Last summer, Jon Daniels and the Texas Rangers shocked the baseball world by trading for Cliff Lee. This summer, there's no pitcher of Lee's caliber on the market, but the Rangers are apparently interested in adding some more offense. According to Jon Heyman, the Texas Rangers are interested in Carlos Beltran of the New York Mets, as well as closer Francisco Rodriguez.
↵Beltran, who has undergone major knee operations in the past year, is enjoying a solid year for the Mets, despite being moved from CF to RF. Beltran is hitting .278/.372/.480 with 10 homers. Further, Beltran has 40 walks compared to 46 strikeouts and has even added three stolen bases.
↵Beltran's contract is due to expire at the end of the season, and he's currently making 18.5 million. It's widely believed that Beltran would be better suited for the American League, where he can DH and rest his knees.
↵If Texas does acquire Beltran, then it'll be interesting to see where they use him. Currently, Michael Young is occupying the designated hitter spot - so it's likely that Beltran would see extensive time in the outfield in Arlington. He has been playing right field for the Mets, so it's not like he's incapable of playing it. He does have a DRS of 7 thus far on the year, despite a UZR/150 of -.7.
↵As for Rodriguez, there are certainly cheaper and better relief options that will become available as the summer rolls on.
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