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Venezuelan veteran Elvis Andrus served as shortstop for the Rangers de Texas every day since it debuted in 2009, but those days are drawing to a close. It will take on a utility role in 2021, meanwhile Isiah Kiner-Falefa will have the chance to become Rangers’ starting shortstop, says Dallas Morning News reporter Evan Grant.
Andrus, 32, has been successful at times, prompting the Rangers to grant him an eight-year $ 120 million extension that began in 2015, but his production has declined in recent seasons. Since 2018, Andrus has scored a lousy .260 / .306 / .378 (73 wRC +) with 21 home runs and 39 stolen bases in 1,187 license plate appearances.
He will now play in various positions in the reconstruction of the Rangers draw, where they have questions everywhere, even at second base. Rougned Odor has long been Andrus’s double game, but not even his early works are set in stone, tweets Grant.
The Rangers may want to abandon Andrus and Odor in the trade, but it would be difficult to find candidates for both. Andrus has another two years and $ 28MM left on his contract, while Odor’s deal includes another two seasons at $ 27MM (including a $ 3MM purchase for 2023).
These are high commitments for players who have been in production for several seasons in a row. In Andrus’s case, Grant notes that he has rights of 10 and 5 and his club option of $ 15MM for 2023 would become a player option in the event of a trade. With these facts in mind, it will be much more difficult for Rangers to change him.
Kiner-Falefa, like Andrus and Odor, hasn’t been very successful in recent seasons. He made it into the league in 2018 and has since scored .260 / .319 / .351 (75 wRC +) with eight home runs and 18 steals in 846 at-bats. However, Kiner-Falefa saw action in a handful of locations and even won an American League Gold Glove for work he did at third base in 2020.
Rangers are hoping the 25-year-old’s value will rise at shortstop, though it’s unclear who will start for the team at third base. According to Grant, it’s “likely” that they’ll sign a third base on a one-year free agency deal to help close the gap with prospective client Josh Jung.
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