The Texas Rangers went 67-95 in 2014 and while much of that record can be written off to a long list of injuries, 95 losses is still 95 losses, so general manager Jon Daniels may have a creative offseason ahead to get the Rangers back to contending status.

One rumor out there is the idea of trading shortstop Elvis Andrus, who has been the team's starting shortstop since 2009 but is still just 26 years old. He signed a long-term extension back before the 2013 season so is signed through 2022 with a 2023 team option. He'll make $15 million annually from 2015 through 2020 and $14 million in 2021 and 2022.

When Andrus signed the deal, he was coming off a season where he hit .286/.349/.378, career-highs in all three categories. Just 23, there was still hope he'd improve with the bat. Instead, he's declined the past couple of seasons and hit .263/.314/.333 in 2014. That offensive decline, combined with the worst defensive metrics of his career (-13 Defensive Runs Saved), had Andrus valued at just 1.0 WAR in 2014, down from the 4.0 he averaged from 2011 to 2013.

If his defense has indeed slipped, that's one reason for the Rangers to consider dealing him. But the primary reason is that middle infield is the one area of depth for the club. Second baseman Rougned Odor was rushed to the majors in 2014 but held his own at age 20, hitting .259/.297/.402. He has All-Star potential. Jurickson Profar, once the top prospect in the game, missed all of 2014 with a shoulder injury. He came up as a shortstop and served in a utility role as a rookie in 2013; the shoulder injury leaves his ability to remain at shortstop in doubt, but if he's healthy he has to play somewhere. Behind those two, there's shortstop Luis Sardinas, who played 43 games for the Rangers in 2014 at age 21. He projects as an Andrus clone, a good fielder and contact hitter but with no power.

So trading Andrus makes sense, especially if you think he's closer to remaining 1- to 2-win player moving forward than a 4-win player.

Here are five teams where he could fit:

1. New York Yankees. As you may have heard, the Yankees are looking for a shortstop. None of the free agents out there are really good options -- Stephen Drew was horrible at the plate and will be 32; Hanley Ramirez will be expensive and a liability in the field; Jed Lowrie and Asdrubal Cabrera are also considered defensive liabilities and would be short-term solutions at best. Andrus plus a hole for a long time. The Yankees could offer up starter Shane Greene (although trading pitching could be risky given the health issues with Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova and Michael Pineda). The Rangers are also looking for catching help until prospect Jorge Alfaro arrives and the Yankees have two capable backups in John Ryan Murphy and Austin Romine.

2. New York Mets. Back in 2012, the Mets moved Wilmer Flores off shortstop while in the minors due to concerns about his defense. Now he's projected as their Opening Day starter? Doesn't really add up. He started 50 games there in 2014 for the Mets and made 3.84 plays per nine innings compared to the major league average of 4.30. He does have some pop at the plate -- 19 home runs between Triple-A and the majors -- but the issues with his range appear legit. The Mets have some rotation depth that could interest the Rangers.

3. Los Angeles Dodgers. If they don't re-sign Ramirez, who plays shortstop? They do have some internal options, but I'm not sure any are good ones: Justin Turner is probably stretched defensively; Dee Gordon has settled in at second and had poor metrics when he played shortstop; Alex Guerrero most likely ends up at third base; Miguel Rojas and Erisbel Arruebarrena are question marks with the bat. Andrus would at least be a known quantity and the contract shouldn't be an issue for a team like the Dodgers. The trouble is finding a good match. Do you trade Joc Pederson for Andrus if you're the Dodgers? Probably not.

4. Atlanta Braves. The Braves have a shortstop but second base was a huge problem in 2014. Tommy La Stella is similar to Andrus at the plate but has less speed on the bases and his range at second is questionable. Andrus would transition easily to second base but his bat doesn't play as well there (although second basemen barely outhit shortstops in 2014, .686 OPS to .678). The Braves are also looking for a leadoff hitter; Andrus isn't a great option there but if he can get his OBP back into the .340 range he'd be acceptable. Evan Gattis would be the perfect DH option for the Rangers, although the Braves would have a hard time replacing his offense.

5. Washington Nationals. This is another second-base option, at least for 2015, but Ian Desmond is a free agent after the 2015 season, so Andrus would be insurance if the Nationals can't sign Desmond. The Nationals have some back-end rotation depth as well some intriguing outfielders who don't have a spot to play in Steven Souza (1.022 OPS at Triple-A) and Michael Taylor (.313, 22 home runs at Double-A).