TR Sullivan has two pieces out there, one saying the Rangers are making the bullpen a priority for the offseason. I do think that, in the big picture, the team should make dominant late relief central to its plan to make and compete in the playoffs, because we've seen that you can have excellent pens in Arlington, while we haven't seen demonstrated that you can have an excellent rotation. If the club can build an upper half rotation to go with a great pen, improved defense, and a top offense, it might have a formula for success that it can actually achieve. However, the way they're looking to "bolster" their pen does concern me. The last time Daniels looked to add an established late reliever, he made the worst deal of his career. And I don't think that there are great options in free agency or that signing second tier free agent relievers is a good way to achieve what I'm describing.
Sullivan's other article centers around the start of free agency today and Milton Bradley's probable departure. Daniels says the club is going to bargain shop:
"We all know the names that are out there, but I don't see us as strong suitors for one of the top guys," Daniels said. "I'm not saying we're going to stay out of the free-agent market entirely, but I don't see us dealing at the top of the market."
A few of the names that might fall into the Rangers' price range are right-handers Brad Penny and Jon Garland and left-hander Oliver Perez. The Rangers also might bring Jennings back on a Minor League contract.
The Star-Telegram has its own list of possible free agent targets for the Rangers. This one includes Ben Sheets and Brian Fuentes.
In case you missed it, Josh Hamilton did win a Silver Slugger award.