BURNING QUESTIONS
Just how good is the rotation?
Texas built a formidable rotation this offseason with three key acquisitions. The Rangers traded for two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber and signed veteran right-handers Kyle Gibson and Jordan Lyles.
Kluber, who missed most of last season with a fractured ulna bone in his right arm and was limited to seven starts, joins Mike Minor and Lance Lynn at the top of the rotation.
Minor, an All-Star last season who will be a free agent after the season, and Lynn each pitched 2081⁄3 innings with at least 200 strikeouts. Gibson went 13-7 with a 4.84 ERA last season for the AL Central champion Twins. And Lyles was 7-1 with a 2.45 ERA in his last 11 starts for the Brewers last season.
Is this the end of the road for Ronald Guzman?
Guzman, 25, finished the 2019 season on a high note, slashing .305/.397/.475 at the plate with a .872 OPS in September and October. But heading into the 2020 season, he needs to win the job at first base. He struggled his sophomore season, batting .219 with just 10 homers.
The Rangers signed former Yankees first baseman Greg Bird, a non-roster invite, to compete for the job. There’s also a possibility Todd Frazier could cross the diamond to play first base if prospect
Nick Solak can make the roster as a third baseman.
Guzman, whom the Rangers signed as a free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2011, has hit .229 with 26 homers, 94 RBI and a .723 OPS in 87 major league games.