Armchair GM plays what if, as in: What if new CBA drops qualifying offer immediately after lockout?
The Rangers have already surrendered their second- and third-round picks, and could be swayed to pursue other big names if no more draft picks would be lost.
The lockout sucks. It’s things like a labor dispute that cause unqualified armchair GMs like myself to ponder different scenarios once baseball opens the doors again.
But I wanted to go at it with a different look.
What if the new CBA doesn’t attach draft compensation to the remaining free agents who were made qualifying offers? A source who would know doesn’t seem to think this will happen.
But if it did, this wouldn’t necessarily mean Texas would get back the second and third-round picks it surrendered to sign Corey Seager and Marcus Semien. Those deals were negotiated under the old CBA. Unless MLB and the players could agree on forfeiting those compensation picks, that is a horse that has already left the barn.
The owners have agreed to dump the qualifying offer, but why throw another wrench into the deal by working on the draft picks? The Rangers might lose out on those picks, but it could also open up new free agents who they probably weren’t considering.
With that in mind, let’s go at this again knowing that the Rangers need outfield help and a veteran starting pitcher. We also have to consider that the Rangers currently have 39 players on their 40-man roster. This means they are likely looking to clear some spots.