With the offseason in full tilt, the Texas Rangers face several arbitration cases before the 2014 season begins. The Rangers rarely go to arbitration with their players, as it's never a fun thing to do for either party because the club basically has to tear down the player to argue for a lower salary than the player wants to accept.
Craig Gentry is set to play a larger role with the Texas Rangers in 2014 after he took over as basically a full-time left fielder, albeit too late, for the struggling David Murphy last season and was one of the Rangers' best players down the stretch.
Don't be mistaken, Gentry probably isn't a full-time player, and we learned what happens with guys like that last year after the Rangers decided to let Murphy man an everyday gig after he was a solid platoon player in previous years.
Gentry is a nice piece to have though heading into next year and should play a big role on the Rangers with his defensive range, ability to get on base and his base-stealing prowess.
Last season, Gentry hit .280 with a .373 on-base percentage and 24 stolen bases in 27 attempts despite being basically forgotten about for stretches at a time when Ron Washington was trying to get Murphy out of his season-long funk. He hit .354 with a .400 OBP in September.
MLBTradeRumors.com said the Rangers should be expected to give Gentry $1.1 million, up from his $501,000 he made in 2013. Seems like a good use of a half-million based on what kind of weapon Gentry can be.