Free Agency Refresh Vol. 2

*Editors Note 12/3/2024 – I had this article ready to go prior to the signing of Kyle Higashioka. Kyle Higashioka signed a two-year deal (with mutual third-year option), $13.5M deal with the Rangers on December 2nd. Higashioka is coming off a career year with the Padres where he played a pivotal role for the team during their playoff run. With the expectations of Higashioka splitting time with Heim evenly, the Rangers have a powerful tandem behind the plate, with pop from both sides as well as two very respected backstops defensively. Getting Higashioka reunited with Bobby Wilson will only benefit the Rangers as we look to see arguably the best catching duo in all of baseball of Heim and Higgy. *

We’ve officially had our first big splash of the offseason, and who else would it be than the Los Angeles Dodgers. The defending World Champions keep their foot on the gas, adding one of the best free agent pitchers on the market in Blake Snell. At five years and $182M, it’s clear the Dodgers do not fear the luxury tax threshold and have no intentions of slowing down to repeat as World Series Champions in 2025.

With the addition of Snell, the Dodgers may arguably have the best rotation in all of baseball, adding him to the mix with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Tony Gonslin, Dustin May, and (of course) Shohei Ohtani. Don’t forget that nearly everyone in baseball expects the Dodgers to be the frontrunner to sign Roki Sasaki (who’s been touted as the Japanese Jacob deGrom).

Snell isn’t the only free agency news we’ve had in the last few weeks, however. And you don’t have to go far from Dodger Stadium to find the most aggressive team in free agency thus far, the Los Angeles Angels. The Angels have a ton of needs this offseason if they want to start being relevant in the AL West, but that’s not stopping their ownership from opening the checkbooks. The Angels have improved their roster mightily thus far, adding veteran starters in Kyle Hendicks (1-yr; $2.5M) and Yusei Kikuchi (3-yr; $63M) to bolster their starting rotation. They’ve also added some pop behind the plate, with Travis d’Arnaud coming over from Atlanta on a 2-year deal for $12M; and some depth up the middle in former first round selection, Kevin Newman (1-yr; $2.5M).

With the exception of the Snell signing, trades have made for the most exciting news this offseason. The New York Mets added a new face to their outfield, acquiring Jose Siri from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Eric Orze and cash considerations. Siri is an exciting young player who has the ability to impact the game in the field, or with his bat. As the Mets stay in the hunt for Juan Soto, their outfield could have a dangerous look to them come 2025.

The Royals were also active in the trade market, acquiring All-Star infielder Jonathan India (along with OF Joey Wiemer) from the Reds in exchange for their talented young starter, Brady Singer. India joins Bobby Witt to make a formidable defense up the middle for the Royals, who look to return to the Playoffs in 2025.

Outside of the aforementioned transactions, it’s been a quiet off-season thus far as we approach the Winter Meetings in Dallas, TX. Several teams have submitted their offers for Juan Soto, including the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays. Recent reports suggest the Red Sox are attempting to “step up efforts” in hopes of making Soto a permanent fixture in Fenway Park. Regardless, Soto may make his decision fairly soon, which would hopefully open the floodgates for free agents to sign and finally give us the excitement we’ve been waiting for thus far.

With the recap out of the way, let’s talk about our Texas Rangers. The Rangers have been quiet thus far in the offseason, with the exception of finalizing their coaching staff for 2025, along with tendering contracts to players who are eligbile for arbitration. All players who were arbitration eligible were tendered contracts this offseason, including Leody Taveras, Nathaniel Lowe, and Jonah Heim. Dane Dunning agreed to a new $2.66M deal with the Rangers in 2025, which comes at a significant discount considering his estimated value was north of $4M. Along with Dunning, Josh Sborz agreed to a $1.1M deal for 2025, a season in which he’ll miss at least the first two months after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder.

Nathan Eovaldi continues to be the main target for the Rangers this offseason, and it makes all the sense in the world to bring him back to Texas. Not only is Eovaldi a top of the rotation talent, but his impact inside the clubhouse is irreplaceable. With Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter likely to see more time in the big leauges in 2025, a guy like Eovaldi could be the glue that holds the rotation together through the dog days of summer.

