Castellanos was seen as the last remaining impact free agent on the market, meaning the Rangers must now turn their attention to the trade market to find a right-handed bat to insert into the heart of the lineup.
When speaking at the club's Peek At The Park event this past weekend, general manager Jon Daniels said the club was more focused on trades than free agents at the moment. The comment made waves as it appeared he was taking a stance with Castellanos and his agent Scott Boras about how far they were willing to go on a contract.
Now that Castellanos has moved on, the Rangers turn their attention to the trade market to add some much-needed power to the lineup. Daniels was asked about the chances of acquiring Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado in a trade but shot it down.
“I don’t expect anything there realistically," Daniels said, via Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Could that be his way of negotiating through the media? Perhaps.
Some of the other names who have been rumored to be available for trade include Boston's Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr., Chicago's Kris Bryant and Willson Contreras, and Pittsburgh's Starling Marte.