Rangers Trade Talk: What Will the Rangers Do?
By Reid Hanson
The Rangers are approaching the August 1st MLB trade deadline. Who’s on the radar and who could be sent packing in return?
The Texas Rangers have been in a tailspin the past 30 days. After losing starting pitching, relievers, and power hitters, they are left with holes everywhere. In this Texas Rangers Chat we talk trades and what may be ahead.
Q: Are the Rangers going to make another trade before the deadline, yes or no?
Yes. But not as big of a move as many would like.
Q: If the Rangers can add a top starter to the rotation and a fresh arm for the bullpen, they could be a World Series team. Why wouldn’t they make a big move?
It’s always a sellers’ market at the deadline but this year it seems especially so. To get a top pitcher like Chris Archer, Sonny Gray, or Chris Sale the Rangers will need to give up Joey Gallo, Jurickson Profar, and more. That’s a ridiculously high price to pay considering how highly those players are thought of inside and outside of the Rangers organization.
Furthermore, even if you did trade away the future of the franchise, there’s no guarantee that it will change a thing. I mentioned it earlier this week – there are so many problems with this team right now, one or two trades may not make a difference.
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Q: Besides injury, how can you explain the Rangers collapse from the best team in the AL to what we have now?
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Besides injury it’s probably just regression to the mean. The Rangers caught some breaks and got in a groove. This is just the odds simply correcting themselves. Obviously the injuries are the biggest factor, but good luck (earlier in the summer) and bad luck (now) also make an impact. Every team goes through good luck/bad luck streaks but the injuries made it all the worse.
Q: Who would you rather trade: Jurickson Profar, Joey Gallo, or Nomar Mazara?
I wrote a couple weeks ago that Mazara was untouchable and actually made Gallo expendable. The Rangers also believe this so expect to see him in a Rangers uniform for a very long time.
Gallo has other-worldly power (80 score on the 20-80 scouting scale) that make him one of the most intriguing young players in all of baseball. He still strikes out too much but since even that is trending in a positive direction (39% SO in 2015 and 30% SO in 2016), he’s a pretty big part of the Rangers future at 1B.
Profar is just your classic rags-to-riches-to-rags-to-riches story. His value is back to where it once was (when he was considered the top prospect in baseball) and his versatility has been paramount in keeping the Rangers afloat.
I’m on the record saying I wouldn’t trade any of these guys at the deadline. But if I had to pick one it would be Gallo, simply because he is the only one who isn’t a sure thing. Profar and Mazara have already established themselves as such.
Keep in mind though, given the current market, Gallo alone isn’t going to yield a top arm in return.
Next: Rangers Trade Rumors: Watch the 11th Hour
That’s all for now. Next Rangers Chat will be after the trade deadline so we’ll be able to see exactly how this all shakes out. Just be sure to temper expectations…