Texas Rangers

If the American League West wasn't already the AL's deepest division, it is now.      

Fresh on the heels of the Los Angeles Angels' signing of superstar third baseman Anthony Rendon to a $245 million contract on Wednesday, the Texas Rangers responded with a whopper of their own on Sunday. 

As first reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic and Jon Heyman of MLB Network, they're getting two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber in a trade with the Cleveland Indians:

Welcome to the Klub. #TogetherWe pic.twitter.com/wdrG8lwySh

— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) December 15, 2019

Also according to Rosenthal, the Rangers are sending speedy outfielder Delino DeShields Jr. and right-handed reliever (and human GIF machine) Emmanuel Clase to Cleveland. Per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, they're absorbing the entirety of Kluber's contract.

In so doing, the Rangers are taking on a $17.5 million salary for 2020. Kluber also has an $18 million club option for 2021 that will become a vesting option if he logs over 160 innings and doesn't finish the '20 season on the injured list.

These aren't terms the Rangers will regret if Kluber pitches like he did between 2014 and 2018. All he did in that five-year stretch was average a 2.85 ERA, a 5.5 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 218 innings per season. Per Baseball Reference, his 32.4 wins above replacement were second only to Max Scherzer's total.

But as evidenced by Cleveland's light return, there is doubt as to whether Kluber will recapture his former dominance. He's going to turn 34 years old on April 10, and he's coming off a season in which he was limited to only seven starts by a broken arm and a strained oblique. He didn't pitch at all in the majors after May 1.

To boot, Kluber managed just a 5.80 ERA even before the injury bug came after him. His fastball, which peaked with an average of 93.2 mph in 2014, was operating at just 91.6 mph. Not so coincidentally, his hard-contact rate rose to a career-worst 37.5 percent.

Yet this happened over a small sample size and was authored by a slow starter. Kluber's career 3.91 ERA and 4.1 strikeout-to-walk ratio for March/April are his worst marks for any individual month.

In addition to drawing hope from that, the Rangers can reason that a healthy Kluber will be able to pitch around his declining velocity. To this end, he's always had impeccable command of an arsenal of pitches marked by different speeds and movements.

Corey Kluber, Movement montage. 🤢 pic.twitter.com/2uL9OVkWFl

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 9, 2018

If Kluber does indeed put 2019 behind him and revert back to his No. 1 form, the Rangers will have potentially the best starting rotation in the American League next season.

They mainly had their rotation to thank for the team's better-than-expected record of 78-84 in 2019. It ranked fourth in MLB with 15.7 WAR, and that was despite the fact that only left-hander Mike Minor and right-hander Lance Lynn really came through. They combined for a 3.63 ERA over 416.2 innings, as well as 15.4 WAR.

Minor and Lynn are both back for 2020. And in addition to Kluber, the Rangers have added ground-ball specialist Kyle Gibson and fellow righty Jordan Lyles on free-agent deals. That gives them as many as three No. 1 starters and two guys who are well-suited for the fourth and fifth slots, respectively.

The Rangers still must add an impact right-handed hitter to a lineup that ranked 26th in Major League Baseball in wOBA from the right side in 2019. If they can also shore up an infield defense that yielded the majors' worst average on ground balls this past season, that would be swell.

Nevertheless, a step forward is in order in 2020. The Rangers can lock their eyes on a wild-card spot, and there's at least a glimmer of a chance that they can pitch their way to a division title.

The Houston Astros are still the heavy favorite in the AL West, yet they might not be the same 100-win juggernaut that they were over the past three seasons. Even setting aside what penalties might come from MLB's investigation into sign-stealing accusations against them, their payroll situation is threatening to undermine their recent supremacy.

To wit, they've already lost ace righty Gerrit Cole to the New York Yankees free agency. And according to Rosenthal, their concerns about their payroll are so strong that they're even considering trading star shortstop Carlos Correa.

For their part, the Oakland Athletics still largely resemble the team that notched a second straight 97-win season in 2019. But between their hole at second base and the mixed bag of experience and reliability in their rotation, they also have some tangible downside.

