SEPT. 9: Santana underwent elbow surgery and will miss seven to eight months, TR Sullivan of MLB.com tweets. That could jeopardize at least some of Santana’s 2021 campaign, which will be his final arbitration-eligible season. After Santana made a prorated $3.6MM this season, the Rangers will have to decide whether to keep him on the heels of a rough year.
SEPT. 5: Three injured Rangers players are done for the season, as manager Chris Woodward told reporters (including Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News) that Corey Kluber, Jose Leclerc, and Danny Santana won’t return to action in 2020. Kluber and Leclerc were each already on the 45-day injured list with teres major problems, while Santana has been on the 10-day IL since August 28 due to a right elbow strain.
The Rangers expected all three to be key contributors this season, hoping for a repeat of Santana’s breakout 2019 numbers, Leclerc to return to his 2018 form after a somewhat shaky 2019, and for Kluber to bounce back from an injured-plagued 2019 season that ultimately closed the book on the former ace’s tenure in Cleveland.
Instead, Kluber pitched in just one inning of one game for Texas before hitting the IL with a grade 2 tear of the teres major muscle. Leclerc only banked two games before suffering a strain in his own teres major muscle, while Santana has been limited to 63 PA in 15 games (and only a .145/.238/.273 slash line) thanks to two trips to the injured list. A right forearm strain put Santana on the 10-day IL on August 2 and kept him out of action until the middle of the month.
Leclerc is under contract through at least the 2022 season, while Santana has one more year of arbitration eligibility remaining before hitting free agency in the 2021-22 offseason. Santana obviously won’t earn much of a raise on his $3.6MM salary for 2020, but given how the Rangers (like many teams) are planning on a lower payroll next season, it is conceivable that Santana could be non-tendered and then pursued at a lower price than a salary in the ballpark of $3.6 or $3.7MM.
Of course, a big chunk of money will be coming off the Rangers’ books in the form of Kluber’s contract, as Texas is surely unlikely to exercise its $18MM club option on the veteran righty for the 2021 campaign. With just 36 2/3 total innings pitched since the start of the 2019 season, Kluber will be hard-pressed to find anything more than a single guaranteed year on his next contract, though his track record could still land him another Major League deal. We aren’t far removed, after all, from the dominant five-year stretch Kluber delivered in the Indians’ rotation from 2014-18 — 2.85 ERA, 10.1 K/9, 5.51 K/BB rate, two AL Cy Young Awards, and an average of 218 innings pitched.
Where are all the commentators on the Kluber to Texas trade, now?
hindsight is 20/20
With Kluber, one would hope for the best, expect the worst, and take anything in between. I haven’t followed the Tribe, but DeShields was given ample opportunity in Texas, and never took advantage of it. I was not a fan of giving up on Classe.
They didn’t give up on Classe. He’s the player the Tribe brass really wanted in the deal.
It doesn’t matter, it was worth Classe to take a shot at Kluber. I would still do that deal. Look at the Rangers bullpen, even with Leclerc hurt there are at least 3 guys out there that are comparable and have the same upside as Classe.
I would like to decline his option and re-sign him.
Do I smell the Kluber to the Dodgers rumors starting again? I mean if he can be even half as good as he was that would be scary…
I can’t! Unless the option is declined. Their rotation is way to deep, and guys have filled spots already for next season without even taking into account Gray. Now if you were to talk about rentals come mid season that a more likely scenario. Buehler , Kersh, Price, May, Gonsolin, Urias, and then the probable depth minor league pieces in guys on the 40 man and soon to be adds. There’s not much room to fit there, and they aren’t going to move one of those pieces to get a hopeful bounce back performer. Kluber gets traded once he proves he’s healthy and performing.
Maybe Falvey’s Cleveland connections can bring Kluber to Minnesota.
I see how it is.
The Pirates win a couple games and all of a sudden everyone thinks they can outtank them.
Don’t make Cherington find out which grocery store Miguel Del Pozo is bagging for these days.
Kluber is ideal pickup for Angels
Kluber to the Angels, would not be a Legit Boss move
Still stunned they did not trade Lynn.
You are stunned that the offers weren’t good enough, or stunned JD didn’t trade him just to trade him. He didn’t get the offer he wanted.
Lynn’s value isn’t magically going to go up in the off-season. They said they’re going to cut payroll, why not start now with the best offer you can get for Lynn? The offers the Rangers were getting at the deadline from an extended field of candidates who wouldn’t make the playoffs in a normal year are not going to be better in two months. Lynn will be older next year and have less control. What they were offered was the best offer they were going to get.
They also will need someone to eat up innings at a cost effective rate regardless of not being in contention. At $8M he is probably their best option to doing that in the 1st half of 2021 then spin him off at the deadline. More teams may be willing to make the same type of offers then, even with less control, when they aren’t dealing with a shortened season with empty stadiums.
Because “the best offer they could get” at the trade deadline simply WASN’T good enough. If they truly think they can compete for the division in ’21, keep him. He’s signed for cheap enough. Otherwise they can still trade him this offseason.
Trade Lynn, and then call up Colon, Buchholz, Cashner and guys like that or any joe blow from their 60 man to eat up innings at a cost effective rate. That way he doesn’t lose value or they just hold onto him until he’s a FA and get nothing.
Better resign him. What else do we have to look forward to next year? At least I’d want to watch his starts to see how he does, but other than that, the team has no excitement coming for awhile. I’d say at least a few years.
Too bad they can’t sign him to the old NBA-style 10-day contract. If you stay healthy through 2 starts we’ll extend you.
Texas took a gamble. Sometimes they work, this one hasn’t.
Kluber now likely enters free agency on a years long down swing. Angels will definitely sign him for big money.
Exactly. Especially considering they gave up almost nothing, you may as well take on a high reward possibility that Kluber was.
It was Cleveland that gave up almost nothing, they picked up an option on a player they had no intention of keeping only to flip him for something, anything. DeShields is a wasted spot on the roster but this wasted season aside Clase has the makeup of a key late inning reliever for the Tribe for several years. If/when he returns and turns into an elite 8th or 9th inning guy could make this deal look horrible.
I would have still done this deal. The Rangers have a bunch of arms that are similar to Clase.
It certainly didn’t work for Rangers. It was worth the gamble though. You think Angels will sign him? Hope it works out better than the mega deal that was given to Josh Hamilton.
BTW watching the Rangers / Angels last night. Is the outfield Jo Adel’s natural position. Looks like he’s struggling out there a bit. He has flashes of brilliance at the plate occasionally.
I’m half joking about the Angels signing him but I wouldn’t be surprised (see Harvey, Matt).
Centerfield is Adell’s natural position and he generally gets good reads and jumps there. He’s no used to the spin and angles in right field yet and looks lost and lacks confidence at times.
So they paid 17.5 million for one inning or whatever the prorated rate is. Either way, it is TOO F-n much! Don’t you just love long term deals? Owners always take the risks. Players just whine and cry about being underpaid. I hope Texas\Cleveland (whomever is responsible) has some kind of insurance policy to save their a$$. On second thought, I hope not. An expensive lesson learned about signing any modern day pitcher to a long term contract. Glass arms.