SURPRISE, Arizona. The Rangers have always praised Isaiah Keener-Falefa for his versatility, but that’s kind of ridiculous. In four months, he went from shortstop to potential assistant to a definite starting third baseman.
And then on Saturday he was transferred again: to Minnesota.
Rangers don’t joke. Chris Young and John Daniels are redoing the roster and it’s best not to get in the way. Less than 48 hours after baseball’s lockout ended, the most active team of the offseason is back in action, this time to revamp what was one of the least offensive units in baseball. They captured Mitch Garver, who leads all MLB catchers (minimum 1,000 plate appearances) in the last five years in the OPS, sending Keener-Falef and prospect Ronnie Henriquez to the Twins.
The 31-year-old Garver has .835 points per second since his MLB debut in 2017. He hit 31 homers in 2019 and has averaged 14.8 homers per season for the past three years. His biggest problem has been really unfortunate injuries, like last year’s ball that caused a “groin bruise”, led to a surgical procedure and cost him two months. By the way, in the same three-year period, the Rangers finished last in the OPS with a .597 batting average, according to Fangraphs. The Rangers have excelled at creating hitting fields, but an oversized offense is still more valuable.
“We realized the value of having [Kiner-Falefa] play third base,” Young said, the general manager said. “However, I think, looking at the catching situation, the catching market and how we view Mitch Garver in terms of our team’s fit, it’s [trade] made sense in many ways.”
Daniels said, “There are a lot of guys like that in the game.”
What is the point. After losing 102 games in a year of searching for answers, Daniels and Young, with more than $500 million in ownership commitments, set out to raise the bar with every move they made. It wasn’t just about improving last year’s record, but about adding top-tier talent with every step.
They signed Markus Semien and Corey Seeger to redo the middle of the infield. They pursued Clayton Kershaw with all their might, but how do you convince the Dodgers’ greatest pitcher since Sandy Koufax to leave Los Angeles? They quickly turned around to get back to talking about Garver, which had actually started shortly before the lockout. The Rangers’ moves were so fast and furious in the hours leading up to the lockout that they had to reassess the situation. Almost 100 days of work suspension gave them enough time to do so.
When this season kicks off on April 8, it’s entirely possible that the Rangers will only have two of the 10 starting players from the 2021 inaugural season. As of Saturday – and at this rate things could change by the start of the week – only 11 of the 26 players featured at last year’s opening are still on the 40-man roster.
All this was necessary.
Thanks @Rangers for giving the little guy from Hawaii the opportunity. Thanks to all my teammates/coaches for the daily work. I can’t thank the fans enough for supporting my growth as a player and supporting me! pic.twitter.com/xTexXX69vL
— Isaiah Keener-Phalefa (@Isiahkf11) March 12, 2022
Next questions: But didn’t manager Chris Woodward just on Friday afternoon proclaim Keener-Falef as the team’s third baseman with resounding approval? And with Keener Falefa gone and Josh Jung out for most, if not the entire season, who in the name of Adrian Beltre will play third?
Short answers: Yes. And it really doesn’t matter.
“We are constantly trying to improve the club. Sometimes you have to [part with] good people to upgrade the way you want,” Woodward said. “You have to pay for this. We were willing to pay. [Garver] it’s an offensive juggernaut in a trap.
“[Kiner-Falefa] he still has it,” Woodward said of his approval. “Isaiah was my first call after the end of the lockout. He deserved it. He was our heart and soul. I wanted him to know how much I appreciate him. And I still do. He is a good player and leader. Nothing has changed in my eyes. I never want to bet against him.”
But while Keener-Falefa won the Golden Glove in third place, he has a .670 career OPS. There might be more embarrassment. Given the Keener-Falef drive, probably yes. In any case, he is below the league average on offense. Offense rules.
As for third base this year, look, not everything can be fixed in one year. The mantra of the team is to make smart long-term decisions to improve the club significantly. Jung remains the third baseman of the future. Because of this, they are unlikely to make a serious bet on free agent Chris Bryant. They’ll test the bottom of the free agent market, give the prosperous Andy Ibanez ample opportunity before probably looking at one of the guys signed for Joey Gallo: Josh Smith and Ezequiel Duran or Davis Wenzel this season.
In the Trap, last year’s co-starters Jose Trevino and Jonah Heim will battle it out for the understudy role. Either will be a reliable backup. Heim may have an advantage because he is a strong striker. Promising player Sam Huff of unfathomable raw strength, who didn’t play at all last year due to knee surgery, will not be guaranteed a trip to the Majors once he proves he’s healthy. He will have to earn it.
“We’re building a roster full of competition,” Woodward said. “All these guys are not afraid of competition. This is what we want. This is what good teams have. These guys just have to perform and everything will take care of itself.”
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