What Will the Rangers Do with Jurickson Profar?

The Texas Rangers reluctance to part with Jurickson Profar is well-reasoned. They believe that Profar can become a perennial All-Star candidate and a better player than both Elvis Andrus and Ian Kinsler. By trading Profar, the Rangers would be letting go of a talent that only comes around about once in a decade. The Rangers should do whatever it takes to ensure that Profar, Andrus and Kinsler all have starting  jobs next year. The Rangers middle infield is crowded. Last year, Andrus played shortstop and  hit .286/.349/.378 with 21 stolen bases along with above-average defense. In terms of Wins Above Replacement, Andrus’s 4.2 WAR made him the fifth most valuable player in 2012. In 2013, Andrus will probably have a similar season perhaps with a few more stolen bases. Elvis Andrus has established himself over the last couple years as one of the top five shortstops in all of baseball. Manager Ron Washington started Kinsler at second base 144 games last season. He had a rough year in 2012, considering he was coming off of a 2011 season where he hit 32 homers and was worth 7.2 WAR. The sabermetrics suggest that Kinsler’s defense got much worse in 2012, but the chances are there wasn’t that much off a drop off from his previous seasons. Overall, Kinsler has been the unsung hero of the angers these last few years and they need to find a way to keep him in their lineup. Profar has the potential to be the best shortstop in baseball. He has quick hangs and a beautifully fluid swing that makes him appear destined for success. Once Profar adds some strength in the off-season, we could be looking at a shortstop who could hit .290 with 10-15 homers every year. However, the difference between Profar and Andrus and Kinsler is that both Andrus and Kinsler have proven that they can perform at the major league level, while Profar has yet to receive more than 20 at-bats. When you add contracts to the mix, this whole situation gets way more complicated. Kinsler is set to make $75 million through 2017. He also has a team option for 2018. Andrus is signed for the next two years under a team-friendly contract. Profar is just a rookie, so he has a long way to go before he hits free agency. None of these contracts are nasty, so the Rangers wouldn’t have a problem moving any of these guys if they had to. Any one of these three guys could bring back a lot in a trade. Andrus has generated a lot of interest, in particular from the Tampa Bay Rays and the Arizona Diamondbacks. Supposedly, Arizona offered Justin Upton for either Profar or Andrus. However, Texas has made it seem as if they are content on keeping all of these three studs. It wouldn’t surprise me if these three were still all with the Rangers in 2014 as well. The best option for the Rangers to handle this situation with Profar, Andrus, and Kinsler is to move to Kinsler to the corner outfield. The disadvantages of this move are that Kinsler’s value would be diminished in the outfield and Profar would be under pressure to put up numbers right away. However, this is the perfect move for Texas because it is probably the only scenario where all three are in their starting lineup. Profar is talented enough to handle playing second base and Kinsler is athletic enough to play in the outfield. This is the right move for Texas to make and I’d be surprised if they went down a different path. Overall, the situation in Texas regarding these three players is a mess. However, it is a very good situation to be in. If Texas decides to trade Profar or Andrus, they would be able to get Wil Myers or a player of his caliber. However, by just staying put and moving Kinsler to the outfield, Texas gets to keep all Profar, Andrus and Kinsler in their everyday lineup. The Rangers front office has some big decisions to make this offseason, and they all revolve around the middle infield situation. Original article: What Will the Rangers Do with Jurickson Profar?©2012 FootBasket. All Rights Reserved.The post What Will the Rangers Do with Jurickson Profar? appeared first on FootBasket.