The Texas Rangers pulled off the first major move of the offseason by trading for slugger Prince Fielder in a deal with the Detroit Tigers for Ian Kinsler, but that may only be the beginning, as reports are coming out that the team could also deal Elvis Andrus or Jurickson Profar, possibly to the St. Louis Cardinals, who are looking for an upgrade up the middle.
Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Rangers could be looking to add another power bat to the lineup in free agency or a trade and mentions names like Brian McCann, Carlos Beltran as well as former outfielder Nelson Cruz. According to Hardball Talk, the Rangers had been looking to make a big move this offseason and now that they have done it, they could do again, as Rosenthal says that the team is not opposed to dealing Andrus or Profar despite getting rid of Kinsler, as they would like to upgrade their pitching and that is where the news on the Cardinals deal came from.
Reports from earlier in the offseason had the Cardinals also looking to make some major moves, as they would like to upgrade the shortstop position from Pete Kozma, who has a solid glove but did not do anything offensively over the playoffs last season as the team lost to the Boston Red Sox in the World Series. The team was mentioned as a possible option for the Rockies with Troy Tulowitzki, but so far talk on that deal has slowed and now it looks like the Rangers and the Cards could partner up. The Rangers now have the option of using Profar at second base, while some reports say the team could trade him and go after Robinson Cano now that they have some money coming back in the deal with Fielder and Kinsler.
Keeping Profar might be the wise move, but the Rangers have shown that they are not afraid to make trades and after getting Fielder, they could continue to try and add some power in the lineup, as they lost Josh Hamilton last offseason and could lose Nelson Cruz this time around. The Rangers and Tigers deal is being looked at as a win for both sides by many in the media, as each filled a big need in the trade, as Detroit needed a second baseman and Texas was not happy with the production they got from first base last season and after seeing how Chris Davis turned out, they probably are kicking themselves for dealing him.
The deal sends $30 million with Fielder to the Rangers from the Tigers and that could allow them to spend on players like Carlos Beltran or Brian McCann and now gives the team a superstar at first base. Fielder still has plenty of money left on his deal with $168 million, while Kinsler has $60 million left on his deal.
