Inside The Rangers

Texas Rangers Deemed 'Contenders' to Land Toronto Blue Jays Superstar

The Texas Rangers are among the top contenders to land the Toronto Blue Jays star that is headed towards free agency after the season.

Dylan Sanders

Sep 17, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) hits a double and drives in a run against the Texas Rangers during the second inning at Globe Life Field.
Sep 17, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) hits a double and drives in a run against the Texas Rangers during the second inning at Globe Life Field. / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
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The Texas Rangers made a change at first base this past season, but shouldn't be counted out to make another one next year.

The MLB world was abuzz on Tuesday with the news that Toronto Blue Jays superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr. would be headed to free agency following the season.

In an effort to understand his potential market, Matt Snyder of CBS Sports put together a ranking of all 30 teams based on how likely they are to bring in the Blue Jays slugger.

The Rangers were among the top teams listed, coming in at the number seven spot. That puts them in the top tier, labeled 'contenders.'

Guerrero is one of the top young talents in baseball and is someone that any team in MLB would be glad to add. While Texas has been cutting down on spending, a player of his talent could be enough to entice them to open up the pocketbooks once again.

The 25-year-old posted a .323/.396/.544 slash line with 30 home runs and 103 RBI last year while playing in a struggling lineup. It wasn't even the best year of his career, either, showing just how good his potential is.

Guererro is a four-time All-Star already. He would be the perfect player to step in and provide some immediate and future pop to the lineup. Both Marcus Semien and Adolis Garcia hit a wall of regression last year, which means it could be time to start switching things up.

The Rangers have already done some shifting at first base in trading Nathaniel Lowe to the Washington Nationals and bringing in Jake Burger from the Miami Marlins.

Lowe has been the perfect middle ground of a first baseman with both slightly above average defense and offense.

Burger has high potential on offense, but still a far cry from what Guerrero would offer. His addition could still be enough to take Texas out of the sweepstakes for the Toronto star, though, given that he is a cost-controlled option through the end of the 2028 campaign.

The 28-year-old is a negative presence on defense, though, so they could make them fit together by moving Burger to the designated hitter role.

At the end of the day, Guerrero is the type of player that a team brings in and figures everything out around him instead.

He would immediately add years to their championship window and would be a massive add in free agency.

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Dylan Sanders
DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders

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