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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/rangers-news-gm-reveals-roki-sasaki-meeting');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rangers GM reveals Roki Sasaki offseason meeting');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rangers-news-Texas-GM-reveals-Roki-Sasaki-meeting.jpg"></figure><h1>Rangers GM reveals Roki Sasaki offseason meeting</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-23T14:44:00-08:00">December 23rd, 2:44pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-23T14:44:32-08:00">December 23rd, 2:44pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Texas Rangers have had a busy 24 hours, trading Nathaniel Lowe to the Washington Nationals on Sunday, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rangers-news-texas-agrees-contract-joc-pederson-nathaniel-lowe-trade">signing slugger Joc Pederson</a> in the middle of the night and then <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rangers-news-texas-signs-pitcher-after-joc-pederson">adding another pitcher</a> on Monday afternoon. Though, their most intriguing move might have occurred last week. The 2023 World Series champions had a meeting with one of the most promising pitchers around– Roki Sasaki.</p><p>The Japanese right-hander is eligible to officially join an MLB franchise as soon as the 2025 international signing period begins on Jan. 15, but the Rangers can definitely make headway well before that date. While it is too early to bring out the confetti, fans should be pleased by the <a href="https://x.com/kennlandry/status/1871288894735761442" rel="noopener">organization’s remarks about the correspondence</a>.</p><p>“We really enjoyed our time, but that’s about the extent of anything I will say on that today,” general manager Chris Young said, according to MLB.com’s Kennedi Landry. Texas is motivated to re-establish itself as a competitive team following a disappointing 2024 season, as demonstrated by the Nathan Eovaldi re-signing, addition of Pederson and their <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/yankees-news-non-baseball-reason-forced-increase-max-fried-offer">unsuccessful pursuit of lefty Max Fried</a>.</p><p>Now, Young could be looking to round out the starting rotation with the electric Sasaki.</p><h2><b>Rangers would make a strong statement by signing Roki Sasaki</b></h2><p>The 23-year-old is brimming with potential, posting a 29-15 record and 2.10 ERA in four seasons with Nippon Professional Baseball’s Chiba Lotte Marines. He is a two-time All-Star who can dominate batters with a blazing fastball and lively splitter. The Rangers would love to balance out veteran pitchers Jacob deGrom and Eovaldi with a young talent like Roki Sasaki.</p><p>Unfortunately for them, however, several other ballclubs feel the same way. The Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres might all jump out as more logical landing spots for the phenom, but Texas has made itself an appealing destination. Chris Young is a successful front-office leader who will be aggressive when necessary. The idea of him closing a deal with Sasaki is definitely feasible.</p><p>Plenty of new reports will surface before a decision is made, but Arlington should take pride in knowing that the Rangers are on this star’s radar. Management is doing what it can to ensure that 2023 is not an outlier.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rangers GM reveals Roki Sasaki offseason meeting

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/rangers-news-texas-signs-pitcher-after-joc-pederson');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rangers sign pitcher right after Joc Pederson move');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rangers-news-Texas-signs-pitcher-right-after-Joc-Pederson-move.jpg"></figure><h1>Rangers sign pitcher right after Joc Pederson move</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-23T13:05:47-08:00">December 23rd, 1:05pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-23T13:36:00-08:00">December 23rd, 1:36pm</time><address><a>Russell Steinberg</a>Russell Steinberg covers Major League Baseball and the New York Liberty for ClutchPoints. A baseball and basketball lifer, he has written for Boardroom, SLAM, SB Nation, The Next, and more. He graduated from NYU in 2012 and still returns to serve as PA announcer and occasional broadcaster for the school’s basketball and volleyball teams.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rangers-news-texas-agrees-contract-joc-pederson-nathaniel-lowe-trade">signing two-time All-Star Joc Pederson</a> to a two-year deal on Monday morning, the Texas Rangers made an under-the-radar move, adding relief pitcher Shawn Armstrong.</p><p>Armstrong heads to Arlington <a href="https://x.com/Evan_P_Grant/status/1871285154473464007" rel="noopener">on a Major League deal</a>, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reported. The Rangers designated catcher Sam Huff for assignment as a corresponding move.</p><p>A right-handed veteran reliever, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cardinals-news-release-player-acquired-dylan-carlson-trade">Armstrong pitched for three teams</a> last year, his age 34 season. Between time with the Tampa Bay Rays, St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs, Armstrong made 57 appearances, pitching to a 4.86 ERA over 66.2 innings pitched. He also started seven games, all with the Rays.</p><p>No, it’s not the sort of big-name move that’s going to rock the baseball landscape, but it’s a low-risk, high reward one for the Rangers. Texas had one of the worst bullpens in baseball last year, ranking 26th out of 30 teams in bullpen ERA (4.41) and WHIP (1.370).</p><p>Among the culprits for the Rangers’ pen last year: 79 home runs allowed. Armstrong, despite his pedestrian numbers in 2024, allowed only six home runs in 2024, an average of 0.8 per nine innings.</p><p>Armstrong is primarily a fastball-changeup-sinker pitcher whose fastball sat around 93 mph last year — about 2 mph less than in 2022.