Until they add a lot more than just Dylan Bundy to their rotation, the Angels have plenty of downside in their own right. But with Rendon joining Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, Justin Upton and the rest of a strong offense, the Angels are more or less the inverse of the Rangers. Their goal seems to be to hit their way to the playoffs in 2020.

Altogether, the AL West was technically the best of the AL's three divisions with an average record of 84-77 in 2019. The only practical argument against the notion it was actually the league's best division was that only the Astros and A's were good.

That's no longer the case. Because only the rebuilding Seattle Mariners figure to be out of the running, the 2020 AL West race is shaping up to be a fun one.

                                           

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant. 

Two-time American League Cy Young winner Corey Kluber is on his way to the Texas Rangers. 

The Cleveland Indians confirmed Sunday that Kluber was dealt to the Rangers for outfielder Delino DeShields Jr. and pitcher Emmanuel Clase. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported the Rangers also received $500,000 in the deal, meaning the Indians will pay the other half of Kluber's $1 million assignment bonus.

Jon Heyman of MLB Network first reported the deal was complete (pending physicals) after Jeff Passan of ESPN first noted the trade was in the "final stages."

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported the details of the swap.

The Indians explored trading Kluber prior to the start of last season, with NBC Los Angeles' Michael J. Duarte reporting last December that the Los Angeles Dodgers were actively engaged in talks for the three-time All-Star. 

Cleveland retained Kluber, hoping he would be able to lead the organization back to the postseason for a fourth consecutive year. Things didn't go as planned for him or the team in 2019. The right-hander had a 5.80 ERA with 44 hits allowed and 38 strikeouts in 35.2 innings. 

Kluber's season came to an end after just seven starts when he suffered a broken forearm in a game against the Miami Marlins after being hit by a line drive off the bat of Brian Anderson. The 33-year-old attempted a comeback late in the year but suffered a strained oblique in a rehab start at Triple-A. 

There was uncertainty about Kluber's status with Cleveland in 2020, but the team picked up its $17.5 million option on his contract. This gave the organization flexibility to either use him as a trade chip or enter next season with him as part of a rotation that also includes Shane Bieber and Mike Clevinger. 

Given the limited financial resources available to the Indians, their front office has to be flexible in order to add talent. Kluber was one of the biggest trade chips the organization had if it wanted to add impact players for next season and beyond. 

The Rangers could use this type of help after ranking 24th in the majors with a 5.06 team ERA last season. Only two pitchers—Mike Minor and Lance Lynn—made more than 20 starts, and Texas has few trustworthy options elsewhere on the roster. This deal could help a team that otherwise had a lot of talent while finishing 78-84 last season.

Kluber does have some question marks after a lost 2019, but his ceiling is exponentially higher than anyone else the Rangers had last year. His addition is a huge boost for an organization trying to catch the Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics in the AL West. 

Construction materials at the Texas Rangers' new ballpark caught fire on Saturday afternoon, resulting in damage to the upper sections of the stadium. 

Per the Arlington Fire Department, the fire has been contained, and no injuries were reported. 

"These kinds of things can get out of control quickly," Arlington deputy fire chief Jonathan Ingols said, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. "It's a long, hard climb up there with all their gear, but thanks to partnership with Rangers and Manhattan Construction, we had practiced this."

Grant added no cause for the fire has been determined and it is still being investigated. 

Arlington firefighters are trying to get a handle on a fire at Globe Life Field this afternoon. This view is from the west side of the stadium under construction. @dallasnews pic.twitter.com/RKtcnja40K

— Tom Fox (@TomFoxPhoto) December 14, 2019

Arlington fire officials told reporters the blaze started about 100 feet off the ground under the roof of the ballpark. 

Greg McClure, senior vice president at Manhattan Construction, told Grant it has yet to be determined if the fire will cause any delays to the work remaining on the stadium. 

Globe Life Field, which broke ground in Sept. 2017, is scheduled to open on March 23 with the Rangers hosting the St. Louis Cardinals in a spring training game. The first regular-season game will be held on March 31 against the Los Angeles Angels. 

