Texas Rangers rumors: Colby Lewis back on the radar?

Texas Rangers rumors: Colby Lewis and the Texas Rangers appeared likely to go their separate ways this offseason, after Andrew Cashner was signed to a one year deal and the organization indicated a desire to find someone younger, more controllable, and with more upside than Colby.

But apparently, they just can’t quit each other...T.R. Sullivan says that the organization thinks bringing Colby Lewis back is “making more sense” than taking a plunge in a starting pitching market that favors the sellers.

Lewis, 37, put up a 3.71 ERA in 116.1 IP last year, albeit with a 4.81 FIP, and missed a couple of months with a strained lat muscle. The Rangers currently have Cashner, Martin Perez and A.J. Griffin behind Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish, and have been looking for someone who profiles as a more legitimate #3 starter than their current group, but with the options sparse, Lewis on a one year deal may end up being the avenue they take.

Evan Grant, meanwhile, has been indicating that the Rangers are looking for a minor league starting pitching prospect who they could trade a major league piece for — Evan suggests a reliever would seem most likely — to help fortify the depth in AAA. With Chi Chi Gonzalez and Nick Martinez having disappointed, and the next group of starting pitchers (Yohander Mendez, Ariel Jurado, Brett Martin, Connor Sadzeck) probably at least a year away, it would make sense the team would be seeking out someone who could provide quality depth in 2017 and then step into the rotation in 2018.