Texas

ESPN tags lefty starter as possible Texas Rangers free agent fit

Published

2 years ago

November 1, 2024

ESPN tags lefty starter as possible Texas Rangers free agent fit

The MLB offseason is upon us.

Free agency officially opens five days after the conclusion of the World Series, and the Texas Rangers might have an extensive shopping list.

A bat? An arm? The Rangers could use at least a couple of both after finishing 78-84 in their World Series defense campaign.

With baseball abuzz with free agency rumors, ESPN recently released a list of potential fits for MLB’s top free agents — the ones not named Juan Soto, at least.

ESPN names veteran left-hander and former Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Max Fried as a potential fit for the Rangers to sign this offseason.

Fried is a 31-year-old starter with a career 3.07 ERA in eight seasons as a major leaguer. He’s pitched at the top of the Braves rotation for years, appeared in two All-Star games and finished top-5 in Cy Young voting twice.

Here’s what ESPN said about his fit with Texas: “The Rangers might not be the obvious destination, but Max Scherzer, Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney are free agents (assuming Eovaldi opts out of his $20 million option). Jon Gray is under contract for one more year and Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle are health risks. Prospects Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter are possible rotation options but given the age of some of the key offensive players — Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Adolis Garcia — the Rangers should be all-in to win now before their stars get older.”

Aside from triggering DFW sports fans with usage of the phrase “all-in,” there could be a problem with ESPN’s projection.

There’s no question Fried would be a boon for the Rangers rotation. There’s plenty of question about the price tag, though.

Fried is one of the top free agents of the winter, the No. 4 player on the market according to Keith Law’s annual top 50 list. Early projections have his contract landing somewhere around the $150-180 million range.

For a team with an extremely uncertain financial situation that is believed to be cutting payroll heading into the 2025 season, that contract may be a little rich for the Rangers at the moment.

ESPN also lists the Boston Red Sox and the seemingly endless pockets of the world-champion LA Dodgers as possible Fried suitors.

So the ace lefty would be a huge get for the Rangers this winter if they can pull it off, but it’d be a surprising one, as well.

Twitter: @dmn_rangers

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Texas

Flu sickens some 160 troops at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas

Published

4 hours ago

June 19, 2026

Press Room

Flu sickens some 160 troops at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas

More than 150 troops at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas have been infected with influenza over the past three weeks — a major outbreak less than two months after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said American troops would no longer be required to be vaccinated against the flu.

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Texas

Sweep in the heart of Texas: Twins beat Rangers again

Published

14 hours ago

June 18, 2026

Press Room

Sweep in the heart of Texas: Twins beat Rangers again

A day off at the pool — and a little sunburn — didn’t stop the Minnesota Twins’ momentum.

Brooks Lee hit a three-run homer as Minnesota scored multiple runs in the first inning for the third consecutive game, and the Twins went on to complete a series sweep of the Texas Rangers with a 9-3 win Thursday.

Minnesota has won four games in a row and scored 25 runs in the three-games series in Texas. The two teams had a rare, mid-series day off on Wednesday with the England-Croatia World Cup game being played in Arlington.

“We’re locked in every day,” Lee told Audra Martin on the team’s broadcast. “Yesterday, taking time off, lay out by the pool, get a little burnt and then right back to it. We did a good job getting focused. I feel like we do that with rain delays, too, just lock back in and we’re doing it.”

Lee’s 12th homer capped a four-run first off Jack Leiter (3-7). Trevor Larnach made it 6-0 in the fourth with a two-run shot to straightaway center that just cleared the extended glove of leaping Alejandro Osuna. Larnach’s third hit was an RBI single in the fifth, and Ryan Kriedler hit a two-run homer in the eighth.

Joe Ryan (5-3) struck out seven but needed 97 pitches to get through five scoreless innings while allowing three singles. Leiter was done after the fourth, and has given up 17 runs while losing three starts in a row.

The Twins never trailed in the sweep that extended their winning streak to four, matching their longest this season. Their 14-5 record at Globe Life Field is the best for any American League opponent since the ballpark opened in 2020.

Wyatt Langford, Ezequiel Duran and Justin Foscue hit solo homers for the Rangers, who have lost five of six games. They are 0-15 when giving up multiple runs in the first inning.

Twins DH Josh Bell, who was born in nearby Irving and grew up in the area, had an RBI single before Lee’s homer. Bell hit a three-run homer in the first inning of the series-opening 4-2 win Monday, and had an RBI single for a 2-0 lead in the first of a 12-2 win on Tuesday.

“We’re just passing the baton each time,” Lee said of the offensive output. “Our guys are hot. They feel good and they came out swinging today. It was awesome to see. We’ve done that for a while now.”

Up next

Twins rookie left-hander Connor Prielipp (2-4, 5.26 ERA) starts Friday at Arizona. The Diamondbacks are scheduled to start right-hander Michael Soroka (8-3, 3.11).

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