The Rangers spent the previous 25 seasons playing at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The new park is located across the street at 734 Stadium Drive in Arlington, Texas. 

The Chicago White Sox made a move while MLB was thrown into a tizzy after ace Gerrit Cole agreed to a record-setting nine-year, $324 million deal with the New York Yankees.

The team announced late Tuesday night that they had acquired right fielder Nomar Mazara through a trade with the Texas Rangers in exchange for Class A outfielder Steele Walker:

The #WhiteSox have acquired outfielder Nomar Mazara from the Texas Rangers in exchange for minor-league outfielder Steele Walker. pic.twitter.com/M0L20f1NBn

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) December 11, 2019

Per Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times, Sox manager Rick Renteria spoke highly of Mazara on Tuesday.

"He's obviously a powerful man," he said. "He's 6'4" but he looks like he's 7-foot every time I see him in the box. Runs extremely well for a big guy. Can defend. Good arm. Brings a lot of qualities to the plate. Can pop one in the seats as quickly as anybody."

General manager Rick Hahn provided a statement once the trade was finalized, per The Athletic's James Fegan: "At just 24 years old, Nomar provides us with a left-handed-hitting right fielder who fits into our current team's development arc and who still has untapped potential. Nomar adds yet another young, exciting bat with upside to our lineup."

Mazara had been linked to the White Sox during the winter meetings in San Diego with The Athletic's Jim Bowden disclosing earlier Tuesday that Chicago was "working hard" to get him.

Before that, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News had reported in late July that the White Sox were "watching" Mazara ahead of last season's trade deadline.

The 24-year-old posted a .268/.318/.469 slash line with 19 home runs and 66 RBI across 116 games for the Rangers in 2019. Since entering the league in 2016, Mazara has hit .261/.320/.435 with 79 home runs and 308 RBI. All four seasons were with the Rangers.

Mazara has played 214 of his 244 games the last two seasons in right field. Chicago's only other right fielder on the roster is 28-year-old Leury Garcia, who primarily played in center field last season.

The White Sox have already signed catcher Yasmani Grandal and re-signed first baseman Jose Abreu.

The Texas Rangers are reportedly approaching free agency aggressively after finishing 2019 at 78-84.  

According to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, Rangers general manager Jon Daniels met one of the most sought-after free agents on the market in Houston over the weekend: 

"According to three major league sources, Daniels headed a contingent of Rangers officials who met face-to-face with free-agent third baseman Anthony Rendon and his representative Scott Boras in Houston Sunday. While no contract offer was made, according to the sources, the Rangers were there to make a presentation indicating their interest in the top position player on the free-agent market.

[...]

"Daniels is also believed to have met with free-agent pitcher Zack Wheeler recently. There is a growing sense in the industry that Wheeler will agree with a team before the winter meetings begin in San Diego."

Rendon's value skyrocketed during the Washington Nationals' World Series run last season. The 29-year-old third baseman posted a career-best .319/.412/.598 slash line while leading MLB in RBI (126) and leading the National League in doubles (44). He also earned his first career All-Star nod.

In the postseason, Rendon came up big for the Nationals when they needed him most:

Anthony Rendon's plate appearances in the 7th inning or later of the Nationals' five elimination games this season:

Walk, double, home run, double, home run, double, home run

— Sam Fortier (@Sam4TR) October 31, 2019

Rendon had spent all seven of his MLB seasons with the Nationals. He rejected Washington's qualifying offer in mid-November to enter unrestricted free agency. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal disclosed that the Nationals feel they are more likely to re-sign free-agent starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg—the World Series MVP—than Rendon. 

More from Rosenthal: 

"Right-handers Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg accepted significant deferrals in their long-term deals with the Nationals, but third baseman Anthony Rendon was less keen on proceeding with such a structure, some with the club say.

"The Washington Post reported in September that the Nats offered Rendon a seven-year deal in the $210 million-$215 million range with deferrals similar to Scherzer's, to be paid within seven years of the end of the contract."

It seems logical, then, that USA Today's Bob Nightengale said Monday night in response to Grant's report, "Several executives during the GM meetings insisted that the Texas Rangers are the favorites to land free-agent third baseman Anthony Rendon."

