The Texas Rangers are always a team to watch because general manager Jon Daniels is as aggressive as they come. Although they've been quiet since acquiring Cole Hamels at the July trade deadline, rumors suggest many MLB clubs are interested in one of their prospects.
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported yesterday that the Rangers are "getting a lot of hits" on prospect Jurickson Profar, who used to be ranked No. 1 in the MLB before suffering shoulder injuries over the past two seasons. However, Heyman added the team is "very much inclined to hold" at this point.
That notion reinforces the words of Daniels, who said earlier in the offseason that the Rangers are "not looking to trade" Profar.
"We held onto him this long. We are pretty optimistic his shoulder is fit," Daniels told Joel Sherman of the New York Post. "The mindset is to wait and see where he is. We believe he will get back to his value, which was one of the best young players out there."
Profar, still just 22, was limited to only 12 games this past season after missing all of 2014, but he joined the Arizona Fall League and managed to put up solid numbers despite missing so much time. The shortstop hit .267/.352/.453 with 11 runs scored, 2 home runs and 20 RBI in 20 games with the Surprise Saguaros.
MLBPipeline.com named Profar to the all-Arizona Fall League team.
"Profar is finally beginning to look like the same player who ranked as baseball's unanimous top prospect in 2013 before a shoulder injury limited him to just 12 games over the past two seasons," wrote Mike Rosenbaum of MLB.com. "He's lost a step and has been limited to DH duties, but the 22-year-old's approach, contact skills and power are all still there. While the switch-hitter's .267 average in 20 games isn't particularly impressive, he consistently worked deep counts and made hard contact from line to line, and his 20 RBIs were one off the league lead."
Now, here's where we pose the big question: Are the Rangers going to move incumbent shortstop Elvis Andrus at some point if Profar progresses throughout the offseason and stays healthy?
Earlier in the offseason, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation reported the San Diego Padres could pursue Andrus as they "may view him as an attainable buy-low trade candidate." Andrus, 27, is under contract through 2022 and will make $103 million over that span. He has a $15 million vesting option (based on plate appearance thresholds) for the 2023 season and can opt out of his deal after 2018 or 2019 if he elects to do so.
Andrus registered another underwhelming year for the Rangers (.258/.309/.357 with 69 runs scored, 7 home runs, 62 RBI and 25 stolen bases) before committing two crucial errors in Game 5 of the ALDS against the Toronto Blue Jays, which led to the team's eventual elimination from the postseason.
With Rougned Odor at second base there's no room for both Andrus and Profar, and if Texas does not want to move Profar, then they either have another plan in store for him or could trade Andrus.
There have been no rumors or reports regarding an Andrus trade thus far, so there's also the possibility that the Rangers want Profar to restore his previous value as one of the best prospects in the games in order to get an appropriate return in a trade for him.
It'll be worth keeping an eye on this situation because the Rangers have multiple options here if Profar can get back to strength and begin contributing once again. He could take the place of the overpaid Andrus or he could be traded to address other aspects of the team's roster.