Outside of Eovaldi, Roki Sasaki continues to be the talk of baseball and the Rangers hope to win that battle as well. Sasaki’s deal will be different than all other free agent signings this offseason considering he will be an international free agent who can only sign a minor league deal. Given his talent, this will be a lucrative contract based on the amount of funds teams wish to allocate from their internaiontal bonus pool, but that amount is capped at around $7.5M (much less than his estimated 9-figure value). Teams will certainly find ways to make his salary up to him, but it opens the door for nearly any teams ability to afford his talents.

The Rangers certainly have ties to Sasaki, most notably from their President of Baseball Operations, Chris Young, and General Manager, Ross Fenstermaker. Both have scouted and formed a relationship with Sasaki since he was in high school, and Young was most recently in attendance for his starts at the end of this past season. While the Dodgers, Padres, Mariners and Yankees appear to be frontrunners, don’t count out the Rangers and Young’s ability to sell this franchise to the top talent in baseball.

All said, the Rangers certainly need to increase the depth in their rotation, as well as address the back end of the bullpen. More importantly, this offense needs some improvement after an abismal 2024 season. As fans, we expect our star players to get back on track in 2025, however that shouldn’t satisfy our needs moving into 2025. There are a handful of options available to the Rangers, including Pete Alonso, Teoscar Hernandez and Anthony Santander. While I’d be happy with any of those players wearing Rangers threads in 2025, there are a few options that most media members haven’t been talking about which intrigue me even more.

With that, here are my under-the-radar targets and trades that I would pitch to the Rangers front office.

Trade:
Nathaniel Lowe (1B), Josh Stephan (RHP), Aaron Zavala (OF) to CHC; Cody Bellinger (1B/OF) and $20M Cash to TEX
The Cubs are rumored to be shopping Cody Bellinger around this offseason, and the Rangers might be a potential fit for the former MLB MVP. While Bellinger seems to produce at a simliar rate to Lowe, his HR production can certainly be an upgrade in this offense. In eight MLB season, Bellinger has slugged 25+ HR four times, including 39 in his rookie season and 47 in his 2019 MVP season. Lowe has six MLB seasons under belt, exceeding 25HR only once in 2022 where he wont the AL Silver Slugger Award for 1B. Aside from that, their career numbers are fairly similar:

Player (Seasons) – WAR / G / PA / AB / R / H / 2B / HR / RBI / BB / SO / BA / OBP / SLG / OPS
Bellinger (8 Seasons) – 24.5 / 1005 / 4109 / 3642 / 601 / 942 / 186 / 196 / 597 / 412 / 867 / .259 / .334 / .484 / .818
Lowe (6 Seasons) – 11.5 / 686 / 2821 / 2478 / 334 / 673 / 114 / 89 / 329 / 314 / 677 / .272 / .356 / .433 / .789

Not only does Bellinger bring more proven power to the plate, his career slugging percentatge is a significant bump over Lowe. Lowe provides a better glove defensively, but Bellinger offers the ability to slot into 1B, or fill into the outfield which is another need of the Rangers. If the Cubs are willing to pay a majority of his salary for 2025 in exchange for another prospect, the Rangers receive some help on their payroll budget as well. Either way, the benefits outweigh the negatives and I’m all for reuniting Bellinger and Seager.

Trade:
Jack Leiter (RHP), Ezequiel Duran (INF), Winston Santos (RHP), Braylin Morel (OF) to CHW; Garrett Crochet (RHP), Aaron McGarity (RHP) to TEX
Garrett Crochet was dominant in 2024 for the White Sox, and is one of the names thrown around this offseason as a trade candidate for contending clubs. It’s no secret the White Sox are in a rebuild, and they need an influx of talent to get them on the right track for beyond the 2025 season. The Rangers have the farm depth to make this trade possible, along with a surplus in MLB ready players like Duran who don’t have a primary role for 2025 with Texas. The White Sox would be foolish to not ask for Rocker, but that’s too steep of a price to pay. If it takes a player like Max Acosta or Alejandro Osuna to get the deal done (given their stock might be as high now as it’s been to this point), I pull the trigger.

For Texas, you get one of the best young arms in baseball who is expected to cost less than $15M over the next two years combined, solving some payroll issues now and later. McGarity is a talented young reliever who could find his way to the big leagues in 2025 as an option for the 6th or 7th innings.

For Chicago, you snag three of the top prospects in the Rangers system, including two players who are MLB ready in Leiter and Duran. Santos is likely to make his way to the MLB in 2025, and Morel gives them depth in the field as they ponder the decision on what to do with Luis Robert Jr. The White Sox talent pool is also littered with pitchers, so the addition of Morel gives them some defensive and offensive relief for years to come.

