The Rangers are Listening.

Charlie Hough's autograph, shown here on a 1985 Donruss card, may be the most frequently posted auto on this blog. There's several reasons for that. One is that you can't go wrong with Charlie Hough on a Rangers blog. Two is that Charlie has always been very generous with the fans. Getting his autograph is as easy as writing and asking for it or catching him at a ballpark somewhere. That means I have a lot more of his signatures than other players who might not sign through the mail at all.

Elvis Andrus and Ian Kinsler don't sign through the mail. Not sure about Jurickson Profar since I haven't any extra cards to give him a try. That makes getting their autographs an expensive endeavor. I am also currently out of unposted game-used for Kinsler and Andrus.

That's why you are looking at a signed Charlie Hough on a post discussing Andrus, Kinsler, and Profar this off-season. The Rangers have apparently let other teams know they are willing to listen to offers for one of the three. Not that they are shopping any of them but they are willing to listen if the deal is good enough. No word on which of the three the team would rather deal and which two they would rather keep.

Ian Kinsler's locked into a long-term contract and that makes him somewhat unattractive to teams looking for a cheaper solution. He's also the oldest of the three and that's going to play a role. Of course, his contract is pretty reasonable compared to what Robinson Cano is looking to land and what several other front-line second basemen are already signed for. He's also the most powerful of the three on offense.

Elvis Andrus has a slick glove and enormous range. He also has a pretty weak bat. While he gets on base decently, a home run is a headline event when he's batting. I think he's also got a contract but not nearly as big a one as Kinsler.

Jurickson Profar is really the unknown quality in the mix. He's had limited Big League experience but was hyped as a top prospect in the Rangers' system. He's also shown flashes of power with the bat. Not as much as Kinsler but more than Elvis. If he continues to develop he's going to be very good. That's a big if, but the salary price tag isn't.

Not sure which of the three is most likely to generate an offer. Probably Profar since teams seem to like the unknown potential over the known qualities of more established players.

I'm not really excited to see any of them go but if the return is great enough it could be worth it. That's probably why John Daniels is willing to listen to offers.