Ian Desmond to Colorado: 5 years, $70 million

Ian Desmond signed late with the Texas Rangers on a one year, $8 million deal, and rewarded the team with a very solid season as an outfielder. Texas had expressed interest in him returning, but Jon Heyman says Desmond is leaving the Rangers.

Jim Bowden says that Desmond is finalizing a deal with a team today, though who that team is is unknown (other than that it isn’t, apparently, Texas).

Desmond was looking to cash in with a big contract after his bounce-back 2016 season, and while the Rangers loved his athleticism and his makeup, his profile makes him pretty risky from an aging standpoint, and letting him move on if they couldn’t get him at a significant discount is probably the smart move.

With Carlos Gomez in place, the Rangers have essentially replaced Desmond with Gomez as the versatile guy with some speed and pop who can play left field or center field, depending on the situation.

Best of luck to Desmond, who I hope is getting a dumptruck full of money on his new contract.

UPDATE -- Desmond has reportedly agreed to a five year, $70 million deal with the Colorado Rockies, with a sixth year club option at $13 million. Since Texas made him a qualifying offer, they will collect a compensatory draft pick in the supplemental first round.

Initial indications seem to be that Desmond is slated for first base with the Rockies, though that seems to be something of a waste of his athleticism. I’m curious if this signing isn’t a precursor to another move, and we’ll see Desmond end up in the outfield when the season starts.