CONFIRMED DEAL: The Rangers have officially acquired a top veteran pitcher from the Philadelphia Phillies on a four-year contract worth $95 million, following the loss of Dylan Cease. However.

3 pitchers Rangers can acquire after losing out on Dylan Cease trade

For a few hours on Wednesday afternoon, Rangers fans were given a small glimmer of hope that the Rangers front office may actually make a move to help Texas’ currently dismantled rotation become a bit less dismantled. It gave fans a brief break from dwelling on Jordan Montgomery and wondering if Chris Young could pull some more magic out of his hat to make Montgomery sign with the team in the twelfth hour of spring training.

Unfortunately, all of the hope the fans built up Wednesday came crashing down that evening at around 6 PM when it was reported that the San Diego Padres had made a deal with the Chicago White Sox that will be sending Chicago’s ace Dylan Cease to San Diego to start the season.

This announcement was a crushing blow to Rangers fans, who have witnessed a brutal offseason from their reigning champs up to this point and are losing more and more hope of a Montgomery reunion as spring training nears an end. On a more optimistic note, the Rangers are still two weeks away from Opening Day, and there are still several pitchers on the market they could decide to make a run for.

3 starting pitchers Rangers could acquire before Opening Day 2024

One player the Rangers front office could go after via trade is veteran pitcher Kyle Hendricks. Hendricks is going into the final season of his contract with the Cubs, and they may be willing to send him to Arlington as a rental if the price is right.

Hendricks is coming off of a somewhat pedestrian season with the Cubs, where he finished with a 6-8 record and a 3.74 ERA. Even if Hendricks’ best days of his career are behind him, he still could be a solid addition to the Rangers rotation, especially with how limited the rotation will be until deGrom and Scherzer return around midseason.

Overall, the Rangers could use the presence of a solid veteran pitcher, and Hendricks fits the bill. Even though the Rangers would most likely have to send some promising prospects (potentially MLB-ready ones) to the Cubs, Hendricks could be worth it if he can help keep the rotation stable, especially during the first few months of the season.

Blake Snell

I realize signing Snell could be somewhat of a stretch, especially with how limited the Rangers’ finances are currently. But the fact of the matter is that the former Cy Young winner still remains a free agent. Snell proved to fans and media last season in San Diego that he is still at the top of his game. He finished the season with a 2.25 ERA, which happened to be the second lowest of his career so far and helped him win his second Cy Young award.

It is shocking that Snell remains on the market with the regular season only a few weeks away. Even though the Rangers are handcuffed by limited financial freedom this offseason, if Chris Young and owner Ray Davis could find a way to move some money around, Snell would be worth the risk.