Rangers miss out on slugger who would've added needed right-handed power to lineup

The Texas Rangers had made strides in improving their offense this offseason after finishing the 2025 campaign with the 26th-ranked OPS in MLB (.683), acquiring outfielder Brandon Nimmo and catcher Danny Jansen while getting rid of players who struggled at the plate last year in Marcus Semien, Adolis García and Jonah Heim.

However, the Rangers' lineup is full of left-handed hitters. Nimmo, Corey Seager, Josh Smith, Evan Carter and Joc Pederson all bat from the left side.

To address their need for more right-handed pop, the Rangers signed veteran outfielder/first baseman Mark Canha to a minor-league deal one week ago. While Canha could be a solid option to slot in the lineup against southpaws and come off the bench as a pinch-hitter, a slugger who just signed with the Cleveland Guardians would've been a better addition for Texas.

Rangers miss out on signing former Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins, who reportedly agreed to deal with Cleveland Guardians

The Guardians and Hoskins are finalizing a minor-league deal, according to The Athletic's Zack Meisel. He'll receive a $1.5 million salary if he makes Cleveland's big-league roster.

Injuries kept both Canha and Hoskins from playing as much as they would've liked last season and may have impacted their performances on the field. In 2026, Canha played in just 46 games with the Kansas City Royals, posting -1.0 bWAR and a .212/.272/.265 (52 OPS+) slash line with one home run. Hoskins appeared in 90 games with the Milwaukee Brewers, posting 0.9 bWAR and a .237/.332/.416 (108 OPS+) slash line with 12 homers.

There are reasons to believe Canha will be a solid platoon option for Texas. He hit .143/.180/.161 over 56 at-bats at home, but slashed .281/.359/.368 across 57 at-bats on the road last season, suggesting he may just struggle at Kauffman Stadium. He also hit lefties at a solid .275/.380/.394 clip in 109 at-bats in 2024.

However, Hoskins clearly has more potential than Canha to have a great season in 2026. He's about four years younger than Canha and was an All-Star-caliber player with the Philadelphia Phillies not too long ago, posting 11.4 bWAR and a .242/.353/.492 (125 OPS+) slash line with 148 homers in 667 games from 2017 to 2022. The Guardians now have a player who has posted an OPS+ above 100 in every season he has played in the big leagues except for 2024, when he had a 99 OPS+ in 131 games with the Brewers. And Cleveland barely had to pay him anything, relatively speaking. The Rangers should've swooped in and signed the former Phillies slugger before the Guardians did.