AL West Notes: Rangers having ‘informal’ extension talks, Oakland made run for Edwin Encarnacion

Though the Rangers have had “informal” discussions about an extension for catcher Jonathan Lucroy, the club plans to discuss extensions with both Lucroy and Yu Darvish in the coming weeks, Texas General Manager Jon Daniels said on 1310 The Ticket, a Dallas radio station.

Lucroy, 30, is eligible for free agency in 2018 and had a solid 2016 campaign, batting .276/.345/.539 with 11 home runs and 31 RBIs. He has been among the most productive catchers in the game the last three seasons and has a emerged as a veteran catching presence.

Darvish will similarly be eligible for free agency after 2017 and had another effective season with the Rangers last year, posting a 3.41 ERA and 3.09 FIP over 100.1 innings.

Here’s more from around the American League West:

• Joe Blanton might be the next free agent reliever off the board, and the Angels could be a possible destination.

• Oakland reportedly made an offer to sign free agent Edwin Encarnacion, but it wasn’t enough to prevent him from signing with Cleveland.

• The Astros have a new play-by-play broadcaster, who has experience within the American League.

• Seattle needs pitching depth and Jason Hammel is familiar with the area, but the market for Hammel has yet to develop.

• Texas is expected to sign Josh Hamilton to a minor league deal.