The Rangers' pursuit of outfield depth is intensifying.
Since news broke that Josh Hamilton would miss the first month of the season with a sore left knee, Texas has signed Drew Stubbs to a Minor League contract and been linked to a few other free agents -- most recently Ian Desmond.
According to a report from FOX Sports, Texas has reached out to the free agent shortstop about the possibility of playing left field.
If Desmond and the Rangers do come to terms, the club would forfeit the 19th pick in the Draft, as the Nationals gave Desmond a qualifying offer earlier in the offseason.
However, the report also mentions that money may be the bigger issue for the Rangers. The Rangers also acquired a draft pick when Yovani Gallardo signed with the Orioles.
Desmond has played 918 of his 920 career games in the infield. In 2009, Desmond played right field for seven innings and in 2010 he was out there for one-third of an inning.
The 30-year old free agent is coming off a disappointing season in which he hit .233 -- his lowest total in six full seasons -- in 156 games. Desmond has spent his entire career with the Nationals and is a career .264 hitter. The shortstop was an All-Star in 2012 and was a Silver Slugger three consecutive seasons from '12-'14
The Rangers have several other players competing for the left field spot, including Ryan Rua, Justin Ruggiano, Patrick Kivlehan and James Jones.