The Texas Rangers have been quietly busy this offseason under new GM Chris Young.
Young was hired on December 4th to replace Jon Daniels.
Daniels will now focus on his job as President of Baseball Operations. Keep in mind that J.D. said he wasn’t going to throw Young straight into the fire and that he would work with him the first few months until he got acclimated to the position. In other words, all those Daniels’ haters need to tap the brakes on praising Young alone for the moves they’ve made.
Before the Young hiring, there were two acquisitions: claiming catcher Aramis Garcia off waivers from the Giants and signing free-agent pitcher Joe Gatto. Nothing to get excited about. But then again, every team in baseball makes these small roster moves. They add minor league depth with the hopes of major league potential.
On December 8th, four days after hiring Chris Young, the flurry began, and it began with a surprise.
The Rangers traded ace Lance Lynn to the White Sox for pitchers Dane Dunning and Avery Weems. Dunning will immediately impact the starting rotation while Weems needs another season or two in the minors, especially with the lack of a minor league season in 2020.
Texas and Tampa Bay made a six-player trade in which Texas acquired first baseman, Nate Lowe. Lowe will compete with Ronald Guzman for the starting job. The loser will more than likely have a bench role. The Rangers also received 1B Jake Guenther and a player to be named later. In exchange, the Rays received three lower-tier prospects in C Heriberto Hernandez, SS Osleivis Basabe, and right fielder Alexander Ovalles.
Photo: Tony Gutierrez/APOther smaller moves included claiming reliever Brett de Guess in the minor-league portion of the Rule 5 draft and pitchers Justin Marsden, Matt Winivis, and catcher Yohel Pozo in the major league portion.
One move that was a head-scratcher for me was the trade of closer Rafael Montero to the Mariners for reliever Jose Corniell. That means they are either committed to Jose LeClerc in the closer role or may make another move to fill that spot.
Then there was the signing of Rockies free agent OF David Dahl. If he can avoid the injury bug, this will be a steal at $3 million for one year. He also has two seasons of team control left. This also means that Nick Solak can replace Rougned Odor at second base.
There have been other moves but these were the ones that I foresee having the biggest impact on the team in the future. If I were to grade the offseason thus far, I would give it a B+.
The Montero deal is what drug it down for me.
Featured Image: Tony Gutierrez/AP
