Rangers sign MVP Candidate, among other moves
[adning id=”33097″]
The Texas Rangers gave their fans plenty to be excited about Sunday, as news popped up throughout the evening that the front office had been very busy. After promises that they planned to spend money this offseason, they delivered with three player signings Sunday.
The first move of the evening was by far the most exciting, when it was announced the Rangers had struck a longterm deal with MVP candidate Marcus Semien. Semien is a 31-year-old shortstop and just finished in third place in the American League MVP race this past season.
The right-handed slugger hit 45 home runs for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021, along with driving in 102 RBI, while hitting .265 and finishing with an OPS of .873. Semien also won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award as a second baseman, a position that was considered to be secondary for the San Francisco native.
Semien made his first All Star appearance, although he was also very good in the 2019 season. In 2019 Semien hit 33 home runs and 43 doubles, and finished in third place in the American League MVP race again.
The middle infielder signed a seven-year deal worth $175 million, although the Rangers were far from done making deals for the day. Just moments later it was announced Texas had agreed to a one-year deal with outfielder Kole Calhoun, with the deal being worth $5.2 million.
With the reports came speculation that the Rangers still weren’t done making moves, as that turned out to be true. Not an hour later it was reported the team had signed right-handed starting pitcher Jon Gray to a four-year deal worth $56 million.
Gray, who just turned 30 years old, has spent the first seven years of his career with the Colorado Rockies, in which he has had varied success. The six-foot four-inch right-hander has started 152 career games and has a record of 53-49 with an ERA of 4.59.
[adning id=”33207″]
Gray was once considered to be one of the most promising prospects both in the Rockies organization and in all of baseball and has shown glimpses of it in his career. In the 2017 season Gray started 20 games, going 10-4 with a 3.67 ERA. In 110 innings pitched, Gray racked up 112 strikeouts and had a WHIP of 1.29.
Two years later, as a 27-year-old Gray had another great year, this time making 25 starts and finishing with a record of 11-8. Proving to be a workhorse, Gray racked up exactly 150 innings pitched and finished with 150 strikeouts. Even with the high workload Gray finished with an ERA of 3.84 and a WHIP of 1.35.
Although his numbers haven’t been as good over the past two seasons, Gray has proved that he can be both a quality arm and someone who can consistently eat a ton of innings for his teams rotation.
By all reports, the Rangers don’t appear to be done making moves still. Texas is linked to both Corey Seager and Trevor Story, a pair of big-name shortstops who are set to get huge deals this winter.
Semien has reportedly already agreed to move back to second base on a permanent basis, if Texas were to sign either of the shortstops.
After finishing at the bottom of the league over the past two seasons, it’s unclear how much better these moves make the Rangers immediately. What it does signify, however, is that they are ready to try to start improving now.
With a promising farm system behind them, the Rangers front office see’s a path in which they can start contending in the AL West. Updates on their offseason will continue to be published on Front Porch News.
[adning id=”33207″]
