Texas Rangers offseason plan coming together quickly. Here are their latest moves
In the last week, the Texas Rangers have done the following:
Traded right-hander Lance Lynn to the Chicago White Sox for righty Dane Dunning and left-hander Avery Weems.
Traded three prospects to the Tampa Bay Rays for first baseman Nate Lowe and two prospects.
Traded righty reliever Rafael Montero to the Seattle Mariners for two prospects.
Signed free-agent outfielder David Dahl to a one-year deal worth $2.7 million.
The flurry of offseason activity doesn’t include moving Isiah Kiner-Falefa from third base to shortstop, ending Elvis Andrus’ 12-season run there, or the hiring of general manager Chris Young as an extra voice in the front office.
Whew.
Across baseball, though, teams have been relatively quiet.
So, what gives with all this Rangers activity?
A plan appears to be coming together.
“Opportunity comes at different times for different teams,” general manager Chris Young said. “As we evaluated where we are as a club and where we want to go, we’ve seen the opportunity to acquire players we feel like fit what we want to accomplish. And I think it’s really important to strike to right now there’s that opportunity.”
In the Lynn-Dunning trade, the Rangers acquired a young, controllable starter and saved $8 million.
In the Lowe trade, the Rangers added their first baseman of the foreseeable future.
By trading Montero, the Rangers added 17-year-old pitching prospect Jose Corniell, a right-hander who was coveted by many teams in 2019-20 international signing class.
Adding Dahl, a former National League All-Star, gives the Rangers a terrific defensive alignment for the spacious Globe Life Field outfield and a motivated 26-year-old hitter under club control who was unexpectedly non-tendered earlier this month by the Colorado Rockies.
The Rangers had needs at those spots. The players are hungry to prove themselves. They recognize they have to earn their spots on the roster through performance, and not expect a spot simply because they were targeted in trades.
“This is an opportunity for the organization to put in place a couple pieces that are going to be important for where we’re headed,” Young said. “What we’re profiling is winning, good players ... and players who are competitive and are going maximize their potential.
“That’s what we’re looking for, that championship mentality. As we get that across 26 players and even more so in the minor-league system, we’re going to create a really, really good team.”
Dahl has history at Globe Life Field. The Rockies were the first opposing team to play at the new $1.2 billion ballpark, and Dahl connected for a home run in a July 21 exhibition.
He collected three hits on Opening Day, and loves the amenities and the roof.
He also said that he will be healthy for spring training following surgery on his right/throwing shoulder in September. The injury contributed to him batting only .183 with no home runs.
“I’m ahead of schedule,” Dahl said.
Young said that the Rangers are looking additional help in the rotation, at catcher and at third base, where Andrus is the internal front-runner for the job despite never playing anywhere other than shortstop.
At this rate, the Rangers’ next move could be Wednesday.
Their plan is coming together quickly.
This story was originally published December 15, 2020 at 5:37 PM.