The Rangers utilized six different third basemen in 2019, so their pursuit of Rendon makes sense. 

The Texas Rangers have reportedly "checked in" on free-agent third baseman Anthony Rendon, according to Jon Heyman of the MLB Network.   

Rendon, represented by Scott Boras, is one of the top overall players in a strong class of free agents this winter.

Boras talked up his client during the annual general manager meetings this week, noting Rendon was comfortable in Washington and Washington was "committed to winning," which made it a "viable spot" for both Rendon and his other prominent free-agent client, Stephen Strasburg, per Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Friday that the Texas Rangers will take a look at third baseman Josh Donaldson, who spent the 2019 season with the Atlanta Braves. 

"The Texas Rangers have expressed interest in Josh Donaldson as they head into an offseason in which they have money to spend," Passan wrote. "The Rangers are making third base and starting pitching a priority, and Donaldson is coming off a phenomenal season with Atlanta."

The Braves offered Donaldson a $17.8 million qualifying offer, per David O'Brien of The Athletic, but it is expected that the third baseman will turn it down and officially become a free agent.

The 2015 American League MVP rebounded from an injury-shortened 2018 campaign to post 37 home runs, 94 RBI and a .900 OPS for the National League East-winning Braves, whose 97 wins were the second-most in the Senior Circuit.

Donaldson, who will turn 34 in December, has hit 219 homers and slugged .509 during a nine-year career for the Oakland Athletics, Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Indians and Braves. He is a three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger.

The Rangers currently don't have a long-term answer at third base.

In 2019, six players played the position for Texas. Asdrubal Cabrera appeared there the most with 93 games, but the Rangers released him midseason. Logan Forsythe (33 games) is a free agent, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa (25 games) is a utility infielder who also moonlights at catcher and second base.

Texas is also in need of a little more pop in the lineup after the team finished eighth in the American League in OPS and home runs.

Donaldson can certainly help in that regard, and a move to the second-most hitter-friendly stadium in Globe Life Park in Arlington (per ESPN's MLB Park Factors) could provide a further boost to his numbers.

As Passan noted, the Rangers have some payroll flexibility. Per Cot's Baseball Contracts, the team has just $85,499,999 committed for the 2020 season. That number drops to $40,416,000 in 2021.

For context, Texas has the 19th-highest payroll in the bigs last year at $118,274,435. Unless Texas is planning on cutting costs severely, the room should be there to potentially land Donaldson.

However, the Rangers would have competition in the Braves.

Atlanta general manager Alex Anthopoulos made the following remarks on Donaldson, per O'Brien:

"From the outset, the hope was that he would have a great year and we'd be in this position to bring him back. Obviously, a qualifying offer made sense for us, but we haven't changed our stance that we'd like to have him back, and we'll talk to him. But he's earned the right to test the market and talk to clubs and get a sense of his value. So, we'll keep open communication and dialogue and stay close to his agent, and we're going to have to let the process play out. Ultimately, like I said, it's not salary arbitration, it's free agency. He'll have a chance to see what his value is on the free-agent market, and at that point, hopefully, we can line up on a deal with him."

The Braves' 2020 season begins on Thursday, March 26, in a road matchup with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Texas Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus will exercise his player option to remain with the organization. 

Per MLB Network's Jon Heyman, Andrus' decision will allow him to earn $43 million over the next three seasons from the Rangers. 

Andrus, 31, always seemed likely to exercise the option. It was hardly a guarantee he would get the same level of compensation in free agency, and Andrus stuck with the sure thing.

He had a solid if unspectacular 2019 season, hitting .275 with 12 homers, 72 RBI, 81 runs and 31 steals. In the past two seasons, he hasn't been able to replicate his excellent 2017, when he hit .297 with 20 homers, 88 RBI, 100 runs and 25 steals, marking career highs in the latter three categories.

If Andrus had put up those numbers again, combined with his solid play in the field, opting out of his deal to hit free agency would have been a no-brainer. But a fractured elbow in 2018 that cost him 59 games and his diminished output after peak years in 2016 and 2017 likely hurt his value.