</p><h2><b>The Rangers still have work to do on their 2025 bullpen</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Kirby-Yates-Rangers.jpg"><figcaption>Jerome Miron-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Armstrong isn’t the only bullpen arm the Rangers have added in the last couple days. On Sunday, Texas dealt <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nationals-news-nationals-acquiring-nathaniel-lowe-trade-with-rangers">Nathaniel Lowe to the Washington Nationals for lefty Robert Garcia</a>. Like Armstrong, Garcia’s numbers didn’t look great in 2024, but in 72 appearances he ceded just four long balls (0.6 HR/9). He also struck out 75 batters over 59.2 innings. Texas also brought in <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rangers-adding-intriguing-ex-brewers-bullpen-weapon">lefty Hoby Milner</a> earlier this month.</p><p>The Rangers’ bullpen wasn’t good in 2024, but there were some good pieces that are currently sitting in free agency and could come back as well.</p><p>It starts with All-Star closer Kirby Yates. Yates had one of the best years of his career in his age 37 season, compiling a 1.17 ERA and 0.827 WHIP to go with 33 saves for a team that won only 78 games in 2024. MLB Trade Rumors projects Yates to be worth <a href="https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/11/2024-25-top-50-mlb-free-agents-with-predictions.html" rel="noopener">$14 million</a> in 2025, but without a clear closer candidate in the bullpen as it is, Texas just might want to spend the money.</p><p>There’s not an obvious closer candidate because veteran relief pitcher <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rangers-news-david-robertson-makes-7-million-decision-rangers-contract">David Robertson is also a free agent</a>. After he struck out 99 batters over 72 innings last year with a 3.00 ERA, Robertson declined a mutual option to rejoin Texas in 2025. He would have been due $7 million, so if the Rangers are going to bring him back anyway, it will likely have to be for a number north of that.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rangers sign pitcher right after Joc Pederson move

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/rangers-news-texas-agrees-contract-joc-pederson-nathaniel-lowe-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rangers agree to contract with Joc Pederson after Nathaniel Lowe trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rangers-news-Texas-agrees-to-contract-with-Joc-Pederson-after-Nathaniel-Lowe-trade.jpg"></figure><h1>Rangers agree to contract with Joc Pederson after Nathaniel Lowe trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-23T05:16:56-08:00">December 23rd, 5:16am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-23T05:34:12-08:00">December 23rd, 5:34am</time><address><a>Christopher Hennessy</a>Christopher Hennessy graduated with a journalism degree from Fordham University in 2022. He has also worked at Spectrum News One in Albany, New York and with The Hockey Writers as a New York Islanders writer. Chris is originally from Connecticut and is a lifelong New York Yankees, Islanders, and Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Texas Rangers had an incredibly disappointing 2024 season. They missed the playoffs after winning their first World Series due to a litany of injuries. After <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nationals-news-nationals-acquiring-nathaniel-lowe-trade-with-rangers">trading Nathaniel Lowe to the Washington Nationals</a>, they had a massive hole in the lineup. The Rangers signed Joc Pederson to a two-year free-agency contract after a stint with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal <a href="https://x.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/1871131304974266423" rel="noopener">reported the news early Monday morning</a>.</p><p>“Free agent designated hitter Joc Pederson in agreement with Rangers, sources tell The Athletic,” Rosenthal reported.</p><p>ESPN’s Buster Olney reported Pederson’s <a href="https://x.com/Buster_ESPN/status/1871180944952242378" rel="noopener">contract at two years</a>, $37 million.</p><p>Pederson had one of the best years of his career in his one season with the Diamondbacks. His .908 OPS was the highest of his career as was his .275 batting average. The issue for the Rangers is that he did not play the field at all last year. He was an outfielder in the first decade of his career.</p><p>The Rangers do not need a first baseman, as Jake Burger was brought in and can play the position. Pederson can slot in as the designated hitter and Burger as the first baseman to fill out the lineup. But Pederson can play the outfield which may signal another trade coming.</p><h2><b>Rangers must continue to move after adding Joc Pederson</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Joc-Pederson-with-AZ-Diamondbacks.jpg"><figcaption>Owen Ziliak/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption></figure><p>The Rangers won only 78 games last year but the American League West has gotten worse this offseason. The Astros lost Kyle Tucker and will likely lose Alex Bregman in free agency. While the Mariners had a strong start to last season, they still have massive questions. And the Angels and Athletics were not competitive last season. The Rangers can make a move back into the playoffs with an active offseason.</p><p>There are some things that they don’t even need to spend on to improve from last year. Their rotation should be healthier with Jacob deGrom coming back. Kumar Rocker should be a permanent member of the group and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rangers-news-reunion-nathan-eovaldi-in-free-agency">Nathan Eovaldi is back</a>. But they can trade a franchise legend to bring in more offense.</p><p>Adolis Garcia won the ALCS MVP and will never have to buy a drink in the greater Dallas area. But he is an unrestricted free agency after 2026 and would have value in a trade. The Mariners could use a hitter like Garcia, as could the Reds and Pirates. The Rangers should target young hitters who can make an impact soon if they deal Garcia.