While speaking to reporters on Monday in Arizona, where the MLB GM meetings are beginning, Rangers GM Jon Daniels made a few things known, including the fact that the Rangers plan to tender Alexi Ogando an offer with hopes of avoiding an arbitration hearing but ensuring the fact that Ogando will be back with the Rangers in 2015.
Unlike the decision made on his teammate, Mitch Moreland, the decision to bring back Ogando is a bit of a head-scratcher but also makes good sense.
Why does it make sense? Because Ogando is still relatively young at 31 with just five years in the bigs, and he's proven to be an electric arm who can be a key winning piece of a winning bullpen, like he was in 2010 and 2012. Why doesn't it make sense? Well, because Ogando's consistency has been a huge question mark and he's been injured seemingly every year other than that breakout 2010 season.
At roughly $3.5 million in 2015, which is about what he'll receive to hopefully avoid arbitration, the Rangers could seemingly find any number of more steady arms for that same price, but they don't have the upside of Ogando.
It's a risk, but if it pays off and the Rangers do get the Ogando of old, it'll be a big win for Daniels, who is quietly already assembling a solid bullpen for next season. If he continues to flame out at that price, the feelings will be much different.
