Four came, three remain, and the one that’s done the least at the major league level has done the most this spring training. Let’s explain: Trevor Hauver, one of four players acquired from the New York Yankees in exchange for Joey Gallo four years ago,
Gerson Garabito, come on down. The 29-year-old right-hander struck out four batters in two scoreless innings against the White Sox with a fastball that ran 92-93 mph. He made a spot start for Texas last regular season and stuck around to post a 4.78 ERA in 26 1/3 innings largely out of the bullpen.
At the end of last season, MLB Pipeline had the Rangers taking a tumble from seventh overall to 26th, part of which was due to the graduations of Wyatt Langford and Evan Carter from prospects to certified major leaguers. But part of it is also the lack of surety.
But it's not in free agency, though the Rangers could certainly make a play. Rymer wrote that Texas could be a potential trade partner if the Toronto Blue Jays feel they need to deal him or risk not getting anything in return if he leaves in free agency.
The Chicago Cubs entered spring training with one glaring hole on their roster: Third base. Alex Bregman felt like a perfect fit in Chicago, but the team lost a bidding war to the Boston Red Sox. The Cubs do have Matt Shaw, their top prospect, but how much trust should they have in a guy without any MLB experience?