Rangers Reportedly Made Recent Offer to Free Agent Former All-Star Slugger

The Texas Rangers have struggled on offense for large portions of the season, ranking 26th in all of Major League Baseball in terms of runs scored and ahead of teams they have a much better record than.

If the Rangers had even had a just average offense to this point in the season, they would likely be in a battle for the best record in the American League by the way the pitching staff has performed.

Because of this, many have suspected Texas to be a potential trade deadline seller as they continue to move further away from the team that won their first World Series two years ago.

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According to a new report though, the Rangers are not going down at the deadline without a fight and recently made a very interesting attempt to upgrade the struggling group of bats.

In a recent column, Jon Heyman of the New York Post (subscription required) wrote that Texas extended an offer to veteran free agent designated hitter J.D. Martinez. It's not likely to be accepted given Heyman's reveal that it is non-guaranteed and Martinez has no need to jump at the first offer he sees, but it is notable.

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If the Rangers would be willing to up the deal to a Major League contract which would pay Martinez for the second half of the season, the slugger could be an intriguing option to throw into the lineup.

Last year with the New York Mets, Martinez slashed .235/.320/.406 with 16 home runs and 69 RBI while playing 120 games at the age of 36. Now 37 years old and turning 38 in August after half a season off, those numbers are far from a great bet to improve, but even last year's version of Martinez would be capable of helping Texas.

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It's also notable that just two seasons ago in 2023 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the six-time All-Star slashed .271/.321/.572 with 33 home runs and 103 RBI, still showing capability to be one of the better power hitters in baseball after a down 2022 season.

Martinez remaining unsigned throughout the offseason and this point in the year is a bit of a surprise and likely related to contract demands, though bringing a veteran hitting savant into a clubhouse is never a bad idea.

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Perhaps the ship has already sailed on him joining the Rangers, but if not, this could prove to be a great fit for both sides.

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