3 free agents the Rangers can sign after missing on Josh Hader

2) The Rangers should sign J.D. Martinez after missing out on Josh Hader

The Rangers had the best offense in the American League this past season, leading the league in runs scored and OPS while ranking in second place in home runs. They lost Mitch Garver who was great last season, but was also limited to just 87 games played. Garver was primarily a DH for Texas when healthy. Why not replace him with the best DH available, J.D. Martinez?

This isn't a move that the Rangers need to make as their offense will still be dynamic even without Garver. The Rangers still have their entire core of hitters at their disposal, and Ezequiel Duran as Garver's replacement isn't such a bad option. However, pulling a play from the Astros playbook and making a strength an even bigger strength might not be such a bad idea. The Astros signed Hader when they already had a great closer in Ryan Pressly, and now the Rangers can add J.D. Martinez when they already have an excellent lineup.

Martinez enjoyed a career revival of sorts, bouncing back from a difficult 2022 campaign with Boston to slash .271/.321/.572 with 33 home runs and 103 RBI in 113 games with the Dodgers. Adding that kind of bat to a lineup already consisting of stars like Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Adolis Garcia, and Nathaniel Lowe would make the Rangers downright frightening.

Again, it's not a need, but it's the kind of moves teams make to put themselves over the top. Think of the Dodgers signing Teoscar Hernandez as another example.