We'll take a look at several possibilities for winter acquisitions for the Rangers, who will certainly be looking to revamp their roster in several ways heading into 2014.
Target: Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
2013 stats: .273 batting average, .338 on-base percentage, .804 OPS, 40 doubles, 14 home runs, 64 RBIs
Saltalamacchia was once the headliner in the biggest trade in Texas Rangers history, when Jon Daniels sent Mark Teixeira to Atlanta for the hot catching prospect, and then some throw-away guys named Elvis Andrus, Neftali Feliz and Matt Harrison. Saltalamacchia never got things going for the Rangers like they had hoped. He suffered with a bout of "the yips" and at one point could not even accurately throw the ball back to the pitcher.
This year, he's having a career year in several regards with the Red Sox, who the Rangers traded him to in 2010 for lower-level prospects. He's free at the end of the year and he's 28 — much younger than A.J. Pierzynski and much more of a weapon then Geovany Soto.
There's no doubt that the apple in the Rangers' catching eye is Atlanta free agent Brian McCann and the thought is he they can't get him, they'll try to bring Pierzynski back. But Saltalamacchia would be a nice addition to the lineup.
