Arbitration: Craig Gentry

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.

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