Friday Newsletter time: Will Texas Rangers get any shopping done before the potential lockout?
They have done a lot of talking but so far haven't sealed a deal with any big-name free agents. Or even small-name free agents.
By this time next week everyone in baseball will know whether the owners have locked out the players over labor strife or if they need to catch a flight to Orlando for the annual winter meetings.
Even with as exhausting and chaotic as the winter meetings can be, my hope is they go off as planned. But with as quiet as it has been and based on the commissioner’s last public remarks, it seems like a stoppage is probable.
The deadline to reach a new collective bargaining agreement is 11:59 p.m. Wednesday.
None of the 30 MLB teams and none of remaining free agents are obligated to make a deal before then. Some teams are hesitant to do so, unsure how the new CBA might affect them, and some players want to see their markets established.
Which takes us to the five big-name free-agent shortstops, all of whom remain available. The Rangers have met or held conversations with at least four of them, including giving local boy Trevor Story a tour of Globe Life Field.
The other three are Corey Seager, Marcus Semien and Carlos Correa. That leaves Javier Baez, the only one who doesn’t have a qualifying offer attached to him. It’s unclear if the Rangers have contacted him.
The Rangers have felt good about each conversation. There are differences on how the decision-makers rank the shortstops based on a number of traits, not the least of which are talent and fit.
The current speculation is that Baez will sign before the CBA deadline. The New York Mets want to re-sign him after acquiring him at the trade deadline.
Right-hander Jon Gray reportedly could sign soon, and there’s a report that the Rangers are interested in signing him. He’s already reportedly turned down money similar to what Steven Matz took from the St. Louis Cardinals.
Maybe Matz set the market for the pitchers in his tier. Maybe Baez clears up what it will take to sign one of the other four shortstops.
And maybe something happens with the Rangers before a potential lockout.
Christmas gift idea
Substack drafted an email for me to send to all subscribers reminding you guys that you can give a paid subscription to the Texas Rangers Newsletter as a gift. Instead, I thought I’d just do it here.
You can gift a subscription anytime by clicking the “Give a gift subscription” button above. You can also go to jeffwilson.substack.com/gift. But with Christmas soon to be upon us, the idea is to give it as a Christmas present.
There isn’t a Black Friday deal. People tell me that my prices — $5.99 a month or $60 a year — are already too low. I’ve been told to raise my prices, which I’m opposed to doing.
The recipient of your gift will get a lot of bang for the buck. The daily newsletter, T.R.’s Memoirs, Friday on the Farm, the Sunday Read and the Texas Rangers Baseball Podcast are standard just about every week, and there’s often more.
Also, you don’t have to wrap this gift.
That’s worth at least $10 of the $60 right there.
Anyhoo, thanks for your support and continued support. Give the gift that keeps given the whole year long.
Card of the Week
For those of you questioning why TK Roby’s 2020 Bowman Draft Chrome rookie card wasn’t the Card of the Week last week, I’m ready for you.
Roby was the guest on the Texas Rangers Baseball Podcast on Nov. 18, and could have very easily been featured in this space last Friday. You’re not wrong.
However, there is no podcast this week, so you have another seven days to listen to Roby talk about his elbow, his draft experience, all the young pitching prospects in the system, and even the origins of his name.
Roby left a favorable impression on those who listened. He’s sharp, mature and confident without being a jerk about it.
Here’s the link:
Doggy video!
Me on Thursday after the tryptophan wore off and I realized I needed to get this Newsletter done. Enjoy. See you Monday.
