The Rangers were not expected to be major players at the winter meetings.
With little money to spend on free agents and a desperate need for starting pitching, the Rangers were expected to concentrate on trying to turn some of their catching depth into more pitching prospects. Catcher Gerald Laird has drawn significant interest from both Cincinnati and Detroit, and the club could pursue a deal that would send him to one of the clubs for a mid-level pitching prospect. It also would save the Rangers some money since Laird is arbitration-eligible and would likely make about $3 million in 2009. The Rangers have two bright catching prospects in Taylor Teagarden and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who both could be on the roster for less than $1 million total.
GM Jon Daniels said the Rangers are not in cost-cutting mode but could make a trade that would be viewed in that manner.
"We're certainly conscious of all our expenditures," Daniels said. "We're going to look at all the options to improve our club. But, in a good baseball trade, some of the players we might receive in return might look (like a payroll-trimming deal)."
Daniels said the Rangers are likely to move a catcher sometime this winter. He added it's most likely to be just one catcher. Whether the return on that catcher might be major league ready, well, there was no real comment on that. He did say he thought there was a reasonable chance the catcher could be moved before Christmas.
