3 Positions Rangers Need to Upgrade at Trade Deadline
By Jack Gurley
With the Rangers nearly completing the first 70 games, it is no secret that the team is off to a disappointing start. They are three games under .500 with a 32-35 record. Although the Rangers are off to an underwhelming start to the season, the team still has plenty of time to rejuvenate their season, make a run for the playoffs, and even possibly contend for the World Series for the second year in a row.
One way the Rangers can reemerge in contention for the AL is to make trades to upgrade their roster before the trade deadline. The Rangers have been dealing with a plethora of injuries since the start of the season, and all of the injuries the team has been dealing with have caused the roster to become shallower than it was when the season first began. Due to the lack of depth on the roster, the Rangers front office should look for ways to upgrade multiple positions before the trade deadline so that the team can remain competitive throughout the second half of the season.
Below, we will list three positions the Rangers front office should consider upgrading in the next few weeks.
Catcher
At the moment, the Rangers only have two catchers on their depth chart, and both have been struggling greatly on the offensive end throughout the first half of this season.
While Jonah Heim remains the Ranger's everyday catcher, he has been struggling to get on base, currently carrying a .279 on-base percentage, significantly lower than in his past two seasons. Along with Heim struggling offensively, his backup, Andrew Knizner is struggling greatly offensively, batting well below the Mendoza line with a .143 batting average through 21 games.
With both Heim and Knizner struggling offensively and the rest of the Rangers roster underperforming offensively, the Rangers could benefit significantly from an additional bat in the lineup who could also play the catcher position.
Travis d'Arnauld could be a solid option for the Rangers to go after to boost the lineup. Arnauld is currently batting .245 with five homers for the Braves and is currently in his last season with the club.
If the Braves are willing to trade Arnauld, he could be a great fit in Texas and hopefully help rejuvenate the Rangers' disappointing lineup.