Surrounded by his new teammates, Ian Desmond emerged from the Texas Rangers clubhouse, walked to the nearby practice field, plopped down his bright blue team bag and pulled out a large gray and red Mizuno outfielder’s glove. After playing catch, he jogged out to center field to practice fielding balls skipping on the outfield grass.

Perhaps more jarring than seeing Desmond in a blue uniform was watching him run around left field for flyballs. After six years as the Washington Nationals’ everyday shortstop, Desmond is in the midst of much change. He has a new team — thanks to a one-year, $8 million contract with Texas following an odd and trying free agency — and a new position.

“Everything happens for a reason,” Desmond said recently. “I’m on cloud nine right now. The guys here have made the transition really smooth.”

In typical Desmond fashion, he refuses to dwell. He is at a position he has never played in 927 major league games, although he did man right field for 7 1 /3 innings when he struggled in 2009 and 2010. He left the only organization he has known, the one that drafted him when it was still the Montreal Expos in 2004. And he left a lot of money on the table: a five-year, $89.5 million extension in 2014 and a $15.8 million qualifying offer this offseason.

“I have absolutely no regrets,” Desmond said. “As far as my baseball career, I feel like I’ve never been happier. I wouldn’t change anything right now for any amount of money. Right now, I’m completely at peace with where I’m at. I’m in a great spot and I feel like this team is going to bring out the best in me. . . . Anybody that knows me knows that my heart is not wrapped around dollars.”

1 of 13 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad × New faces in familiar places View Photos The Washington Nationals welcome a new manager, new coaches and new players to spring training in Viera, Fla. Caption The Washington Nationals welcome a new manager, new coaches and new players to spring training in Viera, Fla. Pitching coach Mike Maddux, left, and Manager Dusty Baker have spent a lot of time together in the first week of training camp. John McDonnell/The Washington Post Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue.

[Nationals wish Ian Desmond well in Texas]

When the offseason began, the Rangers weren’t a logical fit for Desmond. Shortstop Elvis Andrus is on a long-term deal, and other prospects are waiting in the wings. The teams with the most pressing need for a shortstop — the New York Mets, Chicago White Sox and San Diego Padres — decided to go in other directions. Desmond told teams that he would be willing — in the right situation and for the right team — to switch positions.

The Rangers loomed in the background all winter, but as spring training began, Desmond remained at home in the Sarasota, Fla., area, frustrated but willing to wait. The draft pick compensation a team would have to give up to sign him and a down 2015 season hurt his market. As Rangers left fielder Josh Hamilton dealt with knee issues, Desmond and the Rangers struck a deal on Feb. 28. Desmond admired the Rangers’ recent history of winning, their reputation and their clubhouse.

“I don’t think I was forced to play the outfield,” Desmond said. “I could’ve been sitting at home right now waiting for that opportunity for the shortstop position, and one may have presented itself. . . . I’m proud of [what I did as a shortstop], and I think this opportunity is going to allow me to put that in the past and hopefully overshadow that. The future for me is brighter than it was before. I’m excited to head down this road.”

Desmond is a good enough athlete to play in left field. Some former teammates think he could even handle center field. He picked up tips on left field from watching and talking to Ryan Zimmerman, who learned the position on the fly in 2014, along with former Nationals Denard Span, Mark DeRosa, Rick Ankiel and Steve Lombardozzi. Shortstop is all about reaction time, so Desmond is teaching himself to slow down, watch the ball, pick out the spot it will land and run to it.

Perhaps Desmond will bounce back in 2016 in the hitter-friendly stadium in Arlington, Tex., and re-enter the free agent market at 31 as a shortstop next winter. Although he doesn’t want to think that far ahead, Desmond said he “definitely” doesn’t see himself as a super utility player bouncing all over the field. If the Rangers need him to play elsewhere, he is willing to do it.

“Going forward, I’ll continue to strive to do the same thing: be on a championship-caliber team and be a contributor,” he said. “So whatever that calls for, I’m willing to do it. Do I believe that I can still play shortstop at the big league level? Of course.”

1 of 42 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad × The Nationals’ rollercoaster 2015 season View Photos From high expectations in the spring to Jonathan Papelbon choking Bryce Harper in the dugout in the penultimate home game to Max Scherzer’s second no-hitter, Washington’s season was certainly memorable. Caption From high expectations in the spring to Jonathan Papelbon choking Bryce Harper in the dugout in the penultimate home game to Max Scherzer’s second no-hitter, Washington’s season was certainly memorable. Nationals infielder Yunel Escobar is greeted by teammates at the plate after hitting a walk-off home run in the 10th inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Nationals Park on April 21, The Nationals won, 2-1. Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue.

[With Desmond gone, Anthony Rendon steps up to the plate off the field]

Letting go is difficult, and Desmond has wrestled with that. He made deep and strong connections with his Nationals teammates, fans and stadium workers. There have been times he has wanted to call Bryce Harper, Jayson Werth, Zimmerman and others to check in but has resisted.

“But to give my everything to this team, I’ve kind of had to cut that cord,” he said. “Those guys will always be my friends, and if they or the Nats Youth Academy ever need anything from me, I’m one phone call away. But at the same time, these are my teammates and my friends now.”

After shagging flyballs and taking batting practice, Desmond walked over to his equipment bag. He tossed in his outfielder’s glove and pulled out his old tan Mizuno infielder’s glove, the one he used in Washington last season. As batting practice continued, he asked a coach to hit him grounders at shortstop.

“That was the first time I put on my infield glove since I’ve been here,” he said. “And it’ll be the last time I do it in spring training. I just did it because we had time to kill and I didn’t want to go inside the clubhouse. I joked with someone the other day, ‘I may not have my infield glove and it may not be at my locker, but it’ll be in my backpack or my truck in case of emergency.’”