Rangers acquire Silver Slugger catcher
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With Major League Baseball finally returning from it’s lockout, Texas Rangers fans already had plenty to be excited about this past week. This weekend the organization gave the team even more to be excited about, picking up right where they left off before the lockout began.
Day’s before the lockout began Dec. 2, the Rangers had made a huge pair of signings, signing shortstop Corey Seager and Gold Glove second baseman Marcus Semien. Saturday, the team added a Silver Slugger catcher to the mix, improving their lineup even more.
It was announced Saturday the Rangers were trading Gold Glove infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa to the Minnesota Twins for 31-year-old catcher Mitch Garver. Garver is a career .256 hitter and won the Silver Slugger in 2019.
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In his 2019 campaign Garver hit .273 and hit 31 home runs, despite only playing in 93 games. He also had an OPS of .995 and cemented himself as one of the very best hitting catchers in the entire league.
While his numbers have been down since then, Garver was still a solid bat when he played last year. In just 68 games, the slugging catcher hit .256 and had 13 long ball’s.
The former Twin has the potential to be the most reliable option the Rangers have had from the catcher position in quite some time, adding offensive production from a spot they usually lack in. The very next day, Minnesota sent Kiner-Falefa to the Yankees, in a package that also included Josh Donaldson.
After years of finishing at the bottom of the AL West, the Rangers front office has proven this winter they are ready to start making their way back towards the top. With Spring Training finally getting kicked off, both Jon Daniels and Chris Young have expressed they aren’t done improving the roster.
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