Free Agent Signing:
Rangers Sign Paul Goldschmidt to One-Year, $13M Deal
Paul Goldschmidt might be on the decline, but he’s also only two years removed from an MVP season. The Rangers struggled to hit last year, especially against LHP. Goldschmidt is a veteran hitter, and arguably one of the better hitters in baseball history over his career. For me, it’s time for Goldy to hang up the glove and focus on his strength during the final years of his career. As a DH for the Rangers, Goldschmidt can slide in all over the lineup to provide protection for sluggers like Seager and Garcia. He’s a proven leader in the clubhouse, and if we know anything about Chris Young it’s that he wants the right guys on the roster rather than the most talented. Why not bring in Goldschmidt to solve both needs, along with another consistent bat in the lineup. Add in a mutual option (or team option) for 2026, and let’s get to work!

Free Agent Signing:
Rangers Sign Joc Pederson to Two-Year; $21.5M Deal
Let’s keep the theme rolling of rejoining Corey Seager with his former teammates; insert, Joc Pederson. Joc is a solid MLB player, and might be finding his second life in the league regarding his performance output. In his only season with the Diamondbacks, Pederson had career highs in BA (.275), OBP (.393) and OPS (.908). He recorded 23 HR and 64 RBI, both of which were on point with his career averages of 27 and 70 respectively. He still has an edge to defensively to be a nice compliment to the young core the Rangers possess, but more importantly is a powerful bat to slide into the 5-7 slots of the lineup. If he’s open to being a DH on the majority of dates, while providing a day off for guys like Evan Carter and Adolis Garcia, it makes too much sense to make Pederson a Ranger in 2025.

Free Agent Signing:
Rangers Sign Nick Pivetta to Three-Year; $28M Deal
This one isn’t the crazy exciting but provides the Rangers with something they desperately need in their rotation, health. Pivetta has been really good since joining the Red Sox in 2020, averaging an ERA just north of 4 each season, getting lower in 2023 and 2024. Pivetta’s pitches don’t jump off the page with excitement, but he ranks in some of the top percentiles when it comes to K%, BB% and Extension. The most important ability Pivetta brings to the rotation is his availability, having tossed 142+ IP each season since 2021. The Rangers have deGrom and Gray on the payroll who both have ace-level abilities when healthy. Eovaldi continues to be a top priority, along with that of Roki Sasaki for who the Rangers are now predicted as the 3rd most likely landing spot. If the price is right, Pivetta gives the team depth and allows them to continue their development plan for upcoming arms like Leiter and Rocker.

2025 FREE AGENT STATUS (AS OF 12/3/2024):
Player – Position – Age (Projected Annual Market Value *Based on Spotrac Estimate* -or- New Contract Details)

