Rangers Choose How to Handle Ohtani ILLUSTRATED.
TEXAS RANGERS NEWS, ANALYSIS, AND MORE BY MATTHEW POSTINS SPORTS.
The Texas Rangers appear to be actively pursuing Shohei Ohtani. The Rangers were one of the teams that had given up on signing the two-way superstar after initially expressing interest in him, according to an ESPN report on Friday. After investing hundreds of millions of dollars in the last two offseasons to upgrade their offense—signing starting pitcher Jacob deGrom, shortstop Corey Seager, and second baseman Marcus Semien—the Rangers were considered a possible landing spot. For the first time in the team’s history, the Rangers also won the World Series last month.
After winning their first World Series in team history, the Rangers players celebrate.For USA TODAY Sports, Joe Camporeale Furthermore, the Rangers lack a logical contender to be Ohtani’s everyday designated hitter, which is considered essential for him as he can only play in 2024 after surgery to repair his torn UCL earlier this year. According to his representatives, he plans to start hitting and pitching again in 2025.
In remarks to reporters on Thursday, Rangers general manager Chris Young made it clear that he could present the team’s case to team owner Ray Davis in the event that the team required financial resources to pursue a player, but he refrained from commenting on any Ohtani rumors. However, according to Spotrac.com, the Rangers have already committed $166.75 million to eight players through 2024. In addition, Diamond Sports Group, the organization in charge of the Bally networks, is bankrupt and might fire some of its partners for the upcoming season in an effort to clean up its balance sheet, which could affect the Rangers’ television payout for 2024.
Apart from their obvious need for a reliable closer, the Rangers are still looking for at least one more starter and more bullpen depth.
Ohtani led the American League in home runs with 44 at the end of 2023, finishing with a slash line of.304/.412/.654/1.066. He had a record of 10-5 as a pitcher with a 3.14 ERA, 167 strikeouts, and 55 walks.
