID-shortened 60-game 2020 campaign.
As a result, it would be more difficult for a team to try to sneak a player though on the active roster all season, as is required for Rule 5 draftees. Speas, who throws 102 mph but has never pitched above Low A, fits that hard-to-hide mold.
The reserve list wasn’t the only topic covered in a conference call with team general manager Jon Daniels. Some of his answers suggest a few things could happen this offseason or in spring training.
Lance Lynn trade
Pinning down Daniels on player acquisition or trades usually is all but futile, and that was the case with a question about the possibilities of trading staff ace Lance Lynn this offseason.
But it appears there is momentum toward a deal at some point, even if there isn’t much happening around baseball either in trades or free agency.
“We’re having the conversations we need to have, but it’s hard to lay out a timeline at this point,” Daniels said.
The Rangers chose to hold Lynn at the Aug. 31 trade deadline after no team would meet their demands. The Rangers said they coveted his leadership, in addition to his pitching.
Those things are still true, and his $8 million contract for 2021 in a depressed market is a remarkable value.
His value will never be higher than it is now, and more teams could be in play than there were at the trade deadline. If the Rangers do make a deal, expect the return to package to include pitchers who are either MLB-ready or very close.
After assessing the farm system after the instructional league, the Rangers are heavy on position players.
“As a very general statement,” Daniels said. “The position player depth throughout the system really stood out as we look at the club this fall.”
Sherten Apostel to first base
Ronald Guzman is the incumbent first baseman, and he is off to a nice start in winter ball in the Dominican Republic. But after three seasons he doesn’t have a firm grasp on the job.
Enter prospect Sherten Apostel, a third baseman who appears to be blocked by Gold Glove winner Isiah Kiner-Falefa and top prospect Josh Jung. The Rangers don’t have a big-time prospect at first base.
The Rangers believe Apostel can play third base despite size (6-foot-4, 235 pounds), but he worked at the alternate camp in 2020 at first baseman and even logged a few games there after making his MLB debut.
Apostel is likely to start the season at Triple A.
“I think, in a lot of cases, first basemen in the big leagues aren’t necessarily first basemen in the minor leagues,” Daniels said.
Speas further away
Speas throws 102 mph, something that is sure to at least make teams take a look at him as they prepare for the Rule 5 draft. The Rangers included him in their initial 60-man player pool for the 2020 season, believing he could possibly help late in the season if they were in contention.
They were out of it before the midway point, and chose to not bring Speas up for his MLB debut.
From the Rangers’ perspective, the decision to not protect Speas might not have been terribly difficult.
He has only 20 games at Low A, and that was in 2018 before he needed Tommy John surgery. Other than two appearances in 2019, Speas hasn’t played in two years.
Sure, he throws harder than anyone in the system, but he and the Rangers aren’t always sure it’s going to be a strike. As long as his command is an issue, big-league hitters are going to give him fits. He just isn’t ready for the majors.
If a team selects Speas, it won’t take long for them to see that, and they won’t be able to hide it. The end result could be that the Rangers get him back after the team that took him realizes it can’t keep him on the active roster for a full season.
“This is a pretty unusual offseason, to state the obvious,” Daniels said. “A lot of the past precedents, the type of players who get selected and stick, I am not sure how much that really means when you look at the fact a lot of these guys haven’t played. Very few played at all.”
