Rangers need to find a contract structure that lands team their future second baseman

The Texas Rangers are dealing with a lot of unpredictable surrounding their payroll but that shouldn't stop the organization from signing a big free agent like Bo Bichette by taking a page out of the Los Angeles Dodgers' playbook.

Bichette, 27, is now the most sought after free agent on the market this winter and with the recent news of him being willing to transition to a full-time second baseman makes him all the more appealing.

Deferred contracts should be the Rangers best friend this offseason

Hampered by payroll issues, the Rangers are struggling to put together a roster with a box of scraps like Robert Downey Jr. had to do in the first Iron Man film.

As of Christmas Eve, Texas has taken on just around $10 million of new contracts, with $7.25 million of that going to their new backstop Danny Jansen. While they do have a solid foundation and got some unprodcutive contracts off the books, it still isn't complete by any means.

The Marcus Semien trade does leave a hole at second base that Texas says they intend to fill internally. But how amazing would it be if they were to land Bichette to fill that role?

Why can't the Rangers follow the Dodgers' playbook? Over the last couple of seasons, Los Angeles has committed over $1 billion in deferred payments to nearly 10 players, amplified by Shohei Ohtani's $680 million in deferrals. So much to when 2038 and 2039 roll around, they will have a combined $102 million in deferred payments alone.

While that does seem scary, it has resulted in back-to-back World Series titles, a feat not seen since the New York Yankees at the turn of the century.

Maybe Bichette is not interested in taking any deferred money but if he is, the Rangers can easily find a way to structure a contract that gets him the north of $200 million contract he's aiming for, with less money due upfront and locking him down for the next decade. Maybe even throw in an opt out to ease some discomfort if contract turns poor.