Adam Frazier – 2B – 32 yo ($1.5M)
Alex Bregman – 3B – 30 yo ($30M)
Alex Cobb – SP – 37 yo ($12M)
Alex Verdugo – OF – 28 yo ($15.2M)
Alex Wood – SP – 33 yo ($8.1M)
Andrew Chafin – RP – 34 yo ($4.5M)
Andrew Heaney – SP – 33 yo ($10.8M)
Andrew Kittredge – RP – 34 yo ($5.5M)
Andrew McCutchen – OF/DH – 38 yo ($9.8)
Anthony Rizzo – 1B/DH – 35 yo ($16M)
Anthony Santander – OF – 30 yo ($17.7M)
Aroldis Chapman – RP – 36 yo (1-Yr; $10.75M)
Austin Hedges – C – 32 yo (1-Yr; $4M w/ CLE)
Blake Snell – SP – 31 yo (5-Yr; $182M)
Blake Treinen – RP – 36 yo ($3.3M)
Brandon Drury – 2B – 32 yo ($6.7M)
Carlos Estevez – RP – 31 yo ($14M)
Carlos Santana – DH – 38 yo ($5.6M)
Carson Kelly – C – 30 yo ($2.2M)
Charlie Morton – SP – 41 yo ($17.6M)
Christian Walker – 1B – 33 yo ($22.1M)
Clay Holmes – RP – 31 yo ($13.7M)
Colin Rea – SP – 34 yo ($11.6M)
Corbin Burnes – SP – 30 yo ($30.1M)
Daniel Bard – RP – 39 yo ($9.1M)
Danny Jansen – C – 29 yo ($4.4M)
David Robertson – RP – 39 yo ($7.1M)
Eloy Jimenez – OF – 27 yo ($6.2M)
Kike Hernandez – SS/2B – 33 yo ($2.8M)
Frankie Montas – SP – 31 yo (2-Yr; $34M)
Gleyber Torres – 2B – 27 yo ($10.2M)
Ha-Seong Kim – 2B/SS – 29 yo ($12.3m)
Harrison Bader – OF – 30 yo ($7.1M)
J.D. Martinez – DH – 37 yo ($9.5M)
Jack Flaherty – SP – 29 yo ($21.2M)
Jake Junis – RP – 32 yo ($4.3M)
James McCann – C – 34 yo ($2.8M)
James Paxton – SP – 36 yo ($8.4M)
Jason Heyward – OF – 35 yo ($1.5M)
Jesse Winker – OF – 31 yo ($2.4M)
Joc Pederson – DH – 32 yo ($14.7M)
John Means – SP – 31 yo ($2.9M)
Jorge Polanco – 2B – 31 yo ($13.7M)
Jose Leclerc – RP – 30 yo ($4.6M)
Jose Quintana – SP – 35 yo ($8.3M)
Josh Bell – DH – 32 yo ($5.2M)
Jose Urquidy – SP – 29 yo ($2.6M)
Juan Soto – OF – 26 yo ($36.7M)
Jurickson Profar – OF – 31 yo ($12.9)
Justin Turner – DH – 39 yo ($7.7M)
Justin Verlander – SP – 41 yo ($13.9M)
Kendall Graveman – RP – 33 yo ($5.3M)
Kenley Jansen – RP – 37 yo ($14.7M)
Kirby Yates – RP – 37 yo ($6M)
Kyle Farmer – SS – 34 yo (1-Yr; $2.5M w/ COL)
Kyle Gibson – SP – 37 yo ($13.4M)
Kyle Hendricks – SP – 34 yo (1-Yr; $2.5M w/ LAA)
Kyle Higashioka – C – 34 yo (2-Yr; $13.M w/ TEX)
Lance Lynn – SP – 37 yo ($7.6M)
Luis Garcia – RP – 37 yo ($2.3M)
Luis Severino – SP – 30 yo ($14M)
Matt Moore – RP – 35 yo ($3.4M)
Max Fried – SP – 30 yo ($22.7M)
Max Kepler – OF – 31 yo ($10.6M)
Max Scherzer – SP – 40 yo ($15.2m)
Michael Conforto – OF – 31 yo ($4.7M)
Michael Lorenzen – SP – 32 yo ($7.8M)
Nathan Eovalid – SP – 34 yo ($24.9M)
Nick Martinez – SP – 34 yo ($18.7M)
Nick Pivetta – SP – 31 yo ($15.1M)
Patrick Corbin – SP – 35 yo ($6.4M)
Paul Goldschmidt – DH – 37 yo ($12.3M)
Paul Sewald – RP – 34 yo ($11.6M)
Pete Alonso – 1B – 29 yo ($29M)
*Roki Sasaki – SP – 23 yo ($7M)
Ross Stripling – SP – 34 yo ($1.3M)
Ryan Pressley – RP – 35 yo ($9.3M)
Sean Manaea – SP – 32 yo ($16.1M)
Shane Bieber – SP – 29 yo ($24.5M)
Teoscar Hernandez – OF – 32 yo ($23.8M)
Tommy Kahnle – RP – 35 yo ($5.3M)
Tommy Pham – OF – 36 yo ($2.4M)
Travis d’Arnaud – C – 35 yo (2-Yr; $12M w/ LAA)
Travis Jankowski – OF – 33 yo ($1.6M)
Trevor Williams – SP – 32 yo ($6.8M)
Tyler O’Neill – OF – 29 yo ($16.2M)
Wade Miley – SP – 38 yo ($7.4M)
Walker Buehler – SP – 30 yo ($12M)
Willy Adames – SS – 29 yo ($16.2M)
Will Smith – RP – 35 yo ($2.6M)
Yimi Garcia – RP – 34 yo ($5.3M)
Yoan Moncada – 3B – 29 yo ($14M)
Yusei Kikuchi – SP – 33 yo (3-Yr; $63M)

Bold Identifies FA Who Have Signed With New Team

FOLLOW US