Rangers notes: Andrus, minor moves

The Rangers were busy this off-season, but a lot of ridicule has been sent their way. Let's take a look at what they have been up to lately.

Andrus, Andrus, and more Andrus

Late last night when Ken Rosenthal tweeted the news, many people were unsure about the validity of the Elvis Andrus extension. As more reports have trickled in, it appears as though the deal is legitimate and extremely fascinating.

The extension, which is for 8 years, will essentially lock up Andrus for the rest of his prime years with the Rangers. The team has made the statement that they will go with Andrus, not Jurickson Profar, as their shortstop of the present and future.

Rangers fans certainly have to be happy they will be keeping their star shortstop, and doing so at market value. While I personally find it odd they would pay market value when they might not have had to, it certainly is the safe thing to do. The fans of Texas appear happy with the deal, and they certainly should be as he is a very talented and likable player.

The opt-out clause is interesting, and essentially removes risk for both sides in a way, makes it so he can opt out after 4 years and $60 million of the deal.

Rangers release Brandon Allen

The Rangers have released depth-player Brandon Allen, who was acquired this off-season and is known for his bat more than anything else. While this is not big news, it probably just means the team decided it had better options for its minor-league affiliates.

One reason it may not have worked out was that Mike Olt did not make the team, which took a corner spot away from their Triple-A team. This move isn't really worth looking too deeply into, as it is just cutting a depth player.