Thursday night, MLB free agency will begin, meaning that players whose contracts have expired will be eligible to sign with new teams.
The starting pitching market is headlined by three aces in Jacob deGrom, Carlos Rodon, and Justin Verlander, all of whom have opted out of their contracts with their respective teams and are now out on the open market.
According to Jon Morosi, the Texas Rangers appear to be in on at least two of them.
Morosi notes that the Rangers have made contact with deGrom and Rodon’s agents, with a decision on whether or not to offer Martin Perez a qualifying offer looming.
Sources: #Rangers are showing interest in the top of the free-agent pitching market and have made contact with the agents for Jacob deGrom, Carlos Rodon, and Kodai Senga. Texas also faces an imminent QO decision on Martín Pérez. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 10, 2022
Rangers In On Rodon, deGrom
The Rangers were active last offseason, but failed to address their obvious pitching needs.
This offseason, they seem prepared to do that.
Both Rodon and deGrom would be good fits for them.
Rodon might come at a cheaper price than deGrom, but it appears that Texas is ready to spend some money.
Last offseason, they signed Marcus Semien and Corey Seager.
To start this year’s offseason, they’ve already acquired veteran right-hander Jake Odorizzi from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for left-hander Kolby Allard.
So, the Rangers have at least started to address their obvious need for pitching, but in order to become a legitimate contender again, they will likely need an ace.
This is where deGrom or Rodon could come in handy for them.
Free agency kicks off at 5 p.m. Eastern Time.
The Rangers could potentially act swiftly and sign an ace early on in the offseason.
NEXT: Jacob deGrom Reportedly Has A Surprising Team In Mind