Rangers' GM Jon Daniels Reveals a Youthful Identity for 2021, Discusses Andrus' & Odor's Future

Texas Rangers GM Jon Daniels discussed a number of issues on Tuesday, including next year's identity, where the club could supplement externally this winter, and the future of Elvis Andrus and Rougned Odor.

After the last couple of offseasons and trade deadlines, many fans were left wondering just what direction the Texas Rangers are going. Are they going to spend? Are they going to tear it down and rebuild? Anything in between?

We now have our answer. The 2021 Texas Rangers will be a younger team.

"I look at it as a great opportunity," said Rangers President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Jon Daniels. "I know that everybody was wanting to have a team full of stable veteran guys a championship caliber team. Listen, these guys are young, they're talented, they're learning, they want to grow. They're hungry. I don't care if they're 25 years old. I just look at it as an opportunity to help guide these guys to becoming consistent major league performers."

What does that look like? The Rangers have several younger prospects that are gaining some much needed experience right now, even if they are not deemed "major league ready." What can we expect the additions the club may or may not make this winter? Most importantly, the Rangers will not sign short-term players that would block younger players on day one of the regular season.

"Our first choice will be, when we have players that we think are mentally and physically prepared to compete up here and that can help the team, we're going to give them that opportunity by not blocking them with somebody that maybe isn't really part of our long term future," Daniels explained. 

"To the degree that we look to supplement, it'll be specifically in spots where we don't think we have those young players ready from day one ... I do expect that there will be some veteran additions to the club, but it will be specifically areas where supplementing spots where we don’t have guys ready to compete and perform at the major league level."

While Daniels would neither confirm nor deny it, that explanation sounds like the end of Shin-Soo Choo's career as a Ranger. It also confirms there wouldn't be one- or two-year signings of guys like Todd Frazier when the Rangers have several options internally at third base and first base. 

Not unlike last winter, the Rangers are much more likely to supplement on the pitching side rather than with position players. With Lance Lynn, Kyle Gibson, and Jordan Lyles in next year's rotation, all talk regarding additions to the rotation begins with Corey Kluber, who pitched only one inning before he was lost for the season with a shoulder injury. The Rangers have to decide whether or not to pick up his $18 million club option this winter.

"We’ve had very cursory discussions with Corey and his agent B.B. Abbott," Daniels said. "He is still in the process of rehabbing right now, so I think there is a lot more information that we need. On the surface, there is interest in bringing him back. Although, it likely will be a different arrangement if we do."

Two veteran players that are consistently at the top of water cooler discussions and angry Twitter threads are Elvis Andrus and Rougned Odor, especially the latter. Last winter, Daniels was very open about both players needing to perform this season if the Rangers were going to compete. It's not a coincidence that both players have struggled mightily and the Rangers are currently in the basement of the American League West division, guaranteed to finish with a losing record.

Now, a good portion of the fan base is ready to move on from Odor after underperforming in the first four seasons of his six-year contract. Fans may not be so quick to move on from Elvis, but how does either player factor in with a more youthful vision ahead?

"We've had pretty open discussions with both guys that they're not guaranteed starting spots on the club," Daniels explained. "They're going to have to demonstrate beyond just the last couple of weeks here this season that they are prepared to produce at a level the team needs. We've been candid with them that they may need to be prepared to learn other positions as well."

Trading either Andrus or Odor are not out of the question. While a trade of Andrus seems less likely, there were reports of the Rangers looking for money swap deal involving Odor, but never came to fruition by the trade deadline. Whether those talks continue this winter is something to watch for in the months ahead.

Ultimately, the Rangers have a brand new ballpark that will host a World Series where the hometown team is not involved. Even in an effort to trot out a younger team, the Rangers want to win. They want to compete. They want to give fans more than one reason to come out to the ballpark next season. 

"It's going to depend on the growth of this group," Daniels said. "And not just the rookie group. I mean the growth of our younger veterans. It doesn't really matter what I say right now. It's going to be how we produce on the field."

In other words, look to guys like Joey Gallo, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and potentially Ronald Guzmán. Gallo and Kiner-Falefa could be Gold Glove candidates this season, but Gallo has not been able to replicate his 2019 success at the plate. Kiner-Falefa is hitting near the top of the American League, but wants to see more power develop. 

There's obviously tons of room for guys like Nick Solak, Jose Trevino, and Leody Taveras to grow, and it seems like the sky is the limit for that trio. If the Rangers are to have any chance to compete next season, their growth, along with guys like Gallo and Kiner-Falefa, will determine where the Rangers finish in 2021.

Yes, the likelihood of a young team competing is very slim. However, this could be a fun team to watch. Many of these prospects, like Taveras, have been talked about for a long time. Now, we'll get to see whether these guys can truly play or not.

Follow Inside The Rangers on SI on Twitter: @SITexasRangers
Like Inside The Rangers on SI on Facebook: www.facebook.com/SITexasRangers
Follow our Rangers insider Chris Halicke on Twitter: @ChrisHalicke