Insider Links Rangers to Surprising Former Cy Young Winner in Free Agency
By Thomas Erbe
Consistency in the regular season and perseverance in the post led to the Texas Rangers winning their first World Series championship in franchise history. Former player and now general manager Chris Young went and poached his manager, Bruce Bochy, out of retirement and constructed a roster for him with the perfect blend of talent, experience, and depth.
They got the job done, and now he is looking to do it all again in 2024.
The Rangers name has come up in the Shohei Ohtani pursuits, but ever so softly. It does not appear like the two-way superstar is considering the defending champs. How the Rangers plan to re-tool is still a question, but we may have a lead on something.
Potential homecoming: Rangers Linked to Texas-Native Star Pitcher
There are many pitchers available on the free agent market as of now. But a report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required) now has a potential connection between the Rangers and Clayton Kershaw out in the universe. This would be a fascinating move by the champs, seeing as Kershaw just had surgery on his throwing shoulder and could be sidelined until the second half of 2024.
The Rangers are already in the position of hanging onto an expensive Jacob deGrom contract and waiting for him to be healthy after needing a second Tommy John surgery. A move like this would be high risk, but the potential for reward could be legendary.
They could both be an expensive bust, but they could also be lethal - returning to form at a clutch time in the season.
Despite being the reigning champs, the Rangers are only tied for fifth in the odds to win the World Series in 2024, so they better get busy this offseason if they want to earn the respect they deserve.
More Texas Rangers news and rumors:
feed
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.