Texas Rangers: Would you rather have Kyle Schwarber now or Joey Gallo later?

It’s an interesting question for the Texas Rangers!

What’s not in question is that the Rangers need outfield help, and in a bad way. Their outfielders combined for negative WAR last season, and that won’t cut it on a team looking to make considerable strides in 2022.

Texas has been linked to Japanese superstar Seiya Suzuki, but he has plenty of suitors. So does the guy we’re going to be talking about now: Kyle Schwarber.

Schwarber, 28 and soon to be 29, was a revelation in 2021. Splitting time between the Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox, he slugged 32 home runs with a .928 combined OPS, and that’s not counting the epic postseason he had with Boston.

There’s no doubt Schwarber is the kind of electrifying big bat that the Texas Rangers would love to have in their lineup, and his ability to play left field is also an added bonus. MLB Trade Rumors believes it’s at least possible the team pursues the 28-year-old once the lockout thaws.

But the question we’re looking to pose is this: Would you rather have Schwarber now or old friend Joey Gallo later?

Would the Texas Rangers rather have Kyle Schwarber now or Joey Gallo later?

The two are more similar than you think: left-handed power bats who play the outfield. Both are also in their late 20s, which means they’re both in their primes, so to speak.

Gallo, of course, won’t become a free agent until after the 2022 season, so any pursuit of him would come next winter.

One would figure that since both outfielders have similar profiles, that they would probably cost about the same from a contract standpoint. Schwarber has entered a very saturated free agent market, which suppresses his value a bit, but his lefty power and penchant for coming up clutch will be rewarded handsomely.

On the other hand, Gallo has struggled since he was traded to the Yankees from Texas last summer, and his value has subsequently taken a hit. But Gallo does have an advantage over Schwarber with respect to free agency: he’ll be one of the hotter commodities on a much weaker free agent market in 2022-23.

It really comes down to timing with the Texas Rangers. It’s clear that the team intends to keep spending post-lockout, and that makes a Schwarber pursuit a possibility. It would also double down on the idea that the front office expects a big jump in 2022 before going for it all in 2023.

If the Rangers wait for a Gallo reunion in 2023, however, it would stick more or less to their philosophy that a 102-loss team in 2021 would require more than just a one-year fix, as they would’ve likely been patient and pursued other areas of glaring need including starting pitching.

Texas could also pursue both, because Schwarber plays left and Gallo right, and with a lack of premier outfield talent in the minors, perhaps money is the best way to patch that gaping hole.

Based on the way the Rangers went after Corey Seager (lefty) and Marcus Semien (righty), however, it seems they favor lineup balance. Therefore, it’s unlikely they would pursue both Schwarber AND Gallo.

Who would you rather have?