</p><p>After a brutal 2024 season, the Rangers are moving toward a competitive 2025 season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rangers agree to contract with Joc Pederson after Nathaniel Lowe trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nationals-news-nationals-acquiring-nathaniel-lowe-trade-with-rangers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nationals acquiring Nathaniel Lowe in trade with Rangers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Nationals-news-Washington-acquiring-Nathaniel-Lowe-in-trade-with-Rangers.jpg"></figure><h1>Nationals acquiring Nathaniel Lowe in trade with Rangers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-22T14:57:29-08:00">December 22nd, 2:57pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-22T15:32:54-08:00">December 22nd, 3:32pm</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. A die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic, Brayden further channels his baseball enthusiasm through his podcast, where he delves into the latest in sports with engaging commentary. He also serves as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School. His commitment to sports journalism is evident in his diverse experiences with ContraCosta.news and his dedication to delivering compelling and insightful content.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nationals-news-washington-pitching-rotation-braves-mike-soroka">Washington Nationals are making moves</a> to bolster their lineup, finalizing a trade to acquire first baseman Nathaniel Lowe from the Texas Rangers. Lowe, a 29-year-old slugger, brings a consistent offensive presence to a Nationals lineup that has struggled to produce runs. <a href="https://x.com/JeffPassan/status/1870962911008399396" rel="noopener">Another first baseman is on the move</a>, as that position is a hot target this offseason.</p><p>“The Washington Nationals are finalizing a trade to acquire first baseman Nathaniel Lowe from the Texas Rangers, sources tell ESPN.” via Jeff Passan on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>He’s a career <a href="https://www.bleachernation.com/cubs/2024/12/22/the-weekend-of-first-basemen-continues-rangers-trading-nathaniel-lowe-to-the-nationals/" rel="noopener">.272/.356/.433</a> hitter with a 122 wRC+ and has been a steady contributor for the Rangers, posting between 2.7 and 3.1 WAR in the last three seasons. In 2024, Lowe slashed .265/.361/.401 with 16 home runs and 69 RBIs, numbers that instantly upgraded a Nationals lineup that ranked near the bottom of the league in multiple offensive categories, including home runs and slugging percentage. Left-handed reliever Robert Garcia is heading to Texas as part of the trade.</p><p>“Left-handed reliever Robert Garcia is headed from the Nationals to the Rangers in the Nathaniel Lowe trade, sources tell ESPN.” Passan also tweeted.</p><h2><b>The Nationals are making moves this offseason as the 1B market is on fire</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Texas-Rangers-shortstop-Corey-Seager.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Garcia, 27, is a promising pre-arbitration arm who showed potential in 2024. His inclusion in the deal gives the Rangers a young bullpen option while they shuffle their infield following this trade.</p><p>Washington’s need for offensive reinforcement was glaring last season. The team hit the fewest home runs in the National League and struggled with a .375 slugging percentage, second-worst in the league. Lowe’s proven track record as a solid hitter and his ability to reach base—highlighted by a career .356 on-base percentage—should help the Nationals address those deficiencies.</p><p>With Lowe under team control through 2026, the Nationals gain more than just short-term production. Lowe’s presence at first base solidifies a key position as the team continues its rebuild, and his offensive capabilities could complement the development of Washington’s young core. Depending on how the 2025 season unfolds, Lowe could also serve as a valuable trade asset at the deadline or next offseason if the Nationals decide to accelerate their rebuild.</p><p>For the Rangers, the decision to move Lowe appears to be financially motivated. With Lowe projected to earn over $11 million in arbitration by 2025, Texas might prefer to allocate resources elsewhere. Additionally, the acquisition of Jake Burger suggests the Rangers could explore alternative infield configurations moving forward.</p><p>This trade highlights the Nationals’ commitment to reshaping their roster and addressing weaknesses. As Lowe dons the Nationals jersey, fans will be eager to see if his addition can help reverse the team’s fortunes and pave the way for a more competitive lineup. For the Rangers, Garcia’s potential emergence as a bullpen staple could make this a win-win trade in the long term.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nationals acquiring Nathaniel Lowe in trade with Rangers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/rangers-adding-intriguing-ex-brewers-bullpen-weapon');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rangers adding intriguing ex-Brewers bullpen weapon');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rangers-news-Texas-adding-intriguing-ex-Brewers-bullpen-weapon.jpg"></figure><h1>Rangers adding intriguing ex-Brewers bullpen weapon</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-19T19:37:41-08:00">December 19th, 7:37pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-19T20:30:43-08:00">December 19th, 8:30pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The 2024 season could not have gone any worse for the Texas Rangers; their offense fell off considerably, and their pitching wasn’t able to compensate for this steep dip in hitting production. But the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rangers-news-texas-agrees-to-contract-with-ex-reds-catcher">Rangers have been working tirelessly</a> all offseason long to bolster the roster, and to that end, they signed veteran southpaw reliever Hoby Milner, a former featured bullpen weapon for the Milwaukee Brewers, in free agency.