The Rangers have been mostly quiet on the free agency landscape this offseason, but they may just be subscribing to the ancient adage of “Power moves only.”
According to a report by Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports on Wednesday, the Rangers are interested in signing free agent outfielder Justin Upton. However, their interest is said to only be for a one-year deal which may take them out of the running for Upton, who supposedly wants a longer-term contract.
Sources: #Rangers interested in JUpton on one-year contract, but budget an issue. Upton plans to keep exploring market, seeking longer deal.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 6, 2016
Upton is coming off a relatively down 2015 campaign with the Padres (at least by his standards) in which he batted .251/.336/.454 with 26 home runs and 81 RBIs. His market has been almost radio silent this offseason, but it was only a matter of time before someone came knocking on the door of the 28-year-old All-Star.
Though Upton’s defense seems to get worse every season, the Rangers would love to have him, especially with the remains of Shin-Soo Choo and Josh Hamilton featuring prominently at the corner outfield positions.
It’s a shrewd move for Texas, lowballing an available superstar that has been overlooked by the market to see if he bites. Upton may scoff at the offer as he obviously wants as much long-term security as he can get and will hold out hope for a multi-year deal as long as he can. But the reality is that if demand for Upton, who comes attached with draft-pick compensation, doesn’t heat up soon, he could just have to settle for being poached on a one-year deal like the one the Rangers are offering.
Image Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
H/T Rotoworld
