Coming into the season, the Rangers were on top of their game. Texas concluded the season with 90 victories, just one year after losing 90 games in a row, and even though they lost the AL West title to the Astros on the final day of the season, it didn’t matter. They swept the Rays and Orioles in the first two rounds of the postseason, defeated the Astros in a historic seven-game ALCS, then demolished the Diamondbacks to win their first World Series in franchise history. While Rangers fans were obviously overjoyed with the championship, New Yorkers were also as pleased as they could be given the circumstances, as Texas had to defeat two of the Yankees’ division rivals, as well as their current archnemesis, to advance to the World Series, and then they defeated a team that many people still hold a grudge against from the 2001 World Series.
Fast forward to present, and things aren’t looking so good in Arlington. The Rangers enter today with a 42-48 record, 6.5 games behind the division-leading Seattle Mariners. and seven games back of the third Wild Card slot. Overall, they’ve been the embodiment of mid-level, finishing just below league average on the mound and at the plate, as evidenced by their 44-46 Pythagorean record.
Not surprisingly, league executives believe the Rangers will be sellers at the deadline, with a small army of pitchers — Max Scherzer, Michael Lorenzen, Andrew Heaney, David Robertson, and All-Star closer Kirby Yates — expected to be the primary trade targets. Although general manager Chris Young told reporters in Texas that the Rangers had yet to decide on a strategy for the deadline, despite the fact that they are only one hot streak away from being back in the thick of the division race, this report suggests that it’s worth looking into the Rangers roster to see who, if anyone, the Yankees might target.
Offensively, the answer is almost probably none. With big-ticket free agents Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, a small army of young players in third baseman Josh Smith, left fielder Wyatt Langford, and centre fielder Leody Taveras, and veterans with multiple years of arbitration remaining in Nathaniel Lowe and Adolis Garcia, the Rangers have pretty much every hitter worth acquiring under team control for the foreseeable future. Unless they intend to completely rebuild, which is improbable, there isn’t a team in the league, with the exception of the Orioles, that has the prospect depth to lure one of these players away.
However, the pitching staff tells an entirely different narrative. The Rangers have six pitchers who are unrestricted free agents at the end of the season (Scherzer, Heaney, Lorenzen, Yates, José Leclerc, and José Ureña), one with a mutual option for 2025 (Robertson), and one with a vesting option that he is on track to fall just short of (Nathan Eovaldi). That’s a lot of arms that could be moved at the appropriate price.
With the exception of Leclerc and Heaney, who are unlikely to reunite, everyone of those pitchers would be significant additions to the Yankees’ roster. Although Scherzer has only thrown 16.1 innings in three starts due to offseason surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back, he would be an experienced postseason veteran who could easily step into the rotation. Lorenzen’s 3.21 ERA and Eovaldi’s 3.15 ERA, however, are lower than the ERAs of all Yankees starters except the injured Clarke Schmidt. Robertson and Yates would provide the bullpen with the strikeout artist the team has been lacking, with 36.8 and 35.8 strikeout percentages, respectively, ranking seventh and ninth among qualified relievers; in comparison, Luke Weaver’s 27.6 percent ranks 50th in the league — and highest on the Yankees’ roster.
It remains to be seen whether the Rangers would sell some of their upcoming free agents, or if they will keep their pitchers in an attempt to make a second-half push for a playoff spot. Perhaps they will even strive to strike a balance, dealing some of their depth for future pieces, but not so many that the team surrenders.
If either happens, Brian Cashman should be on the phone, trying to reinforce a rotation that has looked erratic of late and a bullpen that has looked plain terrible. The lineup also requires assistance, but this does not excuse the staff from their responsibilities.
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