It’s been a quiet start to the offseason for the Guardian. Their only notable move has been the trade of middle relief Eli Morgan on steals and the return of the backup catcher Austin Hedges for a free $4MM deal.
As the Winter Meetings approach, Cleveland’s front office has been monitoring the market for an outfield position. President of baseball operations Chris Antonetti tells Will Sammon, Katie Woo and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic that the Rangers are open to adding a “complementary player” to the bullpen.
Steven Kwan he is one of the best lefties in the game. The other two outdoor areas are wide open. Lane Thomas he played a lot of center field after the Rangers acquired him from Washington in a deadline deal. He stretched himself defensively in the middle. Ideally, Thomas was entering the right place. Guards don’t have many interior options that can take playing time every day at center. If they’re going to move Thomas to corner, they’ll likely need to add a middle linebacker.
The free agent class at the position is very weak. Harrison Bader he is the only player who plays as a normal player. Leody Taveras again Jake Meyers are the first options of gloves that can be found in the commercial market. Neither of them will provide a great offense, but they can improve Cleveland’s outfield defense.
The Rangers are also likely to receive trade calls regarding Thomas. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects Thomas an $8.3MM salary in his final season of arbitration eligibility. That’s a nice sum for a low-paying franchise, but the Rangers gave up strong hopes of a return to Thomas’ land a few months ago. They’ll get a small package after struggling down the stretch (a timely postseason home run aside), and the trade will leave them with two question marks in the outfield.
If the Rangers stick with Thomas at center, they could have some combinations Is Brennan, Jonkensy Noel again Daniel Schneemann in the right field. Noel has a lot of energy but hits a ton. He’s a better runner than one might expect given his 6’3″, 250-pound frame, but he might be better defensively as an everyday outfielder. Neither Brennan nor Schneemann showed much offense. Jonathan Rodriguez, Angel Martinez again Petey Halpin they are all on the 40-man roster but have little or no major league experience.
High hopes Chase DeLauter could be a mid-season upgrade. Opening Day Call can be a long shot. DeLauter has dealt with injuries in his minor league career and has only appeared in 42 games above High-A, only six of which have come at the Triple-A level.
There is a fair amount of depth in the free agent corner outfield class. Michael Conforto, Max Kepler again Alex Verdugo all of whom may be limited to one or two years. They are all left-handed hitters, but a right-handed bat would be a better match for the matchup player’s search. Brennan and Schneemann each hit the left side, as did DeLauter. (Nel is right.) Randal Grichuk or recent tenders Austin Hays again Bryan De La Cruz can hold short team roles. They could pair with Brennan or Schneemann early in the season while allowing Stephen Vogt to protect DeLauter from the tough left field if he gets a big league look later in the year.
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