Rangers agree to 1-year deal with Desmond
The Texas Rangers continue to explore all avenues in hopes of solving their issues in left field.
On Sunday, the team reportedly agreed to a one-year, $8-million deal with shortstop Ian Desmond, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, with the intention of having him play primarily in left field.
Desmond has logged more than 900 games at shortstop throughout his seven-year career. He's appeared in right field twice, but not since 2010.
The Rangers acquired Josh Hamilton last season to play left field, but the ailing slugger has been hampered by knee injuries and is expected to be out until at least May. Texas deployed seven different left fielders last season, including Mike Napoli, who played the position for the first time in his 10-year career.
2016 PROJECTED LINEUP
| Pos | Player | HR | AVG/OBP/SLG |
|---|---|---|---|
| CF | Delino DeShields Jr. | 2 | .261/.344/.374 |
| RF | Shin-Soo Choo (L) | 22 | .276/.375/.463 |
| DH | Prince Fielder (L) | 23 | .305/.378/.463 |
| 3B | Adrian Beltre | 18 | .287/.334/.453 |
| 1B | Mitch Moreland (L) | 23 | .278/.330/.482 |
| LF | Ian Desmond | 19 | .233/.290/.384 |
| 2B | Roughned Odor (L) | 16 | .261/.316/.465 |
| SS | Elvis Andrus | 7 | .258/.309/.357 |
| C | Robinsin Chirinos | 10 | .232/.325/.438 |
Texas will be forced to surrender a first-round pick (19th overall) as a result of signing Desmond after he rejected a qualifying offer from the Washington Nationals in November. Desmond was the last player attached to draft-pick compensation to sign with a club.
The three-time Silver Slugger is coming off a down year in which he hit .233/.290/.384 with 19 home runs, 27 doubles, and a career-high 187 strikeouts in 156 games.
Desmond's right-handed bat also complements a lefty-heavy lineup and gives the Rangers another strong power threat. The 30-year-old has averaged 22 homers the past four seasons, including a career-high 25 in 2012.