Imagine Jacob deGrom and Clayton Kershaw both joining the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers sometime after the All-Star break. It would be as if the team was making two stunning deadline additions, albeit two who are coming off injuries and entering their age-36 seasons.
The Rangers can reasonably dream on deGrom, who is aiming to return from his second Tommy John surgery in August. Kershaw, a native and resident of the Dallas suburb of Highland Park, Texas, is a bit more of a stretch. He has never thrown a pitch for the Rangers, and is not certain to throw any pitches at all in 2024.
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As a free agent, Kershaw first would need to choose the Rangers over the only team he has known, the Dodgers. Then, he would need to recover from surgery to repair the glenohumeral ligaments and capsule in his left shoulder. In an Instagram post on Nov. 3 after his surgery, Kershaw said, “I am hopeful to return to play at some point next summer.”
The Rangers, facing financial uncertainty due to the potential loss of their local television rights deal, seem unlikely to bring back left-hander Jordan Montgomery, who can argue that he has outperformed Aaron Nola, the Phillies’ $172 million man, over the past three seasons.
Kershaw would be less expensive. A number of other free-agent starters would be, too. And in the postseason, the Rangers demonstrated the value of pitching depth, using three starters, Andrew Heaney, Dane Dunning and Jon Gray, as glorified openers or relievers.
The team, according to major-league sources briefed on its plans, has the same idea in mind for ’24. The Rangers could sign Kershaw and wait for him and deGrom in the second half. Or they can go for second-tier free agents who would be ready to pitch Opening Day, pitchers such as Michael Wacha, Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas. And perhaps prospects such as Owen White and Jack Leiter would provide the second-half boost.
The Rangers already have several starters in place — Gray, Heaney, Dunning and Cody Bradford, not to mention, ahem, Max Scherzer and Nathan Eovaldi. It’s just a matter of how general manager Chris Young rounds out the edges. And Kershaw, if he is indeed capable of pitching in ’24, would be one heck of a way to start.
The Soler Solution
At least two teams interested in free-agent designated hitter Jorge Soler, the Diamondbacks and Mariners, are canvassing both the trade and free-agent markets, and ultimately might prefer to spread their money among several hitters rather than one expensive addition.
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Soler, 31, is The Athletic’s 19th-ranked free agent overall and the second ranked corner outfielder of the class. He would give the Mariners a third slugger to complement center fielder Julio Rodríguez and catcher Cal Raleigh, helping replace the power the team lost by trading Eugenio Suárez and declining to make Teoscar Hernández a qualifying offer. Brant Brown, the Mariners’ new bench coach and offensive coordinator, grew fond of Soler as the Marlins’ hitting coach last season.
The Diamondbacks, even after agreeing with left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez on a four-year, $80 million free-agent contract, remain very much in pursuit of offensive help. Their preference is a right-handed hitter who would bat in the middle of the order. Soler, who will play next season at 32, certainly fits that description.
But just as with the Mariners, signing Soler would leave the Diamondbacks little payroll flexibility for other moves. The Athletic’s Jim Bowden predicted Soler would receive a two-year, $32 million deal, while another colleague, Tim Britton, projected a three-year, $45 million contract.
The Reds and the trade market
At first glance, the Reds’ three-year, $45 million agreement with free-agent infielder Jeimer Candelario seems a precursor to a trade. Even with the team planning to use Spencer Steer more in the outfield, the Reds are still looking at six players for five spots in the infield and at DH.
Club officials view shortstop Elly De La Cruz, second baseman Matt McLain and third baseman Noelvi Marte as long-term fixtures, so the most obvious candidates to trade would be second baseman Jonathan India and third baseman/first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand. India, however, is little more than an average offensive player. Encarnacion-Strand plays the same positions as Candelario — third base, first and DH — and is limited defensively.
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While a trade certainly is not out of the question, the Reds like their depth. They believe they can create enough at-bats for all of their infielders now that first baseman Joey Votto is gone and non-tendered infielder/outfielder Nick Senzel is off to the Nationals. But the problem if the Reds decline to trade for a pitcher is that they would be forced back into the free-agent market, where prices are soaring.
The Reds landed righty Nick Martinez, but were outbid by the Cardinals for right-hander Sonny Gray. Rodriguez, another starter who might have fit, received his $80 million guarantee from the Diamondbacks even though he has pitched more than 157 2/3 innings only once in his eight full seasons.
Royals seeking help
The Royals have been surprisingly aggressive in trying to add starting pitching, according to league sources briefed on their pursuits. Ideally, the team would like to add two starters to go with lefty Cole Ragans and righty Brady Singer, as well as a hitter and bullpen help.
At least one significant piece is likely to come through a trade, and the Royals are among the clubs talking to the Marlins and Mariners about their starters. Designated hitter Vinnie Pasquantino and third baseman Maikel Garcia likely will remain part of the Royals’ future along with shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. But outfielder MJ Melendez, second baseman Michael Massey and catcher Freddy Fermin are among the players the Royals could move, and rival clubs also are interested in their minor-league pitching.
As for free agents, the Royals made an offer to Gray, who signed a three-year, $75 million contract with the Cardinals, and they also were in on righty Erick Fedde, who went to the White Sox on a two-year, $15 million deal. They likely will be active on the tier below the front-line starters, exploring pitchers such as Wacha, Lucas Giolito, Marcus Stroman and Seth Lugo. But the two-year, $26 million contract the Reds awarded Martinez elevated the market for those starters, several of whom are more accomplished. Which might require the Royals to make an uncomfortable trade.
And finally…
Here’s a fun little fact that speaks to the slow pace of the offseason: Candelario, catcher Victor Caratini, infielder Joey Wendle, and shortstop Paul DeJong are the only free-agent position players thus far to change teams (Jason Heyward re-signed with the Dodgers).
Though Shohei Ohtani’s lingering free agency certainly is holding up some transactions, some in the industry cite other factors for the lack of signings. The weak class of position players is one. The staggered postings of Asian players is another.
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The top free-agent position player after Ohtani, Cody Bellinger, was non-tendered by the Dodgers after the 2022 season, coming off two years in which he produced a combined .611 OPS. The next-best hitter after Bellinger, Matt Chapman, had a 1.152 OPS in March/April but a .659 the rest of the way. Like Bellinger, he offers added value with his defense.
The posted players, meanwhile, did not all hit the market at once. Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto was posted on Nov. 20, left-hander Shoto Imanaga and righty Naoyuki Uwasawa on Nov. 28, Korean outfielder Jung Hoo Lee and right-handed reliever Woo Suk Go on Dec. 4. The posting period lasts 45 days for Japanese players.
(Photo of Clayton Kershaw: Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
