These 3 free agents could help the Texas Rangers in 2021

RHP Rick Porcello

2020 was a season to forget for veteran righty Rick Porcello. Wasn’t it for many players, though?

The 32-year-old spent the year in New York with the Mets, accruing a 5.64 ERA in 12 starts and 59 innings pitched for the team.

Those numbers don’t look great at first glance. However, a deeper dive into his numbers suggest Porcello ran into some bad luck in 2020 (what a surprise).

His FIP of 3.33 indicates he pitched better than that 5.64 ERA, probably due to a lack of defense behind him.

Porcello also posted one of his lowest BB/9 rates in 2020 (2.3), as well as one of his highest K/9 rates (8.2), even with a very high WHIP of 1.51.

The veteran right-hander won a Cy Young with the Boston Red Sox in 2016, so he comes with obvious pedigree.

In addition, he’s proven to be very durable, having made over 25 starts in every season except… 2020.

Porcello’s upside may be limited at this point, but if nothing else, he provides stability, leadership and innings for any rotation.

He’ll also come cheap and will only require a one-year deal.

This move would seem to be a no brainer for the Texas Rangers, who still have a pretty weak rotation despite acquiring Dane Dunning and Kohei Arihara this off-season.

UTIL Brock Holt

Every MLB team should have a Brock Holt-type on their roster, the Texas Rangers included.

Holt will turn 33 in June but can play almost every position on the diamond, including at second base, third base and in the outfield.

He’s never been much of a hitter, as his .557 OPS and 51 OPS+ across 106 plate appearances in 2020 with the Milwaukee Brewers and the Washington Nationals are nothing worth writing home about.

Holt has made an All-Star team in his career, however, doing so with the Boston Red Sox in 2015.

Even if the 33-year-old utility man can’t be of much service with the bat, he most definitely can be all over the field, a Swiss army knife profile which every manager desires to have on his bench.

Holt’s down 2020 season means he can easily be had on a one-year deal, if not even a minor-league deal with an invite to Spring Training.

To add a player with Holt’s experience and versatility can only be helpful to a roster as young as the Texas Rangers’.

RHP Sergio Romo

I know what you might be thinking: what would the Texas Rangers be doing shopping around in the reliever market?

After all, a rebuilding franchise typically doesn’t need relievers.

Every team needs some sort of late-inning option, though, even if just temporarily.

You really could just insert any free agent reliever below the top-tier names in this scenario, so we selected submarining righty Sergio Romo.

Romo, a former World Series champion with the San Francisco Giants, brings all kinds of closing experience to the table.

With the Minnesota Twins in 2020, the soon to be 38-year-old right-hander posted a 4.05 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 20 innings pitched (24 appearances).

For the Rangers, Romo would represent a leader and mentor for a very young bullpen unit that includes names like Taylor Hearn, Demarcus Evans, Jose Leclerc, Jonathan Hernandez and others.

The former World Champ would also represent a valuable trade chip for the July 2021 trade deadline should he pitch well.

One way for the Rangers to acquire prospects in hopes of bolstering their farm system during this rebuild is by taking on veteran relievers like Romo who have had past success and flipping them to contenders during the summer.

It’s not an infallible strategy, but with Romo being 38, he’ll likely only command one-year offers. This would definitely fit Texas’ budget and timeline.

A half-season of Romo’s leadership in the bullpen and then acquiring prospects for him in July? That’s what the savvy front offices do. The Texas Rangers should follow suit.