Two things to serve as a prelude to what's coming: First, Texas Rangers GM Jon Daniels is not one to air club business in public. Two, Daniels and the Rangers have never been one of the clubs that does a whole lot in the week of the MLB Winter Meetings, opting instead to do most of their big moves either before the meetings (see Prince Fielder) or after them (see Adrian Beltre or Mike Napoli).
So when Jon Daniels told reporters on Sunday that he isn't sure the Rangers will do much of anything during the winter meetings, or this winter at all, it had to all be taken with a grain of salt. Daniels, when talking to local media in Phoenix, said it could happen that the Rangers won't make any significant moves at this point and could wait until July's trade deadline as they see where they stand after a 95-loss season in their injury-plagued 2014.
The thought behind the idea is sound. Daniels told reporters the big upgrades for the Rangers will have to come from within in the form of guys like Fielder, Shin-Soo Choo, Mitch Moreland, Derek Holland and others — guys who missed much of the 2014 season with injuries and were expected to be key contributors.
"It’s something we’ve talked about a lot,” Daniels said Sunday. “Before we jump out and add a ‘finishing’ type piece, I’d like to see where we are with our core players. Is it prudent to be a little more conservative right now and add some pieces to the core and still maintain our flexibility?”
In other words, if guys like Fielder and Choo can't have rebound seasons in 2015, then is it really worth trading a load of prospects for Justin Upton? Or doing the same to bring in a big-name pitcher?
It might make for a boring winter meetings from a Rangers perspective, but then again, that's why Jon Daniels is one of the game's most well-regarded GMs and we aren't. Fun isn't always good.
