The holiday gift blitz has subsided, those New Year\u2019s Eve bar tabs have been paid and the grim reality check has arrived while the dead of winter truly sets in. <\/p>\n
How much money, exactly, remains in the bank account? The parties are over, sure, but the cost of life hasn\u2019t gotten any cheaper. <\/p>\n
Or the cost of a baseball roster. <\/p>\n
The Texas Rangers<\/a>, already well on their way to a slimmed payroll compared to recent years, will now look to match what\u2019s left of their available fund to the holes they\u2019ve yet to fill. They have a projected payroll of $197 million \u2014 as the roster stands \u2014 with all tax threshold factors taken into account after a major trade, a few major league signings and a handful of departures. That\u2019s roughly $44 million less than last season\u2019s payroll, $47 million below next season\u2019s luxury tax line and middle-of-the-pack leaguewide. <\/p>\n Rangers<\/p>\n Be the smartest Rangers fan. Get the latest news.<\/p>\n By signing up, you agree to our\u00a0Terms of Service<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n It gives the Rangers theoretic flexibility to add without the immediate threat of penalty either now or midseason. It remains unclear how much more the Rangers are prepared to add to their books, though, and their relative lack of prospect capital hamstrings their ability to maneuver the trade market. <\/p>\n That doesn\u2019t change the fact that the club still believes it has work to accomplish. Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young said last Friday that \u201cpitching is the main focus\u201d<\/a> as the club continues to fortify its roster with less than a month before pitchers and catchers report to the team\u2019s Surprise, Ariz. complex. <\/p>\n \u201cWe feel like, on the pitching side, both in starting pitching and relievers, there are a couple of spots that we would like to improve the depth of the pitching group,\u201d Young said. \u201cWe\u2019re focused there.\u201d<\/p>\n The rotation currently includes three locks (right-handers Nathan Eovaldi, Jacob deGrom and Jack Leiter) and three uncertainties. Left-hander Cody Bradford is on track to return from elbow surgery<\/a> and can rejoin the rotation once healthy. Jacob Latz, a lefty who had a 2.72 ERA in the rotation last season, has prepared as a starter this winter, but his role has not yet been determined by club officials<\/a>. <\/p>\n The wildest of the three cards is right-hander Kumar Rocker. He\u2019s in a \u201creally good spot,\u201d per Young, after a chaotic rookie season that included a demotion to the minor leagues and subpar major league performance. His 5.74 ERA in 14 starts was one thing; his apparent lack of focus<\/a> and inability to command his pitches in the strike zone was another. The Rangers will hope for a Leiter-esque, year-two jump for the 26-year-old former first-round pick. <\/p>\n Prospects Jose Corniell and David Davalillo are both on the 40-man roster. The two promising right-handers may factor into the club\u2019s plans this season, but, if Rocker was proof last season, it may be unwise to bank a rotation\u2019s stability on unproven young arms. <\/p>\n That leaves the Rangers with enough pieces to construct a five-man rotation if all who are currently healthy avoid injury, if Latz is shifted into the rotation full time and if Rocker shows meaningful progress in spring training. It is all but assuredly not enough to sustain Texas for an entire season.<\/p>\n Three top-flight starters remain available in left-handers Framber Valdez and Ranger Su\u00e1rez and right-hander Zac Gallen. The trio represents the last three pitchers on the market that should command a nine-figure payday. <\/p>\n The cost-cutting Rangers likely won\u2019t dance in those waters, but could a Zack Littell, Tyler Anderson or Griffin Canning-caliber arm be enough to fortify the back end of the rotation? Those are by no means anchors, but at around $7-10 million per season, they could operate as fourth or fifth options and still hold the Rangers well below what they\u2019d spent on last season\u2019s roster. <\/p>\n Young declined to say what price range the Rangers are comfortable with but said that they are \u201cmonitoring the entire market\u201d and acknowledged the club still has two-and-a-half months before opening day to round out their 26-man roster. The Rangers have had success with late-spring finds in each of the last two seasons and could pursue similar options again this season. They signed right-hander Michael Lorenzen at the end of camp two years ago and left-hander Patrick Corbin at the end of camp last season. <\/p>\n \u201cWe feel like starting pitching is something that we could certainly add to make our team better,\u201d Young said. \u201cWe also feel good about the options we have, and if the right opportunity is there, we would be open minded.\u201d <\/p>\n He applied the same mantra to the bullpen. The Rangers rebuilt their relief staff for a second consecutive winter but may still be a leverage arm (or two) short of a viable unit. Young said the Rangers \u201cfeel good\u201d about their internal options at closer but \u201care always looking to improve.\u201d He referenced left-hander Robert Garcia (who saved nine games last year before he was demoted from the closer role midseason<\/a>), right-hander Chris Martin (who was re-signed after an effective season as a setup man was derailed by injuries<\/a>) and recently signed right-hander Alexis D\u00edaz<\/a> as candidates. <\/p>\n D\u00edaz, if he can rediscover his All-Star form as the Rangers hope, is an early favorite for the gig. He saved 65 games in a two-year span for the Cincinnati Reds from 2023-24 but bounced between three teams last season as his fastball velocity declined and his ability to generate swings and misses went along with it. The Rangers identified mechanical changes to his delivery that they believe could increase his velocity.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was motivated this offseason to find his velocity, regain his velocity, and some of the shapes to his pitches,\u201d general manager Ross Fenstermaker said. \u201cWe got early indications that there\u2019s progress being made there. It\u2019s hard to find guys with that type of pedigree and that type of experience that are motivated and hungry to come in and win a job. He was.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s especially hard given the current state of the free agency market. The top-end relief pitchers have all but been scooped. The available arms that remain are not inherently bona fide closers but could provide high-leverage depth. <\/p>\n Taylor Rogers, a 34-year-old right-hander, has 83 career saves but hasn\u2019t operated as a full-time closer in three seasons. His ability to throw strikes and limit walks fits the reliever profile that the Rangers have sought in the last two years<\/a>. Paul Sewald, a 35-year-old righty, has 86 career saves but is a season-and-a-half removed from the peak of his effectiveness. His most recent season, split between the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers, was slowed by a shoulder strain. If the Rangers believe Sewald\u2019s velocity dip can be remedied or worked around \u2014 and that it isn\u2019t the signal of outright career decline \u2014 he could represent a viable option. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to continue to explore the market to see what else may be out there to add to our leverage arms,\u201d Young said. \u201cThis is something that is ongoing.\u201d<\/p>\n Sherrington: Here\u2019s the best part of Jerry Jones\u2019 end-of-season Cowboys news conference<\/a>See which free agents were named as under-the-radar fits for the Texas Rangers<\/a><\/p>\n Find more Rangers coverage from The Dallas Morning News here<\/a>.<\/p>\n