Grade the Trade: Rangers lose Silver Slugger for much-needed relief pitching

According to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, the Texas Rangers are trading former Silver Slugger Josh Smith to the Toronto Blue Jays in return for 25-year-old left-handed relief pitcher Adam Macko. The lefty has pitched in 22 games this year and is 2-0 with a 4.91 ERA and 23 strikeouts.

Meanwhile, Smith has seen massive regression this season, hitting just .213 with a negative .6 WAR. He was even sent down at one point this year for the first time since 2022. But he’s had success in the past and seems ready to rebound heading into the second half.

Grading the trade for the Rangers and Blue Jays

For the Rangers, it’s another low-cost trade with an AL opponent, similar to last week, when they acquired Chase Silseth and Logan O’Hoppe from the Los Angeles Angels. Clearly, they have their sights set on strengthening the bullpen, as Jakob Junis was just put on the 15-day IL with a left adductor strain.

On top of this, the Rangers needed left-handed relief pitching help. Tyler Alexander and Jacob Latz have been excellent. But Robby Ahlstrom has struggled, and it’s worth seeing if Macko can do a better job as a depth lefty reliever.

Texas also gave up RHP Josh Stephan in the deal with Toronto, but he wasn’t listed among their top 30 prospects.

Macko isn't a blockbuster, but the team had already seemingly moved on from Smith amid a bad season, and now he finds himself in Toronto with a few years of control left on his contract. He's also a young piece the Rangers can build around, and maybe turn into a full-time starter sooner or later.

Smith still has two more years of arbitration after this season. That’s why it’s hard to hate this deal for the Blue Jays. After all, they love players who can play multiple positions like Ernie Clement, Andres Gimenez, and Addison Barger.

It’s been a lost season for the Jays so far, and they’re starting to show their hand on their approach to the deadline. They’re operating with a buy-and-sell strategy, trying to strip key assets while also building for the immediate future.

Kevin Gausman was the first to go in a deal with the Chicago Cubs. Then they acquired RHP Jose Soriano from the Angels. It may look confusing on the surface, but Gausman was in the final year of his contract, and Soriano still has two more years of control, like Smith.

When paired with their other trades, the strategy is visible and respectable. Toronto is downsizing for the rest of this season and building to compete immediately next year.

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