Giants reportedly land Michael Conforto, leaving Rangers OF options slim

The options for the Texas Rangers, a team in the market for outfield help, are starting to run dry this offseason.

Multiple reports indicated Friday morning that Michael Conforto, one of the last remaining top-tier free agents, is headed to the San Francisco Giants on a two-year, $36 million deal.

USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale was the first to report the deal.

The Rangers had interest in Conforto, who missed all of 2022 recovering from shoulder surgery, dating back to the summer.

Conforto, who turns 30 in March, could have offered the Rangers similar potential windfall to that of his former New York Mets teammate, Jacob deGrom: An All-Star when healthy, but with a troubling recent injury history.

A year ago, Conforto appeared headed for a long-term deal. He has a career .255/.356/.468/.824 slash line with an OPS+ of 124. Circumstances, however, have changed.

After turning down a qualifying offer from the Mets following a somewhat disappointing 2021 season, Conforto did not sign before the lockout, then reportedly suffered a right (throwing) shoulder injury in January that ultimately required surgery in April. He announced he would not play in 2022, but would be ready for 2023. It is still unclear exactly how strong his shoulder may be. He also suffered a left shoulder injury in 2017 that limited him to just 109 games.

Since he did not sign before the 2022 draft, the forfeiture of a draft pick for a signing team fell by the wayside. The Rangers made an offer to Conforto in the middle of last summer, two people with knowledge of negotiations told The Dallas Morning News.

Conforto has played 696 major league games with at least 100 starts at each outfield position. He has started the most games in right field (270), but the Rangers have Adolis García and his above-average arm there.

The Rangers need more offense from left field. The 13 players who started in left field combined for a .577 OPS at the position, the worst production from a group of left fielders in the majors. But it has been a longer-term issue, too. The .697 OPS they have generated there since 2014, ranks 28th.

Rookie Bubba Thompson, who wasn’t called up until August, ended up leading the team with 32 starts in left. Brad Miller, who profiles more as a DH, was next with 24. Josh Smith (21) and Eli White (15), who has recovered from a broken wrist, are also on the roster and could figure into the mix.

Related:Former Ranger Joey Gallo signs one-year deal with Minnesota Twins, report says

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