The Texas Rangers are said to be a frontrunner to acquire Cuban slugger Jose Dariel Abreu this winter, according to ESPN's Buster Olney.
Abreu would seemingly fill a void at first base as Mitch Moreland had a full season, minus a 15-day DL stint, in 2013 to prove he could be the Rangers' everyday first baseman and he failed. Abreu is a Cuban defector who is said to have prodigious power, and Olney suggests the price tag could soar beyond the numbers given to the other two hottest Cuban defectors the past two years — Oakland's Yoenis Cespedes and the Dodgers' Yasiel Puig, who got $36 and $42 million, respectively.
Olney said Abreu could command $70 million, which is a bargain if he proves to have the power he's said to. Olney lists the Rangers, Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros has the frontrunners, and you'd have to think Cuban Leonys Martin's presence on the Rangers could play in their favor.
Abreu would also be an ideal candidate to DH for Texas, another position the Rangers need to address this offseason, since his defense has come into question by several scouts. But there's one thing that isn't a question, and that's whether Abreu can knock the ball out of the park, which is something the Rangers are definitely looking for this winter.
