The Texas Rangers have made a number of transactions this offseason, with moves affecting players on the roster both positively and negatively. In addition to players being affected by these moves, the organization as a whole will also be seeing positive and negative effects of some of their decisions this offseason.
Here is a look at some of the winners and losers of the Rangers’ offseason thus far.
Winner: Second Baseman, Jurickson Profar
There may not be a bigger winner of the Rangers’ offseason than Jurickson Profar. The highly touted prospect saw spotty playing time last season due to the excess of middle infielders the team had last season.
With shortstop Elvis Andrus and second baseman Ian Kinsler getting the majority of the playing time last season, Profar found himself getting occasional playing time. Profar finished the season with a .234 batting average and a .308 on-base percentage, and played in only 85 games in 2013.
Now Profar will be given the opportunity to prove his worth as the team’s everyday second baseman. Texas dealt Ian Kinsler to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for first baseman Prince Fielder and $30 million.
Everyday playing time should go a long way in benefiting Profar, who will now have a chance to get himself into a regular rhythm and hopefully put a gigantic boost in his stats in 2014.
Loser: First Baseman, Mitch Moreland
While Jurickson Profar saw significant benefits in the Ian Kinsler and Prince Fielder trade, first basman Mitch Moreland may have seen a drastic loss.
After struggling mightily in the second half of last season, Moreland may find himself being relegated to a bench role in 2014. While he finished the season with a career high in homers (23) and RBI (60), his .232 average was the lowest he has posted in his brief career.
He’s currently listed as the team’s designated hitter on the depth chart, but that could still change before Opening Day. As a lefty, Moreland may find himself inserted to strictly hit right-handed pitchers, at least that’s the logical thinking. Unfortunately for Moreland, he only hit .227 off righties last season, while hitting .241 off lefties.
With neither of his averages being impressive, Moreland looks to be an expendable player at this point and may see his stock with the team drop even lower if he struggles in spring training.
Winner: Starting Pitcher, Martin Perez
Martin Perez did more than enough to impress the Rangers in 2013 with his performance on the mound. Texas rewarded the lefty with a four-year contract extension this offseason worth $12.5 million.
After some speculation that Texas may look to acquire a left-handed pitcher via trade or free agency this offseason, Texas showed its faith in Perez by rewarding him with the deal, solidifying himself in the rotation for 2014 and beyond.
Perez appeared in 20 games for Texas last season, posting a 10-6 record with a 3.62 ERA. He will be the second lefty in the Rangers’ rotation behind veteran Derek Holland. Provided that Perez can continue to build on his 2013 season, Texas likely won’t look to pursue another left-handed starter any time soon.
Loser: Rangers and Contract with Shin-Soo Choo
Signing Shin-Soo Choo was easily the biggest free-agent acquisition the Rangers have made this offseason. While Choo is a great player who should provide a nice boost to Texas’ lineup, it’s difficult to think that he’ll be able to produce throughout the length of his deal.
Choo’s deal is a seven-year contract worth $130 million, which will result in him making over $20 million or more starting in 2016. At 31-years old, Choo will be 39 when his contract expires, which will lead to Texas paying out a large sum of money to a player well past his prime.
It’s a nice signing for now, but as Choo’s contract begins to creep into the fourth or fifth year of the deal, Texas may be regretting their commitment to him. Only time will tell what Choo’s value will be years from now, but he’ll have to do a great job at defying age in order to make this deal completely worth it.
All stats and info courtesy of MLB.com, Baseball-Reference.com, MLBTradeRumors.com, NBCSports.com and DallasNews.com.
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