One positive for the Rangers is that, outside of that elbow injury, Andrus has been durable, playing at least 145 games in 10 of his 11 seasons. It seems likely he'll remain a solid option at shortstop through the remaining years on his deal.

Of course, both Andrus and the Rangers will hope he can rediscover his 2017 stroke at the plate.   

Having endured struggles through the early stages of the 2011 World Series, former Texas Rangers star Josh Hamilton says his go-ahead home run in Game 6 was the work of a higher power.

In his "Beyond Grateful" essay published on the Players' Tribune on Friday, Hamilton said he received a message from "the Holy Spirit" while he was in the on-deck circle in the 10th inning:

"I hear the Holy Spirit talking to me.

"This is the honest truth.

"For real. I'm standing there, getting ready to bat, and I hear it clear as day.

"'You're about to hit a homer right now, son.'

"And I'm like, Huh ... O.K."

Hamilton then gave Texas a 9-7 lead with a two-run shot to right-center field—on the first pitch.

Prior to that at-bat, Hamilton had been hitting .208 (5-for-24) with zero home runs and three RBI through the first five-plus games of the series, but he received an unexpected confidence boost in the biggest moment of his baseball career.

Hamilton's home run was poised to go down as the biggest hit in Rangers history, as it moved them within three outs of the first World Series title in franchise history. Unfortunately for Hamilton and Co., the Cardinals rallied in the bottom of the 10th and won the game on David Freese's walk-off an inning later.

St. Louis pulled out a 6-2 victory in Game 7 the following night, denying Texas a championship after it was one strike away on multiple occasions in Game 6.

Even though it did not result in a ring, Hamilton wrote that his extra-inning home run is "probably the one moment I'll remember most about my time with the Rangers."

Hamilton was drafted No. 1 overall in 1999, but substance use nearly derailed his career. The Cincinnati Reds gave him a chance in 2007, and the rest is history. After the Reds traded him to Texas in December 2007, he earned five consecutive All-Star selections from 2008 to 2012 and put on one of the greatest performances in Home Run Derby history in 2008.

He was named the 2010 American League MVP after hitting .359 with 32 home runs and 100 RBI for the Rangers.

Hamilton spent five years in Texas, leading the team to a pair of World Series berths. He moved on in December 2012, signing a five-year, $125 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels.

In the midst of a disappointing tenure in Southern California, Hamilton had a drug relapse during the 2014-15 offseason, which preceded his trade back to the Rangers in April 2015. He last appeared in a big league game in October 2015, though he attempted to play in both 2016 and 2017.

Hamilton wrote in his essay that he has had more than one encounter with the Holy Spirit. The 38-year-old said the Holy Spirit came to him in 2017 and gave him guidance to walk away from baseball: "You know you're scared. ... Of being ... done. ... It's O.K. to be done, you know. I have something more for you after baseball."

Ten minutes later, Hamilton called his agent to officially retire.

The Texas Rangers identified and indefinitely banned an unnamed man accused of making racist comments toward a Hispanic family during Saturday's game at Globe Life Park.

The MLB club released a statement Friday that confirmed "we are notifying the individual that he violated the club's fan code of conduct and is indefinitely prohibited from attending Rangers home games," per ESPN.

Ramon Romero spoke with NBC 5 after his wife, Jessica Romero, posted a picture on Facebook showing a man making an obscene gesture toward the family. They alleged he also made racist remarks.

"For something like that to happen on a day after [the mass shooting] in El Paso, it just hurts to see that there are people out there like that," Ramon told NBC 5.

The Rangers have offered the Romero family tickets to a future game and said they will make sure they have "a memorable and enjoyable experience," per NBC 5.

"It gives me so much feeling of support," Jessica Romero told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "I've gotten messages from Washington D.C., Ohio, Louisiana, California, all over. I've tried to respond but there are so many. It's kind of amazing to me how kind people are and the words they're sending."

Texas is currently on a 10-game road trip. It returns home Aug. 15 to face the Minnesota Twins.