Texas Rangers: Trade, keep, or extend Mike Minor?

Would extending Mike Minor be a high percentage play?

Figure the Texas Rangers’ timeline and they’re still two or three seasons away from their top pitching prospects filtering to the big leagues. It may be longer until those arms are ready to make a real impact.

Left-hander Joe Palumbo (#7 prospect) and right-hander Jonathan Hernandez (#8 prospect) could make their debuts this season. There’s a chance at least one of them cracks the 2020 rotation. Taylor Hearn‘s (#10 prospect) April debut was horrific, and he’s now dealing with an elbow injury. He could be a part of next year’s rotation too if he returns to full strength.

That’s it. Of the current starters, Lance Lynn is the only certainty for next year’s rotation. Minor will be amid trade rumors in due time, Drew Smyly will be a free agent, as will Shelby Miller, and Adrian Sampson is still trying to prove himself worthy of spot.

Point being, having Minor around next year would greatly help the rotation. It would also save Jon Daniels from picking up another arm off the scrap heap.

What about keeping him beyond next year? Perhaps extending his contract through 2022? By that time the Rangers’ prized minor league prospects should have arrived. Minor would be 34 years old. He would be a reliable arm in the in-between seasons, and maybe he could contribute to a legitimate contender come 2022.

It sounds nice, but Texas won’t find an extension necessary. With the primary focus being youth, retaining a veteran for an additional 2-3 seasons isn’t the cards.