Padres News: Andrew Cashner to Texas Rangers Gaining Steam?
The Texas Rangers have long been rumored to be a possible landing spot for impending free agent Andrew Cashner. He is a native Texan and it is speculated that he would perform with more consistency playing much closer to home. Inconsistency has truly plagued Cashner his whole entire career. He has had injury issues and at the same time has been plagued by unexplained lapses in performance.
A.J. Preller having worked for the Rangers for 10 years, has extensive knowledge of their stocked farm system. Not only does he know each prospect on paper, but he knows most of them personally. He obviously could find an undervalued player in their system loaded with talent. There is no doubt about that.
As trade deadline approaches, #Rangers targeting Andrew Cashner, three Rays starters and Yankees reliever Andrew… https://t.co/rTHU72b63W
— Jeff Wilson (@JeffWilson_FWST) July 17, 2016
The San Diego Padres are in the midst of a rebuilding of sorts. The team is looking to get younger talent on the squad and rid themselves of certain high-priced players. James Shields was shipped out-of-town potentially costing the Padres $11 million dollars in each of the next two seasons if he fails to opt out of his current contract. One would have to figure with the emergence of Hunter Renfroe, the team could be prepared to make the same kind of deal in moving Matt Kemp. The Padres would most certainly eat some of his remaining contract in the correct deal.
Cashner has always had ability, but he often has frustrated fans with his bouts of inconsistency. The Rangers front office seems to believe a return to his home state of Texas will do him wonders. The are interested but with Cashner due for free agency in November, they will not make a huge offer for him. If fans are holding out hope that the team can get Jurickson Profar or Joey Gallo for Cashner, then they can think again. Neither prospect would be dealt for Cashner unless there are some serious players thrown in on the Padres side. Derek Norris makes sense, but I find it hard to believe the Rangers would move Gallo or Profar for anything less than a very strong offer. Cashner and Norris is not a strong enough offer at this point.
Andrew Cashner’s real value for the team is if he remains with the Padres and pitches well the remaining of the year. If that is the case he can possibly earn a compensation pick for the team. The starting pitching market is extremely weak this coming winter and Cashner will be one of the best pitchers available. That is a risky proposition though as Cashner could accept the offer from the Padres and earn upwards of $16 million dollars next season. He does however seem more likely to pursue a long-term deal and with that, as long as he is healthy, seems likely to reject the QO and earn the Padres another top 30 pick. A.J. Preller is a gambler, he might roll the dice at the chance of getting two top 30 picks in next year’s draft.
It will be really interesting to see if the team does indeed move Cashner. They really could go in many different directions. This recent news about the Rangers could be a sign though. For the team to indicate they have interest in a player is usually the first step in a deal. It is pretty much well-known that the Padres G.M. does covet Jurickson Profar from the Rangers. The Padres need a shortstop for the 2017 season and beyond and Profar seems like a great fit. Prying him away from the Rangers could be very tough, but if the Padres were able to I would imagine Andrew Cashner would be in the deal somewhere. Stay tuned Padres fans, it’s about to get exciting.
James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.
