Chris Young: 'Reassess' Rangers Plan After Jacob deGrom Signing
Now, Texas Rangers general manager Chris Young intends to take a breath.
At least that’s how he made it sound during Jacob deGrom’s introductory press conference on Thursday.
The Rangers’ primary goal this offseason was to acquire starting pitching. The Rangers caught free agency’s biggest fish by signing deGrom to a five-year, $185 million deal last week.
Aside from that, the Rangers dealt a reliever, Dennis Santana, to Atlanta to get veteran starter Jake Odorizzi. The Braves even kicked in $10 million to cover most of the veteran’s salary.
Plus, the Rangers signed Los Angeles Dodgers starter Andrew Heaney to a two-year contract with an opt-out after the first year.
Young says the Rangers are not done yet. But with the Winter Meetings now in the rear-view mirror, Young and his staff are ready to take a pause before deciding what’s next.
“I think we'll reassess,” Young said. “It's been a busy week for us. We'll step back, reassess and stay open minded on always to continue to improve.”
The most immediate thing the Rangers will do in the coming days is make room for Heaney on the active roster. The Rangers are at 40 and Heaney isn’t listed, meaning that his contract isn’t signed. Once it is, the Rangers will have to cut someone or designate someone for assignment.
After that? The Rangers could continue to pursue starting pitching, but it’s unlikely they would do so at the level of, say, a Carlos Rodon. The Rangers could roll the dice on a pitcher of Heaney’s value. But along with the five veterans starters, the Rangers still have young starters like Glenn Otto, Dane Dunning, Spencer Howard and Cole Ragans to tap into.
It’s more likely the Rangers will continue to pursue at least one more bat, likely one that can play outfield and designated hitter. The Rangers were one of many teams reportedly pursuing Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger, but he ultimately signed a deal with the San Francisco Giants.
Left field is the one position where the Rangers have some wiggle room. They like rookie Bubba Thompson, especially his speed on the basepaths. He had a solid season at the plate. But they may be willing to sacrifice his playing time for the right bat.
The Rangers have consistently said that they’re interested in adding one more bat to go along with their core of Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Nathaniel Lowe and Adolis García. All four hit at least 25 home runs last season. Lowe won the American League’s Silver Slugger award at first base.
The other area of need is the bullpen, though most of last season’s bullpen is under contract, including the team’s rookie of the year, left-hander Brock Burke. Matt Moore is a free agent. The left-hander had a fine season working as a one- or two-inning reliever in 2022. The Rangers have said they want to re-sign him.
What the Rangers do next won’t have the flash of deGrom. But it could be just as critical to their stated goal of contenting in 2023.
“We feel like we need to stay open-minded and continue to look to improve our roster,” Young said. “We feel very good about where we are in terms of our minor league system and the player development in the players that we have coming in time. But we're trying to win at the big league level. And to do that we need to continue to look to improve.”
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