</p><p>Milner’s contract with the Rangers is <a href="https://x.com/Feinsand/status/1869928076710146534" rel="noopener">for one year</a>, as per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, although financial terms haven’t been disclosed as of yet. This will be a homecoming for the 33-year-old lefty, as he is a Dallas native who went to the University of Texas.</p><p>For the first four years of Milner’s career, he <a href="https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/12/rangers-to-sign-hoby-milner.html?utm_source=twitter" rel="noopener">struggled to find a home</a>, bouncing around with the Philadelphia Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays, and Los Angeles Angels. It wasn’t until 2021 that Milner latched on with the Brewers, where he has spent the past four seasons.</p><p>The Rangers are hoping to get the best out of Milner once again after he struggled through an uneven 2024 campaign in Milwaukee. This past season, his ERA ballooned to 4.73, although Texas has plenty of reasons to be optimistic regarding a potential turnaround in 2025.</p><p>His left-on-base percentage was an outlier last season (58.1 percent, down from 84.2 and 71.0 percent in 2023 and 2022, respectively), and his other peripheral stats (strikeout and walk rate) weren’t far off from their usual levels over the past few seasons with the Brewers. Thus, it is a fair expectation for Milner’s numbers to improve with the Rangers.</p><p>The Rangers haven’t made too many groundbreaking moves in this year’s free agency. Their biggest move remains the re-signing of Nathan Eovaldi to a three-year, $75 million deal, and they also added Kyle Higashioka for catcher depth. They also acquired Jake Burger via trade.</p><h2><b>Rangers hope for some major positive regression in 2025</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Brewers-pitcher-Hoby-Milner-55-delivers-a-pitch.jpg"><figcaption>© Michael McLoone-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>In addition to expecting Hoby Milner’s numbers to normalize in 2025, the Rangers are also expecting their offense to come alive next season. Adolis Garcia, in particular, is a major candidate to bounce back after enduring a nightmare 2024 season — a huge disappointment after he tore the cover off the baseball en route to winning the World Series in 2023.</p><p>Even then, Rangers president of baseball operations <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rangers-news-chris-young-reveals-texas-free-agency-strategy">Chris Young knows that he cannot rest on his laurels</a> and simply wait for positive regression. Expect the Rangers to make more moves the deeper we head into free agency.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rangers adding intriguing ex-Brewers bullpen weapon

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/rangers-news-texas-agrees-to-contract-with-ex-reds-catcher');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rangers agree to contract with ex-Reds catcher');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rangers-news-Texas-agrees-to-contract-with-ex-Reds-catcher.jpg"></figure><h1>Rangers agree to contract with ex-Reds catcher</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-14T09:46:21-08:00">December 14th, 9:46am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-14T14:35:29-08:00">December 14th, 2:35pm</time><address><a>Dylan Fine</a>Dylan Fine focuses on the NFL and NCAA Football for ClutchPoints, in addition to working on the meme team. Dylan is a graduate of Georgetown University and has covered various topics ranging from local politics in the DMV region with DC Voter For Animals to live sporting events in the Long Island and Rochester areas with The Southampton Press and Pickin’Splinters. When he isn't working, he's usually running in preparation for the next annual Turkey Trot.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Amid the chaos of MLB free agency, the Texas Rangers have added an ex-Cincinnati Reds catcher. The 2023 World Series Champions are coming off a trying second year under legendary manager Bruce Bochy. The franchise additionally suffered a tough blow in free agency when it missed out on <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/yankees-news-non-baseball-reason-forced-increase-max-fried-offer">adding star pitcher Max Fried</a>. Outside of Fried, Texas has still been active during this offseason and just signed Tucker Barnhart.</p><p>An eleven-year vet, Barnhart spent eight years in Cincinnati before playing on three different teams over the next three seasons. Those organizations include the Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs, and Arizona Diamondbacks. According to MLB Insider for FanSided Robert Murray, the Rangers <a href="https://x.com/ByRobertMurray/status/1867959664480252090" rel="noopener">are signing the catcher</a> to a minor-league contract. The deal includes an invite to spring training and will pay Barnhart $1 million if he plays in the majors.</p><h2><b>The Texas Rangers are looking to bounce back from a rough 2024</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Cincinatti-Reds-Tucker-Barnhart.jpg"><figcaption>Albert Cesare / The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption></figure><p>Throughout his career, Barnhart has hit 53 home runs and 292 RBIs on a batting average of .241. He has never committed more than three errors in a full season. The Indianapolis native will look to break into a roster that has struggled at the catcher position from the plate. Rangers catcher Jonah Heim has been the predominant starter at the position over the past few years. The 29-year-old is coming off a season where he played 131 games and recorded a .221 batting average with 13 home runs and 59 RBI.</p><p>In Bruce Bochy’s first year in Arlington, Texas surprised MLB in the regular season by making it to the postseason for the first time since 2016. After getting a wild-card spot, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rangers-news-world-series-run-2-year-journey-never-seen-mlb-history">Rangers shocked the world by winning the franchise’s</a> first World Series title. A year later, the organization is coming off a year in which it went 78-84 and finished third in the AL West. However, Texas still has many players from that title-winning roster, including World Series MVP Corey Seager.