Top 5 2021 Free Agent Targets for the Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers weren’t any good in 2021. Following another bottom 5 finish, having traded off everyone with a pulse and a bat, and sub-standard performance from the majority of the prospects, you would think the future is still deep in the pit of despair.
You’d be wrong, though; the end is near for this rebuild.
Top prospects Cole Winn, Josh Jung, and Sam Huff could finish 2022 in Arlington, with others shortly behind.
The Rangers must strike now to secure a solid team for these young guys to thrive in. As promised by Rangers GM Chris Young:
“Given where we are, with the financial flexibility moving forward into the offseason, I expect us to be very active in the free-agent market,” Young said. “[We’ll be] targeting players who fit our next few years and what we’re trying to accomplish, surrounding the next wave of talent that comes through our minor league system — the players that we think are going to be part of our future with the right veteran players.”
So that says it all. You can be skeptical about the front office forking over the money necessary to get the “right veterans.” But I tend to believe Young didn’t turn down other GM positions just to be held back in Texas. After all, ownership has a new stadium to fill up. Now, going out and signing anyone and everyone isn’t too way to go, and neither is signing the best available.
For instance, Max Scherzer is the best available pitcher on the market. However, he is 37 years old, and the Rangers will want to target multi-year deals. He will probably get a 3 year/$105 million deal, and a contract of that size going into his age 39-40 season isn’t part of a “future” plan.
These will be the Top 5 targets for the RIGHT free agents based on fit and need.
1) Marcus Stroman
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Stroman gets the nod here as the most important free-agent target for the Rangers. He made his first All-Star game in 2019, splitting time with Toronto and New York. Sitting out the 2020 season citing Covid 19 reasons, he came back in a strong way posting a 3.02 ERA across 179 innings in 2021. His strikeout and walk rate have been relatively consistent throughout his career, sporting 2.2 walks/9 and 7.9 strikeouts per 9.
Stroman is a consistent and reliable force on the mound, and at 30 years old, he could be ready and primed for Cy Young contention. He would be cheaper than Kershaw and could even outperform him moving forward, and that’s why Stroman the nudge.
2) The Short Stops
This one is a bit of a cop-out, but I’ll be grouping the big 3 short stops here. The 3 being Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, and Trevor Story. Baez and Semien might be grouped here, but if the Rangers are to spend big, it needs to be on one of the 3 prior mentioned. Some would argue that these players should be on the top of the list, but with the Rangers having a deep system full of middle infielders and IKF as an established piece, they drop down to 2.
Being 2nd doesn’t diminish the impact or value they’d have on this team, though. Any one of these players would immediately come in and take a top-of-the-order spot for years to come. They would establish this team as being on the brink of competition and lock down a key position.
3) Clayton Kershaw
Clayton comes in at 3 here but would be a strong contender for number 1. He will go down in history as an all-time great player and has little to nothing left to prove. Though there seems to be some regression from his historically great prime, he is still a valuable and useful player. He managed to hold down a solid 3.55 ERA over 121 innings this year while decreasing his walk rate and improving his strikeout rate.
It may seem he’s been around forever, and that’s because he has. After 14 years and 8 All-Star games, you’re bound to become a common name, but one thing to keep in mind is he’s only 33. He could sign for a 4-year deal if he feels like leaving LA, which should put him on the Rangers’ radar. He could provide a solid example for the young prospects upcoming and anchor down the rotation with Dunning.
4) Nick Castellanos
Nick has already been a free agent target of the Rangers before signing with the Reds. Now, he’ll be looking to opt-out of that deal for much greener pastures, and Texas is ready to spend. The outfield position has been a bit of a revolving door in Arlington, with the expected starters in 2022 being Adolis Garcia, Leody Taveras, and DJ Peters. Now, that is one heck of a defensive outfield with all 3 capable of making outstanding plays; the problem is their offensive performance.
Garcia could very likely win Rookie of the year for 2021, but that would be thanks to his stellar May. He hit 11 homers and averaged .312. Outside of May, though… he hit 20 homers and batted .242. Those aren’t terrible numbers in today’s game, but that shouldn’t lock him in for the middle of the order. DJ Peters also hits many home runs and plays great defense, but he was a Dodgers cast off for a reason. He is more suitable for a bench position. Leody Taveras has as much potential as anyone but has flashed absolutely none of it yet. He’s been given a good amount of playing time to show something and has yet to, so Rangers fans shouldn’t hold their breath. The immediate help from the minors is much of the same with Steele Walker and Bubba Thompson, good defense and questionable offense.
This gives Castellanos the bump up to the 4th highest free-agent target. With the OF needing arguably the most help of any position group, Castellanos could come in and immediately be a giant offensive boost. He set career marks in homer runs at 34 and batting average at .309. He seems to be hitting his prime, and the Rangers should jump at the chance to sign him.
5) Kevin Gausman
Kevin Gausman comes in at number 5 here. He’ll probably be looked at as the transition between tier 1 and tier 2 free agent pitchers available. Gausman was a highly touted prospect going 4th overall in the 2012 draft. He has shown some promise in his 9 years. However, it wasn’t until recently though that he put together back-to-back decent seasons.
That all changed though when he gambled on himself and took a qualifying offer from the Giants following 2020, where he posted an ERA of 3.62. The bet has paid off, and he posted a career-best ERA of 2.81 across 192 innings.
He did falter a bit down the stretch to a 4.08 ERA over his final 17 starts and is known for being inconsistent year to year, so the Rangers should reach too far here. But he does have 5 sub 4 ERA seasons to his name, and that’s no small feat.
The Rest of the Top 10…
- Chris Taylor
- Kris Bryant
- Anthony DeScalfani
- Steven Matz
- Kyle Schwarber
Alternatives
- Noah Syndergaard
- Michael Conforto
- Michael Lorenzen
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