The Texas Rangers gave veteran catcher Geovany Soto a one-year deal earlier this week, retaining one of their two veteran catchers for 2014. After the signing, Rangers GM Jon Daniels said Soto would be the Rangers' primary catcher this upcoming season with the assumption they'd bring in another veteran to be Soto's backup. Of course, Soto was the backup in 2013 behind A.J. Pierzynski, who was a much better hitter than Soto.
Even though Daniels said Soto would be the guy in 2014, he backed off the statement a bit later on by saying it wouldn't preclude the Rangers from pursuing a free agent if the right guy is out there.
That right guy might be free agent catcher Brian McCann. He certainly seems to think so.
"He knows they potentially might have a need for somebody to fill that dual role of a big left-handed bat in the lineup as well as somebody to help behind the plate," McCann's agent BB Abbott told ESPN Dallas. "I think [the Rangers are] certainly a consideration."
While the Rangers needed to address the catcher position this winter, and seemingly did with Soto's signing, they also need big bats, something McCann has and Soto doesn't.
Several "experts" still say McCann will end up with the Rangers in 2014, and it would likely cost the Rangers somewhere in the neighborhood of a five-year deal for around $85 million — not cheap, but not a horrible price to pay either.
It'll be interesting to see what happens in the next month or two, but don't write off the possibility of McCann coming to Arlington just yet.