</p><p>Overall, 2024 will be a very telling year for the franchise’s future direction. Texas is capable of climbing back up a congested but middling AL West. The Houston Astros won the division with just an 88-73 record this past season, and that roster’s core isn’t getting any younger.</p><p>The other team in the AL West to keep an eye on is the Seattle Mariners, a franchise that has barely missed out on the playoffs over the past two years. Overall, Tucker Barnhart is not a flashy signing. However, the veteran catcher can help contribute to a franchise that should have a bounce-back season in 2024.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rangers agree to contract with ex-Reds catcher

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/yankees-news-non-baseball-reason-forced-increase-max-fried-offer');   ga('set', 'title', 'The non-baseball reason the Yankees were forced to increase Max Fried offer');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Yankees-news-The-non-baseball-reason-the-Yankees-were-forced-to-increase-Max-Fried-offer.jpg"></figure><h1>The non-baseball reason the Yankees were forced to increase Max Fried offer</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-12T06:10:18-08:00">December 12th, 6:10am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-12T06:10:18-08:00">December 12th, 6:10am</time><address><a>Christopher Hennessy</a>Christopher Hennessy graduated with a journalism degree from Fordham University in 2022. He has also worked at Spectrum News One in Albany, New York and with The Hockey Writers as a New York Islanders writer. Chris is originally from Connecticut and is a lifelong New York Yankees, Islanders, and Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New York Yankees signed <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/yankees-news-brian-cashman-4-word-juan-soto-exit-max-fried-deal">Max Fried to the biggest contract ever given to a left-handed</a> pitcher. His eight-year deal worth $218 million was the first domino in Brian Cashman’s Plan B after losing Juan Soto. It was not an easy negotiation, however, as there was a big competitor. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5988459/2024/12/11/mlb-winter-meetings-notes-garrett-crochet-trade-red-sox/" rel="noopener"> reported that the</a> Yankees gave Fried an extra year to outbid the Texas Rangers, and it has nothing to do with baseball.</p><p>Before agreeing with Eovaldi, the Rangers even made a run at free-agent left-hander Max Fried, offering him a seven-year, $190 million deal, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post…But the lack of state income tax in Texas increased the contract’s potential value, forcing the New York Yankees to go eight years, $218 million to land Fried.</p><p>The income tax issue has popped up in all different sports. Earlier this week, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sabres-news-kevyn-adams-drops-sobering-destination-take-amid-struggles">Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams made headlines</a> for admitting his team struggles because they are in a tax state. Juan Soto’s contract featured a $75 million signing bonus to help mitigate taxes because he is a Florida resident. The Yankees paid up to eliminate that negative.</p><p>The Yankees are still looking to make moves this offseason. Where could they go from here? And how do the Rangers bounce back from losing Max Fried?</p><h2><b>Yankees and Rangers move on from Max Fried’s decision</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Max-Fried-with-Atlanta-Braves-2.jpg"><figcaption>Denis Poroy-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>While the Yankees should be thrilled they added the market’s best lefty, they must move forward. They have lost their starting right fielder, left fielder, first baseman, and second baseman from the World Series lineup. Offense is key and Christian Walker could be a great fit. A first baseman did not hit a home run after July 31 for the Bombers.</p><p>A pair of Astros, Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman, are connected to the Yankees. They both fit needs offensively and defensively and would heighten the Houston/New York rivalry. But the state income tax issue may come up here as well, with both players coming from Texas.</p><p>The Rangers were disappointing in 2024 considering their World Series title the year before. They <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rangers-news-reunion-nathan-eovaldi-in-free-agency">brought back Nathan Eovaldi</a> after losing out on Fried, which helps their rotation. Max Scherzer is a free agent but rookie Kumar Rocker is expected to join the MLB club. They don’t need pitching, so the Yankees are not a trade candidate.</p><p>The Yankees and Rangers could be going after similar players, with Chicago Cubs’ outfielder Cody Bellinger at the top of the list. If one of these teams makes that trade, it could swing the power dynamic in the American League.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

The non-baseball reason the Yankees were forced to increase Max Fried offer

