MLB Rumors: Why the Texas Rangers Should Steer Clear of Signing Yu Darvish and Other Top Free Agent Starters
Rangers rumored to be a potential landing spot for Darvish and another top free agent starting pitcher
Coming off a disappointing 2017 season, it would be understandable if the Texas Rangers approached this offseason with their eyes set on making a splash, and that is something they may be trying to pull off.
The Rangers was one of the teams reportedly in the running to sign one of the top free agents, Shohei Ohtani. But now that the potential two-way star has signed with the Los Angeles Angels, it seems that the Texas-based franchise may be eyeing other acquisitions.
In a recent article, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports indicated that the Rangers may be one of the teams interested in signing starting pitcher Yu Darvish. Heyman also hinted that the team could be a landing spot for Jake Arrieta.
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The Rangers could certainly improve their outlook for 2018 by signing either Darvish or Arrieta. But even so, there is a case to be made that the team would be better off just avoiding signing any top free agent altogether.
The case goes like this: At present, the Rangers find themselves in a division occupied by the aforementioned Angels, the World Champion Houston Astros, the Seattle Mariners who are highly motivated to end their lengthy postseason drought, and the Oakland Athletics, who showed significant improvement during the latter part of last season.
All four of those teams could be playoff contenders in 2018, turning the American League West into baseball's toughest division, potentially.
On top of that, the Rangers' roster is also currently populated by a good number of young players whose best years may still be ahead of them and who could also go through growing pains in 2018.
To put it more clearly, it seems like the Rangers should treat 2018 more as a rebuilding year as opposed to one they should go all out to contend in.
At this point, the Rangers should be more focused on developing the young players they already have as opposed to bringing in players who can help them become a mediocre team instead of a bad one.
Rebuilding is not easy for any team, but it is something the Rangers should look into doing considering their current situation.
