The Sunday Read: Texas Rangers aren't done yet. Where they may spend (more) once lockout ends.
Clayton Kershaw is an obvious target, and the Rangers could still add an outfielder despite signing Kole Calhoun.
Welcome to the MLB lockout, where baseball business is frozen indefinitely depending on how much money and how many more fans owners and players want to lose.
Reports have varied on how long the work stoppage will last, with one saying June, but the general consensus is that new collective bargaining agreement will be reached in time to have some form of spring training and a full 162-game 2022 season.
Teams aren’t permitted to speak publicly about any players on 40-man rosters or free agents, or to agents about their free agents (minor-league free agents are not off limits). No one employed by MLB can, not even MLB.com beat writers.
Club officials, though, can talk about players internally, think about their rosters and what they need before the 2022 season, and continue planning for 2022.
The Texas Rangers still have needs despite what they did in the days leading to the lockout.
“They’re not done yet,” one baseball source said.
There could be a caveat to that. By signing Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, the Rangers are surrendering their second- and third-round draft picks as free-agent compensation because those players rejected qualifying offers.
It seems unlikely that Rangers would pursue another player with compensation attached, like, say, outfielders Nick Castellanos or Michael Conforto. The Rangers are in position to add help via trade, though they don’t want to ship away too many prospects.
Then again, no one thought they would sign two of the Big Five shortstops or add more than a half-billion dollars in financial commitments.
Here’s a look at the positions that could be addressed and the players the Rangers could pursue once the lockout is over.