Mike Minor open to a contract extension

Texas Rangers rumors: Mike Minor, the lefthanded starting pitcher who is in the final year of his contract, says he’s open to talks with the Rangers about a contract extension, per the beat guys on Twitter.

Minor, who just turned 32, is in the final year of a 3 year, $28 million deal he signed with the Rangers after the 2017 season, when the were the one team that offered him the opportunity to be a starting pitcher. Minor had been a solid starter for the Atlanta Braves earlier in his career before injuries sidelined him, and he re-vitalized his career in 2017 as a shutdown reliever for the Kansas City Royals.

Minor is slated to be a free agent after this season, and he’s currently the only member of the Rangers’ expected Opening Day rotation who isn’t under team control beyond 2020. I expected the Rangers to either extend Minor this offseason or trade him, but with the Rangers adding three starting pitchers this offseason who are under team control through 2021, the Minor dynamic is somewhat changed — does Texas want to spend money to keep him here, and maintain their current rotation through 2021, or would Texas rather allocate that money elsewhere with an eye towards one of their young starting pitching prospects being ready to step up when Minor leaves.

My guess is that the Rangers would probably be open to a two year extension at $15-16 million per year, which is likely well less than what Minor would be seeking to give up the chance to re-enter the free agent market for what will likely be his last opportunity for a big payday. The team generally engages in extension talks in the early part of spring training, so if there’s going to be action on this front, it will likely be in the next few weeks.