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/rangers-news-texas-trade-slugger-marlins-winter-meetings');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rangers trade for infield slugger from Marlins during winter meetings');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Texas-trades-for-infield-slugger-from-Marlins-during-winter-meetings.jpg"></figure><h1>Rangers trade for infield slugger from Marlins during winter meetings</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-10T22:10:26-08:00">December 10th, 10:10pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-10T22:10:26-08:00">December 10th, 10:10pm</time><address><a>Troy Finnegan</a>Troy Finnegan is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a critical sports studies certificate. He has had a passion for sports his entire life, and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Miami Marlins</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-blue-jays-giants-emerge-as-front-runners-for-corbin-burnes">arms race in Major League Baseball is heating up</a> and teams all over the league are looking to improve their rosters ahead of spring training and the 2025 season. The Texas Rangers, who won the World Series in 2023 but came crashing down to Earth with a 78-84 season in 2024, are no different.</p><p>On Tuesday night, the Rangers made a big move. They acquired big-hitting infielder Jake Burger from the Miami Marlins in <a href="https://x.com/Alden_Gonzalez/status/1866715450471748074" rel="noopener">exchange for a couple of prospects</a> and a pitcher, according to Alden González of ESPN.</p><p>“Source: The Marlins are getting two prospects, Echedry Vargas and Max Acosta, and a lefty starter, Brayan Mendoza, from the Rangers in exchange for 1B/3B Jake Burger,” González reported on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>Burger is a big addition to the lineup for the Rangers, both literally and figuratively. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound slugger can play both first and third base and has a big bat to go along with a great name. Burger has mashed 63 home runs and racked up 156 RBIs over the last two seasons. He has huge power from the middle of the lineup and can change a game with one swing at any time.</p><p>Of course, like many big hitters do, Burger has had problems with strikeouts. He has been sat down on strikes 299 times in the last two seasons, but that is a trade off that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rangers-news-chris-young-reveals-texas-free-agency-strategy">Rangers are clearly willing to take</a> as they add another dangerous power hitter to the middle of a very strong lineup.</p><p>Burger’s defense is also a slight concern, but the Rangers can also use him as a designated hitter if they find a pair of capable defenders on the corners to play over him. That would limit some of the downsides of having Burger in the lineup and allow him to just focus on what he does best: crushing baseballs.</p><p>On the Marlins side, they get a trio of minor leaguers to add to their farm system as they attempt to regroup after a disappointing season. After reaching the playoffs in 2023, they are already looking at another long-term rebuild.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rangers trade for infield slugger from Marlins during winter meetings

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/rangers-news-chris-young-reveals-texas-free-agency-strategy');   ga('set', 'title', 'Chris Young reveals Rangers’ free agency strategy');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Chris-Young-reveals-Texas-free-agency-strategy.jpg"></figure><h1>Chris Young reveals Rangers’ free agency strategy</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-10T20:33:26-08:00">December 10th, 8:33pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-10T20:34:26-08:00">December 10th, 8:34pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The 2024 season could not have gone any worse for a Texas Rangers team that was defending its World Series crown. Struck by the injury bug over and over again, the Rangers fell flat last season, finishing out of the playoffs entirely with a disappointing 78-84 record. But Texas isn’t about to lick its wounds, as they are intent on returning to contending ways in 2025, as evidenced by their decision to b<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rangers-news-reunion-nathan-eovaldi-in-free-agency">ring back veteran starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi</a> on a three-year, $75 million deal.</p><p>Bringing back Eovaldi, however, only seems to be step one of the Rangers’ bigger plans in free agency — with team president and general manager Chris Young revealing that he intends to <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBNetwork/status/1866529057762054360" rel="noopener">bolster the team’s pitching</a> — both the starting rotation and bullpen — even further.</p><p>“With every offseason, I feel like pitching is a priority. That’s no different this offseason. We’re focused on building out our bullpen and then we’re focused on adding to our starting pitching depth as well. There are a lot of good names out there. We’re engaged on a number of levels with both teams and free agents, doing anything we can to upgrade our pitching,” Young said in an appearance on MLB Network’s Hot Stove program.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Rangers GM Chris Young speaks on looking to improve the club's pitching this offseason via trade or free agency and the development of their young players.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MLBNHotStove?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MLBNHotStove</a> presented by <a href="https://twitter.com/CohnReznick?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CohnReznick</a> <a href="https://t.co/KSpO4uW3SL">pic.twitter.com/KSpO4uW3SL</a></p><p>— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBNetwork/status/1866529057762054360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>It’s not quite clear how big the wiggle room is in the Rangers’ budget this offseason, but the good news is that there are still a few quality starting pitchers <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rangers-news-land-ex-mets-brewers-pitcher-in-free-agency">available on the market</a>, with the best among them being Corbin Burnes. Regardless, signing Eovaldi is a good start.</p><p>“[Eovaldi] has played a big role for us over the past two years. Just a tremendous person and competitor,” Young added.</p><h2><b>Rangers’ grand offseason plans continue</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Nathan-Eovaldi-Rangers.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>While pitching continues to be valued at a premium, and rightfully so, the Rangers also want to return to their 2023 levels on the offensive side of the ball. They scored <a href="https://www.teamrankings.com/mlb/stat/runs-per-game" rel="noopener">1.24 fewer runs per game</a> in 2024 (4.22) than they did in 2023 (5.46), and that simply has to change if they were to make it to the playoffs in 2025.</p><p>“We’d like to also upgrade our offense too. We feel very good about the core position player group that we have. That said, we’re open-minded in any way we can to improve our offense. Last year, we felt like we took a step back offensively from where we were in 2023. For us to be successful moving forward, we feel like we need to get back to being an elite offense so we’re focused on upgrading there too,” Young said.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chris Young reveals Rangers’ free agency strategy

