Texas Rangers Land Superstar in Hypothetical Black Friday Deal
Everyone is looking for a deal on Black Friday, even baseball teams — or at least that’s how The Athletic looks at it.
In honor of one of the biggest shopping days of the year, the site put together a “Black Friday” free-agent deal for each team in the Majors.
The site expects the Texas Rangers to be one of those big-spenders when it comes to shopping and their selection for the World Series champions was the biggest item of them all — Shohei Ohtani:
The Dodgers are still the favorites for Ohtani, in the sense that a lot of folks expect Ohtani to land there. Who can say? Ohtani has never really done what folks expect him to do. Who knows? Could be fun. He’s never played in the postseason in the majors, and Texas could take him higher.
While the Rangers may not have been a candidate to land Ohtani when the season started, that changed after the Fall Classic. Texas has a roster filled with offensive talent and an owner who has shown a willingness to spend the past two offseasons. Plus, Ohtani is reportedly less concerned about where he lands as long as he can be compete in the postseason, something he’s never done.
Ohtani is the No. 1 free agent this offseason, even with the torn UCL that ended his season and led to his Tommy John surgery, which is the second of his career.
Ohtani and his representatives have made it clear that he is open to being solely a designated hitter in 2024. He is intent on continuing to be a two-way player once fully rehabbed from surgery.
Ohtani finished 2023 with a slash line of .304/.412/.654/1.066 with an American League-leading 44 home runs and 95 RBI for the Los Angeles Angels. As a pitcher he went 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA with 167 strikeouts and 55 walks.
For his career, he is a three-time All-Star, the 2018 AL Rookie of the Year and a two-time AL MVP.
If the Rangers were to land Ohtani, he would join a lineup that was among the most powerful in baseball last season. Second baseman Marcus Semien and shortstop Corey Seager were the other two finalists for AL MVP. Ohtani, of course, won the award.
