Desmond has deal with Rangers, pending physical

Ian Desmond has reportedly found a home.

Desmond agreed to a one-year contract with the Rangers on Sunday, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports.

Few players have been entwined with the fabric of the Washington Nationals like Ian Desmond.

Desmond, 30, was among a group of major leaguers who turned down qualifying offers from their previous clubs – offers that would guarantee them a one-year, $15.8 million 2016 contract – only to find the market collapse on them.

Yeah, Josh…its Desmond who’ll be coming off the bench…although in fairness, Sullivan says in his article that Desmond will fill a utility role once Josh is back. He also played one-third of an inning in right field late in a game the following season. He brings that to the clubhouse. I don’t know. I can not give you an answer on that.

Several factors undermined Desmond. He won three straight silver slugger awards at SS for Washington, but he slashed just.233/.290/.384, while striking out a career-high 187 times. Then in 2015, he hit. Yes”, he said. “Do I think, at this particular moment, I will be? “I would lean toward him doing more what he did those three, four years that he had rather than what he did after”.

Desmond’s presence on the Rangers opens up flexibility for the team. There’s also no telling how Rougned Odor will do in 2016, opening up the possibility of Desmond or Andrus logging a few games at second base.

It remains to be seen whether or not Desmond will handle the outfield, as he has spent the majority of his time in the big leagues at shortstop. But he has things working in his favor. “It’s possible that could be one guy; it’s possible it could be two“.

In the meantime, Desmond’s former teammates have reactions over at an article at MASN.com, with Jayson Werth calling him a great player and great person, and Ryan Zimmerman saying Desmond’s work ethic is “through the roof”. Hopefully, he gets the opportunity, a chance to play for a team. If Andrus needs a day off, Desmond could return to shortstop. He has also started five games at second base, with his other 889 career starts coming as a shortstop.

Desmond will have to play through the pressures of another walk year. “The guy is just an absolute athlete – a specimen”, Harper said. The Nationals will receive a compensation pick after the first round is completed. The Rangers will lose their first-round pick for signing Desmond but can recoup a pick by extending a qualifying offer next offseason. With that said, his play improved significantly after the All-Star break.