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/rangers-news-reunion-nathan-eovaldi-in-free-agency');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rangers agree to reunion with Nathan Eovaldi in free agency');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rangers-news-Texas-agrees-to-75-million-reunion-with-Nathan-Eovaldi-in-free-agency.jpg"></figure><h1>Rangers agree to reunion with Nathan Eovaldi in free agency</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-10T17:04:04-08:00">December 10th, 5:04pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-10T20:44:02-08:00">December 10th, 8:44pm</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He's a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, and he claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Veteran pitcher Nathan Eovaldi is returning to Arlington, Texas, with MLB insider Robert Murray reporting that the 34-year-old two-time All-Star has <a href="https://x.com/ByRobertMurray/status/1866647735371247809" rel="noopener">agreed to a new deal</a> with the American League West division club.</p><p>“BREAKING: Free-agent pitcher Nathan Eovaldi and the Texas Rangers are in agreement on a contract, according to sources familiar with the deal,” Murray posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday evening.</p><p>In a separate report, Eovaldi’s new contract with the Rangers is reportedly <a href="https://x.com/JeffPassan/status/1866648751479382205" rel="noopener">worth $75 million for a span of three years</a>, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.</p><p><i>“Right-hander Nathan Eovaldi and the Texas Rangers are in agreement on a three-year, $75 million contract, sources tell ESPN. Eovaldi, who was considered at the top of the mid-tier free agents, returns to Texas. First on the agreement was @ByRobertMurray.”</i></p><p>Eovaldi has spent his last two seasons in the big league with the Rangers. He arrived in Texas in 2022 on a two-year deal worth $ $34 million contract. He was an instant hit for the Rangers, as he became an All-Star for the second time in his career during his first year with Texas.</p><p>In the 2023 campaign, he posted a 12-5 record to go with a 3.63 ERA and a 118 ERA+. He had a dip in the 2024 season where he went 12-8 to go with a 3.80 ERA and 104 ERA+. Overall, he went 24-13 with a 3.72 ERA to go along with a 3.86 FIP, a 1.122 WHIP, and a 110 ERA+ across 54 appearances (all starts) with the Rangers.</p><p>Before agreeing to a new contract, Eovaldi, who won a World Series in 2018 with the Boston Red Sox and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rangers-news-nathan-eovaldi-escaping-bases-loaded-jam-game-2">another with Texas</a> in 2023, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rangers-news-nathan-eovaldi-contract-move-free-agency">declined a $20 million player option with the Rangers for the 2025 season</a>. Going by average annual value alone, Eovaldi appears to have made just the right decision to decline his player option, as he landed a much longer and more lucrative contract. For what it’s worth, Eovaldi has a <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/player/market-value/_/id/8761/nathan-eovaldi" rel="noopener">calculated market value</a> of $43.592 million for two years over at Spotrac.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rangers agree to reunion with Nathan Eovaldi in free agency

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/rangers-news-land-ex-mets-brewers-pitcher-in-free-agency');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rangers land ex-Mets, Brewers pitcher in free agency');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rangers-news-Texas-lands-ex-Mets-Brewers-pitcher-in-free-agency.jpg"></figure><h1>Rangers land ex-Mets, Brewers pitcher in free agency</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-07T10:34:17-08:00">December 7th, 10:34am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-07T10:35:20-08:00">December 7th, 10:35am</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Texas Rangers owner Ray Davis has important questions to ask himself ahead of the annual winter meetings. Is he content with riding the World Series championship wave for a while longer, or is he desperate to chase another title?</p><p>No one can accuse the former energy industry CEO of being overly frugal, considering the substantial commitments he is pledging to Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, but additional investments might be needed to properly address the pitching staff. Well, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rangers-news-kyle-higashioka-texas-2-year-deal">Rangers are staying under the radar</a> for now, as evidenced by <a href="https://x.com/AramLeighton8/status/1865430303235252460" rel="noopener">their latest move</a>. They have agreed to a minor league contract with right-hander Adrian Houser, per Aram Leighton.</p><p>The 2011 second-round draft pick made 97 starts for the Milwaukee Brewers before being traded to the New York Mets last December. His peak remains his 2021 campaign, in which he posted a 10-6 record, 3.22 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 142 1/3 innings. Houser’s rough tenure in Flushing (5.84 ERA in 23 appearances) suggests that his days as a dependable rotation guy are long over, but an opportunity could present itself in Arlington.