Imagine Jacob deGrom and Clayton Kershaw both joining the defending World Series champion Rangers sometime after the All-Star break. It would be as if the team was making two stunning deadline additions, albeit two who are coming off injuries and entering their age-36 seasons.
The Rangers can reasonably dream on deGrom, who is aiming to return from his second Tommy John surgery in August. Kershaw is a bit more of a stretch, seeing as he has never thrown a pitch for the Rangers, and is not certain to throw any pitches at all in 2024.
As a free agent, Kershaw first would need to choose the Rangers over the only team he has known, the Dodgers. Then, he would need to recover from surgery to repair the glenohumeral ligaments and capsule in his left shoulder. In an Instagram post on Nov. 3 after his surgery, Kershaw said, “I am hopeful to return to play at some point next summer.”
The Rangers, facing financial uncertainty due to the potential loss of their local television rights deal, seem unlikely to bring back left-hander Jordan Montgomery, who can argue that he has outperformed Aaron Nola, the Phillies’ $172 million man, over the past three seasons.
Kershaw would be less expensive. A number of other free-agent starters would be, too. And in the postseason, the Rangers demonstrated the value of pitching depth, using three starters, Andrew Heaney, Dane Dunning and Jon Gray, as glorified openers or relievers.
The team, according to major-league sources briefed on its plans, has the same idea in mind for ‘24. The Rangers could sign Kershaw and wait for him and deGrom in the second half. Or they can go for second-tier free agents who would be ready to pitch Opening Day, pitchers such as Michael Wacha, Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas. And perhaps prospects such as Owen White and Jack Leiter would provide the second-half boost.
The Rangers already have a number of starters in place — Gray, Heaney, Dunning and Cody Bradford, not to mention, ahem, Max Scherzer and Nathan Eovaldi. It’s just a matter of how general manager Chris Young rounds out the edges. And Kershaw, if he is indeed capable of pitching in ‘24, would be one heck of a way to start.
More on what Ken Rosenthal is hearing.
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