7 Players the Texas Rangers gave up on too soon

Number 2: Sammy Sosa

This is another player who made his name somewhere else but started his career in Texas. The Rangers in the 80s hit the lottery when it came to scouting Latin-American countries and it led to success in the 1990s. Ruben Sierra, Sammy Sosa, Juan Gonzalez, and Ivan Rodriguez all were Texas Rangers products signed out of the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico.

Sammy Sosa and Juan Gonzalez both were on the same developmental track.Sosa was signed in 1985 and Gonzalez in 1986. They both made their debuts in 1989. Sosa came up in June and Gonzalez came up in September. They didn't play in the same Texas Rangers outfield though. That is because Sosa was traded at the deadline in 1989 to the Chicago White Sox with Wilson Alvarez and Scott Fletcher for future Hall of Famer Harold Baines and Fred Manrique. Tom Grieve, the Rangers GM at the time of the trade, said this to the Dallas Morning News about the trade back in 2018 after Harold Baines was elected to the Hall of Fame.

"When we made that trade, we needed a bat in the lineup and preferably a left-handed bat. We always had taken the philosophy that we wouldn't take a short-term gain for a long-term loss. But we changed that because we thought we had a chance to win."

- Tom Grieve

Sosa would go on to become the 1998 MVP and an all star seven times. He also hit over 600-home-runs and would lead the Cubs to the playoffs multiple times. Sosa being traded opened up right field for Gonzalez. Gonzalez would go on to become the best right fielder in team history. Sosa would come back and end his career in a Rangers uniform and hit his 600th home run in a Rangers uniform in 2007.