Rumors: Texas Rangers Listening on Nomar Mazara, Jurickson Profar

The Winter Meetings Hot Stove is in full gear and while the Texas Rangers may not be big spenders, they may be willing to deal some young talent.

The first big rumors of the Winter Meetings involving the Texas Rangers have started to filter out on Monday morning. Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News confirmed what many expected that the Texas Rangers were willing to listen to offers and talk trades on Nomar Mazara and Jurickson Profar.

Grant, who generally has a pretty good feel for the situations in the Texas Rangers front office, notes in the tweet above that Mazara seems the more likely of the two to be involved in talks which isn’t shocking news considering the logjam of left-handed hitters and corner outfielders the Rangers have.

Mazara, 24, spent much of the 2018 season as the starting right fielder for the Texas Rangers. At the plate, he had another season on par with the numbers he posted in the first couple of years in his career hitting .258 with 20 homeruns and a .753 OPS. The Rangers have some motivation to move the young players despite quality numbers with the excess of left-handed hitters they have on the roster. Additionally, late in the season as Mazara dealt with some injuries, Joey Gallo showed that defensively, he is probably a better right field option.

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Profar, 25, is coming off a career year for the Rangers which might play into the disparity of value for Texas and interested clubs. The former number one overall prospect in the game has struggled to live up to potential in his first few years with the big league club never cementing a spot in the lineup. Last year, Profar featured as a utility player and got into 146 games and hit .254 with an OPS just under .800. Heading into 2019, he seems the logical replacement for Adrian Beltre at third base which also may cause some hesitation on the part of the Rangers to part ways.

In terms of contracts, both players have multiple years of team control left which adds value. Mazara is under team control through 2021 and will provide a long-term option to whomever he ends up with. Profar, isn’t set to hit free agency until after the 2020 season which for Texas, may mean he doesn’t line up with their rebuilding timeline.