Rangers Signing veteran pitcher will be In Play as they welcome.
A union between the Texas Rangers and Clayton Kershaw could still be in the works. If anything, it’s more likely now with Max Scherzer on the shelf for the opening months of the 2024 season. The longtime Los Angeles Dodgers starter also won’t be ready for start of next season, but that could work in the favor of the World Series champions. Kershaw, 35, is rehabbing from surgery in his left shoulder and likely won’t be available until after the All-Star break.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic wrote that Kershaw remains a serious option for Texas, which also expects Jacob deGrom back after the break. Using similar logic, the Rangers on Thursday signed free-agent righty Tyler Mahle to a two-year, $22 million deal. Mahle underwent Tommy John surgery in May and likely will be out until at least mid-season. Kershaw is on a similar timetable coming off surgery to repair the glenohumeral ligaments and capsule in his left shoulder. But a source briefed on the Rangers’ thinking described him as still “very much” in play. Kershaw is from Dallas, and attending the same high school (Highland Park) as Rangers general manager Chris Young. The long-held belief is that if the three-time Cy Young Award winner ever plays for another team other than the Dodgers, it would be his hometown Rangers.
Young has said a club can never have enough pitching, and that certainly holds true for Texas. The defending champs were dealt a blow when Scherzer underwent surgery to repair a herniated disc, delaying his likely return to June or July. The Texas rotation to open 2024 currently includes Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray, Andrew Heaney and Dane Dunning. Cody Bradford is another option. A reunion with free agent Jordan Montgomery also remains a possibility.
After posting their first 100-plus win season since 1980, the Baltimore Orioles enter the offseason needing to upgrade their pitching rotation after already signing relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel to take over for their All-Star closer Felix Bautista, who is expected to miss the 2024 season. Armed with a deep farm system and a potent offense, the Orioles are primed to be a problem for years in the American League East.
Here’s one trade and one signing the Orioles should make this offseason.
If there’s one thing that the Orioles lack it’s a true top-of-the-rotation pitcher to lead their staff. With pitchers Kyle Bradish and Grayson Rodriguez taking big leaps in 2023, the Orioles still need help if they want to make it out of the ever-improving AL East.
That is where Burnes comes into the equation.
In his sixth season in the MLB in 2023, Burnes posted a 10-8 record with a 3.39 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 200 strikeouts in 193.2 innings pitched while leading the Brewers rotation.
The Brewers will want a big haul in return for the 2021 National League Cy Young Award winner. With a farm system full of talent, the Orioles could use outfielders Colton Cowser and Heston Kjerstad or infielders Jordan Westburg and Coby Mayo as pieces to acquire the pitcher from the Brewers.
While position players like Cowser and Mayo are a good start, the Orioles will also likely have to include a pitcher or two, perhaps prospects Chayce McDermott or Cade Povich, to entice Milwaukee into pulling the trigger.
Adding Burnes to the top of their rotation would help the Orioles keep pace with the big-market clubs in their division.
