Rangers rumors: Texas seeking power bat

For all their interest in some of the biggest free-agent names this winter, the Texas Rangers have had a fairly quiet offseason so far. The club is still interested in adding a power bat to make up for the departure of Josh Hamilton and Mike Napoli, however, reports Richard Durrett of ESPN Dallas:

Texas Rangers general manager Jon Daniels says his club remains in the market for another bat and that they are always looking for pitching.

With the loss of Josh Hamilton and Mike Napoli, the club could use some more power and production in the lineup...

"We're looking at that now," Daniels said Wednesday during a conference call with the media. "There's a decent chance we'll look to add somebody."

Daniels said that could be through trade or free agency.

Texas made a slight dent in reclaiming their offensive losses with the addition of A.J. Pierzynski on a one-year deal, but the Rangers are still on the lookout for one more bat to add some pop to the lineup. Daniels added that he is "comfortable" with going forward using internal options in the outfield if they are unable to add a bat.

With the free-agent market for position players getting thinner by the day, it seems more likely that the club will add a bat through a trade rather than free agency. Assistant GM Thad Levine said as much earlier this week in a radio interview with ESPN's Jim Bowden.

The Rangers have been in discussions with the Diamondbacks about outfielder Justin Upton all offseason, but Arizona may now be more inclined to deal fellow outfielder Jason Kubel.

Texas is still exploring the pitching market as well, but as we learned this morning the club may just go ahead with internal options because Colby Lewis' recovery is ahead of schedule.