</p><h2><b>Rangers’ rotation figures to look much different</b></h2><p>Max Scherzer, Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney are all free agents, so president of baseball operations Chris Young has potential <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rangers-news-nathan-eovaldi-contract-move-free-agency">slots to fill</a>. Assuming Houser can gather his bearings in the minors, he may be called upon to provide depth on the MLB roster.</p><p>Erick Fedde is proof that almost any pitcher can rise from the ashes under the right circumstances. He played himself out of the big leagues, shined in South Korea and then turned himself into a coveted trade deadline commodity last season. Perhaps fellow 31-year-old Adrian Houser can enjoy a similar resurgence in 2025.</p><p>The Rangers are counting on Kumar Rocker and Cody Bradford to lead a youth movement that can tremendously revitalize a pitching staff that ranked 24th in the MLB with a 4.35 ERA. But future Hall of fame manager Bruce Bochy surely values experience as well. Houser’s pursuit of redemption may perfectly coincide with that preference.</p><p>The offseason rolls on in the Lone Star State.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rangers land ex-Mets, Brewers pitcher in free agency

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/rangers-news-kyle-higashioka-texas-2-year-deal');   ga('set', 'title', 'Kyle Higashioka lands with Rangers on 2-year deal');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/rangers-news-kyle-higashioka-lands-with-texas-on-2-year-deal.jpg"></figure><h1>Kyle Higashioka lands with Rangers on 2-year deal</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-02T17:49:41-08:00">December 2nd, 5:49pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-02T17:49:41-08:00">December 2nd, 5:49pm</time><address><a>Russell Steinberg</a>Russell Steinberg covers Major League Baseball and the New York Liberty for ClutchPoints. A baseball and basketball lifer, he has written for Boardroom, SLAM, SB Nation, The Next, and more. He graduated from NYU in 2012 and still returns to serve as PA announcer and occasional broadcaster for the school’s basketball and volleyball teams.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Texas Rangers are about to “get Higgy with it.”</p><p>Former <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-kyle-higashioka-first-san-diego-catcher-complete-feat">San Diego Padres catcher Kyle Higashioka</a> is headed to the 2023 World Series champions, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale <a href="https://x.com/BNightengale/status/1863754119044817086" rel="noopener">reported</a> on Monday.</p><p>The deal appears to have come together quickly, as Nightengale released his report less than an hour after MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported that the Rangers “<a href="https://x.com/jonmorosi/status/1863746228661440960" rel="noopener">have made progress</a>” toward acquiring him.</p><p>Higashioka is headed to the Rangers on a two-year contract with a mutual option for 2027, according to Nightengale. Financial terms have not yet been released.</p><p>Higashioka caught 84 games for San Diego in 2024, hitting a career-high 17 home runs in his age 34 season. That helped offset a woeful .263 on-base percentage. Before coming to the Padres in the trade that sent Juan Soto to the New York Yankees, Higashioka spent parts of seven seasons with New York, splitting time with Jose Trevino in 2022 and 2023.</p><p>The Higashioka news comes on the heels of a rough year for regular <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rangers-news-texas-all-star-jonah-heim-world-series">Rangers catcher Jonah Heim</a>. After hitting .258 with a .755 OPS in 2023, Heim followed that up with a .220 batting average and paltry .602 OPS this year.</p><p>“We’ve all <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/rangers/news/what-happened-to-heim-texas-rangers-catcher-s-drop-off-one-of-season-s-biggest-mysteries" rel="noopener">had down years</a>,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy told the media in September. “I know we’ve had a few [players] this year that have not had their normal years, or the year that they had the previous year, and Jonah is one of them, both behind the plate and on offense.”</p><p>As a result, the Rangers were a shell of their World Champion selves as they attempted to defend their title. They finished third in the AL West with a 78-84 record.</p><h2><b>The value that Kyle Higashioka brings to the Texas Rangers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Kyle-Higashioka.jpg"><figcaption>Denis Poroy-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Higashioka has never caught 100 games in his career and is now in his mid-30s, but that likely didn’t diminish his value much in a sparse free agent class at his position. In only 448 total at bats the last two seasons, he compiled more WAR in that timeframe than any other free agent catcher (2.9).</p><p>Statcast <a href="https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/kyle-higashioka-543309?stats=statcast-r-catching-mlb" rel="noopener">rates him</a> as an above-average pitch framer and he has a good reputation for his work with his pitching staffs. His pop time, however, has steadily increased along with his age and he rates as a below-average pitch blocker. Nevertheless, Nightengale reports that “Higashioka is loved for his defensive skills.”</p><p>His home run hitting and ability behind the plate helped him overtake Luis Campusano as the Padres’ starting catcher in 2024. Higashioka hit well in the postseason too, smacking three home runs and a double over the Padres’ seven playoff games.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kyle Higashioka lands with Rangers on 2-year deal

Josh
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2024 SEASON STATS
BA	HR	RBI	OPS	SB
.258	13	62	0.731	11

2024 SEASON STATS
BA	HR	RBI	OPS	SB
.258	13	62	0.731	11

Josh Smith

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Josh
Smith