Rangers rumors: Texas targeting catching, may deal with Blue Jays

The Texas Rangers will look to acquire a catcher this offseason and may have interest in Toronto Blue Jays backstop J.P. Arencibia, reports T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com:

The Toronto Blue Jays have claimed catcher Bobby Wilson off waivers from the Angels, a move that could have implications for the Rangers...

The Rangers are looking hard for catching help and the two teams are expected to engage in trade discussions at some point this offseason.

Texas could have interest in J.P. Arencibia, who was the Toronto starter the past two seasons. Arencibia hit .233 with 18 home runs, 56 RBIs, a .275 on-base percentage and a .435 slugging percentage over 102 games.

With the addition of Wilson, the Blue Jays now have three catchers on their roster and a fourth -- top prospect Travis D'Arnaud -- is expected to make a run at the starting job in spring. With Jeff Mathis signed to a two-year contract and Wilson serving as depth, Arencibia could very well be the odd man out.

The Rangers' search for a catcher does not bode well for the prospect of impending free agent Mike Napoli staying in Texas. The 30-year-old part-time catcher/first baseman had a bit of a down year relative to his breakout season in 2011, but he is still an offensive asset at catcher. Napoli hit .227/.343/.469 with twenty-four home runs in one hundred eight games on the year.

The Rangers will have to make a qualifying offer (at least $13.3 million) to Napoli to receive any sort of draft pick compensation if/when he signs with another club.