Texas Rangers meet with Anthony Rendon, per report

MLB Rumors: Anthony Rendon and the Texas Rangers met in Houston on Sunday, according to Evan Grant, who says that Jon Daniels and a contingent from the Rangers met with the free agent third baseman and his agent, Scott Boras. Rendon, a Texas native who attended Rice University, finished third in the National League MVP balloting in 2019 and helped lead the Washington Nationals to a World Series championship over the Houston Astros.

With Josh Jung, Davis Wendzel and Sherten Apostel all well-regarded third base prospects in the Rangers system, there has been some thought that the Rangers would go with a shorter-term deal on a premium third baseman this offseason, such as Josh Donaldson. But it appears that the Rangers are looking to make a serious push for Rendon, who is expected to get around $30 million per year on a long-term deal. A six year deal would lock Rendon, who turns 30 in June, up through his age 35 season.

Evan also says there is a belief that the Rangers have met with free agent pitcher Zack Wheeler, who is highly sought after despite having had mixed results during his time with the New York Mets. Texas has indicated that it is ready to spend money this offseason, with third base and starting pitching being seen as the priorities. The Rangers have already reached a deal with free agent pitcher Kyle Gibson, and if they could land a premier third baseman as well as a top of the rotation starter as well, they would be well positioned to make some noise in the American League West for 2020.