Texas Rangers Are Interested in Top Tier Starters This Off-Season

The Texas Rangers wasted little time improving their starting rotation. They added veteran righty Doug Fister, and are rumored to be in the market for more this winter.

Adding starter Doug Fister was a solid way to kick off the off-season for the Texas Rangers. The deals aren’t going to stop there as Texas still needs two more starting pitchers this winter. They aren’t going to back down, and are reportedly interested in top-tier arms.

The biggest of those names is former Cy Young award winner Jake Arrieta. The 31-year-old is coming off a 2017 season where he went 14-10 with a 3.53 ERA in 30 starts with the Chicago Cubs.

He’s not going to be an easy fish to catch as Arrieta is reportedly looking for around $200 million this winter. Super-agent Scott Boras makes sure his clients get the most on the open market. The Rangers are interested, but difficult to pay that price tag.

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If the deal with Arrieta doesn’t pan out the Rangers have other options like Alex Cobb and Lance Lynn. Neither pitcher has the track record of Arrieta and will be much cheaper. Both Cobb and Lynn are coming off similar 2017 seasons.

Cobb went 12-10 with 3.66 ERA in 29 starts with the Tampa Bay Rays. Lynn went 11-8 with a 3.43 ERA in 33 starts with the St. Louis Cardinals. Both pitchers will likely be about the same price range, but that will be determined once one of them signs with an organization.

The Rangers are keeping their options open this off-season. Adding Fister was a good start, but the next piece needs to be a difference maker like Arrieta, Cobb, or Lynn.