Waiting for Cliff Lee to choose his long-term home makes it tough for the Rangers to pull off any big moves in the meantime, but T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports that general manager Jon Daniels is in the market for rotation help and “could end up being first in line” for Zack Greinke if the Royals active shop their ace.
Sullivan calls trading for Greinke a “Plan B” for Texas, noting that “the Rangers’ first choice is to re-sign Lee.”
He also speculates that Daniels could pursue trades for Rays starters Matt Garza or James Shields and White Sox starters Gavin Floyd or Edwin Jackson.
Lee is fielding offers as a free agent and Scott Feldman’s health status is uncertain following knee surgery, so the Rangers’ current rotation is C.J. Wilson, Colby Lewis, Tommy Hunter, and Derek Holland, with Matt Harrison or Michael Kirkman in line for the fifth spot.
Even after giving up a Justin Smoak-led package of prospects for Lee the Rangers have one of the deepest farm systems in baseball, so Daniels definitely has the ability to make another big splash regardless of where Lee decides to sign.