No matter who the Texas Rangers have pursued this off-season, whether they were successful or finished as the runners-up, club officials have spoken about the need for internal improvements.
The list begins with Rougned Odor and includes Elvis Andrus, Jeff Mathis and Jose Leclerc. It's probably safe to put Joey Gallo on that list, too.
Ronald Guzman is also high on the list.
The Rangers' offensive woes at first base continued in 2019, a season in which Guzman's development took a step backward rather than building on his rookie season.
He isn't the first player to be bitten by the sophomore jinx, but the timing wasn't ideal.
The Rangers are moving out of their rebuilding mode and expect to contend in 2020. Stragglers could be left behind, even one as good defensively as Guzman.
Fittingly for a 6-foot-6 player, this is a big season for Guzman. He might not get another chance.
"It's just the nature of the game, honestly," manager Chris Woodward said. "I definitely don't want to create a sense of entitlement, especially for younger guys. I want our guys to feel like they need to earn every at-bat they get. It's important for our team to understand we need to compete every pitch of every game."
The Rangers have explored external options at first base, and on Tuesday added oft-injured Greg Bird on a minor-league deal. They signed Todd Frazier to be their third baseman, but they first spoke to him about playing first base and he expects to play some across the diamond.
It might come in a platoon with Guzman, a left-handed hitter who in his two MLB seasons has a .780 OPS against right-handed pitching. That key statistic drops to .557 against lefties.
As last season ended, Guzman said that he was in the right place with his swing. The Rangers threw plenty of new data at him, and he started to click while he was on option at Triple A Nashville.
If Woodward's first season was about laying an analytics foundation, Year 2 is about moving the ball forward.
"You're not always going to go 4-for-4, and we're going to be able to support guys through failure," Woodward said. "But at the same time, I just need to know that they're constantly doing the things they need to do to prepare to be successful every day. I felt like at the end of the season last year we made a lot of progress in that."
The Rangers will have more options at first this spring than Guzman and Frazier. Danny Santana and Scott Heineman saw action at first base in 2019, and Sam Travis and Rob Refsnyder will also get looks there.
All four bat right-handed, with Santana being a switch hitter. Bird bats left-handed.
The Rangers are also still seeking offensive upgrades and are monitoring the situation with the Colorado Rockies and third baseman Nolan Arenado. A deal for a third baseman could push Frazier to first base as a regular.
For now, Guzman is the first baseman, but he could easily lose his grip on the position without a breakthrough 2020.
"It is a performance-based industry," Woodward said. "They have to produce. Sometimes the production doesn't always show up in the stat line. It shows up in their preparation and some of their less notable stats that we keep track of that show progress as opposed to just looking at their OPS. I hope it's a healthy competition in spring training. I hope everybody comes in ready to go."
