2020 Rangers season preview: Texas looks to disrupt wild-card race
The Texas Rangers entered the offseason with high hopes, which reportedly included landing free-agent third baseman Anthony Rendon. When Rendon spurned them for the division-rival Los Angeles Angels, they changed course to pursue Colorado Rockies superstar Nolan Arenado.
Instead of landing a true successor to Adrian Beltre, though, the club had to settle for signing underappreciated slugger Todd Frazier, who seems poised to play first, while internal candidate Isiah Kiner-Falefa takes the reins at the hot corner.
While that's not a great offseason, the Rangers have a legitimate chance to at least play spoiler thanks to a reinforced rotation that includes two-time Cy Young winner Corey Kluber, Kyle Gibson, and Jordan Lyles. If the club can pull off whatever it did to make Lance Lynn a Cy Young candidate with Gibson and Lyles, Texas could make noise in a crowded wild-card race.
2020 Breakdown
2019 record: 78-84 (3rd in AL West)
Payroll: $150,398,666
Projected record: 28-32 (4th)
World Series odds: +8000
3-year trend: 2017 (4th); 2018 (5th); 2019 (3rd)
Key addition: Corey Kluber
Key subtraction: Hunter Pence
Highest projected WAR: Lance Lynn (1.5)
X-factor: Kluber
Prospect to watch: Nick Solak
Winter report card: B-
Projected Lineup
| Order | Player | Pos. | Proj. WAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shin-Soo Choo (L) | LF | 0.3 |
| 2 | Willie Calhoun (L) | DH | 0.3 |
| 3 | Danny Santana (S) | CF | 0.0 |
| 4 | Joey Gallo (L) | RF | 1.1 |
| 5 | Rougned Odor (L) | 2B | 0.4 |
| 6 | Todd Frazier | 1B | 0.4 |
| 7 | Elvis Andrus | SS | 0.5 |
| 8 | Robinson Chirinos | C | 0.2 |
| 9 | Isiah Kiner-Falefa | 3B | 0.1 |
Bench
| Player | Position | Proj. WAR |
|---|---|---|
| Jeff Mathis | C | -0.1 |
| Jose Trevino | C | 0.0 |
| Ronald Guzman (L) | 1B | 0.0 |
| Scott Heineman | 1B/OF | 0.0 |
| Nick Solak | IF/OF | 0.5 |
| Leody Taveras | OF | 0.0 |
| Rob Refsnyder | IF/OF | 0.0 |
*Bold indicates player acquired during offseason
The success of the lineup will center almost entirely around the performance of Gallo, who looked like a legitimate AL MVP threat last year before his injury. Solak, though, is an interesting addition to keep an eye on. The young utility man is likely needed in the outfield following Willie Calhoun's injury, but he could easily take over at third base if Kiner-Falefa falters or is needed elsewhere, including behind the dish.
Rotation
| Pitcher | Throws | Proj. ERA |
|---|---|---|
| Lance Lynn | R | 4.08 |
| Mike Minor | L | 4.62 |
| Corey Kluber | R | 4.21 |
| Kyle Gibson | R | 4.44 |
| Jordan Lyles | R | 5.23 |
Texas probably made the biggest steal of the offseason by acquiring Kluber for an outfielder the team no longer needed and a prospect reliever. Still, the right-hander will need to reprove that he's an ace before that trade is officially seen as a coup. Meanwhile, Lynn and Minor aren't projected to repeat their career years from last season. Do the Rangers have the secret sauce to turn Gibson and Lyles into top-tier arms, or are Lynn and Minor one-hit wonders?
Bullpen
| Pitcher | Throws | Proj. ERA |
|---|---|---|
| Jose Leclerc | R | 3.73 |
| Joe Palumbo | L | 4.34 |
| Jonathan Hernandez | R | 4.51 |
| Jesse Chavez | R | 4.70 |
| Edinson Volquez | R | 4.73 |
| Luke Farrell | R | 5.17 |
| Nick Goody | R | 4.94 |
| Kolby Allard | L | 4.95 |
| Ian Gibaut | R | 4.40 |
Buoyed primarily by Leclerc and Chavez, the Rangers have a decent bullpen that has the benefit of working behind five starters who should be able to consistently work six innings. FanGraphs projects the Rangers' relief corps to be in the middle of the pack, pegging them for 14th in the majors. Depending on which versions of Goody and Allard show up, they could outperform that projection.
Key injuries/absences
| Player | Position | Absence |
|---|---|---|
| Brett Martin | RP | COVID-19 |
| Rafael Montero | RP | Undisclosed |
(Projected WAR/ERA source: FanGraphs)