Texas Rangers trade rumors: Jurickson Profar drawing interest

Texas Rangers trade rumors:  Jurickson Profar, infielder, former top prospect and member of the 60 day disabled list for two straight seasons, is continuing to draw interest from other teams, according to Jon Heyman.

That's not terribly surprising, as Profar had a solid showing in the Arizona Fall League, where he put up a .267/.352/.453 slash line in 91 plate appearances as a DH (he hadn't yet been cleared to play the field).  Given that he is on a team that has two entrenched players in Rougned Odor and Elvis Andrus at second base and shortstop, I'm sure that Profar is viewed as a potential buy-low candidate for a club looking for a near-major-league ready middle infielder.

Of course, the fact that Profar is a buy-low candidate is why the Rangers likely aren't looking to move him, and are going to give him the opportunity to play every day at AAA to start the season before making any decisions.  If Profar shows that his shoulder is okay and that he can throw well enough to play shortstop, his value should go up dramatically...and interestingly, Evan Grant has mentioned him more than once this offseason as a potential big-time trade chip should the Rangers be buyers at the deadline.  Even if his arm limits him to second base, he should still have value, although Profar being stuck at second makes it much more likely he gets dealt, given that Odor appears to have the second base job for the foreseeable future.

The dilemma with Profar is that he already has almost three years of service time, meaning that the Rangers have lost most of his minimum salary years.  If Profar gets almost any service time in 2016 -- and he most likely will -- he will be eligible for free agency after the 2019 season.  Three years of team control is better than one or two years of team control, of course, but when you are talking about a player who has essentially not played in two years, and whose major league track record is scant, chopping off those three minimum salary seasons is going to markedly reduce his trade value.

At this point, Profar is such an unknown that it seems like the Rangers would have to be blown away to move him...he has more potential value as insurance in case of an injury this summer, and as a potential trade chip this summer or next offseason, than he does as a roll of the dice this winter.  I'd be shocked if he goes anywhere right now.