If Texas Rangers Decide To Sell, They Could Be Interesting Trade Partner For Twins

[Brock Beauchamp]

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic focused on the struggling Texas Rangers in his latest trade deadline roundup. He points out that while it's rare for defending world champions to sell, the Rangers are teetering on that precipice as we head toward mid-July. Texas is in third place in the AL West, six games behind the Seattle Mariners. They're even further out of the Wild Card picture, 7.5 games out of the third Wild Card spot. While those aren't insurmountable numbers, the Houston Astros have been playing much better baseball after an abysmal start to the season while the Rangers have yet to do much better than treading water at any point thus far.

What makes the Rangers particularly interesting is their corps of starting pitchers. Michael Lorenzen is having a stellar season (123 ERA+) while making only $4.5 million this season. He's a free agent at season's end. Nathan Eovaldi is having a similarly good season (128 ERA+), though he is making $16 million this season and if he pitches another ~70-ish innings, a $20 million vesting option kicks in for 2025. If he continues pitching as he has this season, that's probably not a deterrent to any acquiring team. 

The wild card candidate is Max Scherzer, who has a no-trade clause. He was willing to waive that last season but only if the Rangers added an additional season to his contract. There's no telling what Scherzer will do at this deadline; he's 39 years old now and is a free agent at season's end.

View full rumor

[Mike Sixel]

Eovaldi is the most likely to sustain his success, but no way they add that salary. 

[nicksaviking]

14 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Eovaldi is the most likely to sustain his success, but no way they add that salary. 

Agreed. If the Pohlad's are willing to re-open the wallet, Eovaldi seems like he could be a playoff starter.

No interest in Lorenzen. He's always been a smoke-and-mirrors pitcher, I don't want him anywhere near the mound come October. And if the Twins need him just to get to the playoffs, then this team isn't a legit contender anyway.

Andrew Heaney wasn't mentioned, but didn't the Twins try to sign him a couple years back? 

[DJL44]

Kirby Yates is worth mentioning as well. It is no surprise that the defending champions have a lot of talent if they want to sell.

[arby58]

2 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Kirby Yates is worth mentioning as well. It is no surprise that the defending champions have a lot of talent if they want to sell.

What's really a surprise is that they are the defending champions - anybody who now says they predicted a Rangers-Diamondbacks World Series is a liar. It also just goes to show that anything can happen once you make the play-offs.

[nicksaviking]

14 minutes ago, arby58 said:

What's really a surprise is that they are the defending champions - anybody who now says they predicted a Rangers-Diamondbacks World Series is a liar. It also just goes to show that anything can happen once you make the play-offs.

The Rangers had a loaded roster last season, how were they a surprise champion? The lineup was stacked and they traded for Scherzer and Montgomery at the deadline. They were on everyone's radar.

And AZ ran out of gas and got toasted in the World Series. They would have had to win four series against superior teams; they got close, but as expected didn't pull it off. Anything DOESN'T happen just by making the playoffs. The best team doesn't always or even usually win, but ONE of the best four or five teams pretty much always does.

The goal needs to be one of the favorites, not just a scrappy underdog who got a ticket in.

[DJL44]

3 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

Eovaldi is the most likely to sustain his success, but no way they add that salary. 

Eovaldi would cost about $8M for the rest of the season. They should hope his $20M option vests because it is very tradeable even if they decide not to keep him.

[Mike Sixel]

3 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

Eovaldi would cost about $8M for the rest of the season. They should hope his $20M option vests because it is very tradeable even if they decide not to keep him.

Yup, and I don't see this ownership doing even that little bit.

Now, maybe deal Kepler and trade for Eovaldi? I could see something like that happening....that costs them only about 3.5 million net. 

[nicksaviking]

7 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Yup, and I don't see this ownership doing even that little bit.

Now, maybe deal Kepler and trade for Eovaldi? I could see something like that happening....that costs them only about 3.5 million net. 

The tighter purse strings were a surprise this year, and then they got their TV money late in the offseason after there were no good free agents left to spend on. I think the odds of them expanding the payroll are lower than 50/50, but I'm not writing it off completely. A deep playoff run surely wouldn't hurt next year's TV negotiations, and after last year, surely they know starting pitching is the best bet to get there.

[Mike Sixel]

9 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

The tighter purse strings were a surprise this year, and then they got their TV money late in the offseason after there were no good free agents left to spend on. I think the odds of them expanding the payroll are lower than 50/50, but I'm not writing it off completely. A deep playoff run surely wouldn't hurt next year's TV negotiations, and after last year, surely they know starting pitching is the best bet to get there.

Sure....

The more I think about it, the more I like dealing Max and getting a pitcher, assuming they'd want to partially offset the increase in payroll. I might even do if they didn't need to, but the depth is nice right now (I think Wallner will outhit Max the rest of the year, as he did last year).

Frankly, I think TX might stand pat, and hope they get healthy and hot again. I have my doubts, but still....

[Doctor Gast]

I've heard they are open to offers. Scherzer is sure a wild card, I doubt he'll go anywhere unless a favorite. He's not coming to MN yet it'd be nice if he would.

[DJL44]

21 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Frankly, I think TX might stand pat, and hope they get healthy and hot again. I have my doubts, but still....

I think Texas will be very motivated to shed $15M and get under the luxury tax. They can sell impending free agents Heaney, Lorenzen and Scherzer and still have Eovaldi, Gray, Mahle and deGrom for the rotation.

[nicksaviking]

1 hour ago, Mike Sixel said:

Sure....

The more I think about it, the more I like dealing Max and getting a pitcher, assuming they'd want to partially offset the increase in payroll. I might even do if they didn't need to, but the depth is nice right now (I think Wallner will outhit Max the rest of the year, as he did last year).

Frankly, I think TX might stand pat, and hope they get healthy and hot again. I have my doubts, but still....

I agree, I'm skeptical they sell. They might test the waters, but they're not that far back of Seattle.

[arby58]

5 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

The Rangers had a loaded roster last season, how were they a surprise champion? The lineup was stacked and they traded for Scherzer and Montgomery at the deadline. They were on everyone's radar.

And AZ ran out of gas and got toasted in the World Series. They would have had to win four series against superior teams; they got close, but as expected didn't pull it off. Anything DOESN'T happen just by making the playoffs. The best team doesn't always or even usually win, but ONE of the best four or five teams pretty much always does.

The goal needs to be one of the favorites, not just a scrappy underdog who got a ticket in.

The Orioles won 101 games, the Rays 99, the Rangers ran on fumes the end of the season and had 90 wins - just 3 more than the Twins. They were NOT 'one of the best four or five teams' if you actually use an objective standard (i.e., wins). They were tied for 7th-9th best record last year. 

The Rangers were 15-14 at the end of the regular season, and they went 1-7 from August 30 to September 8. It's hindsight to say they 'were stacked' when they weren't playing like it at the end of the regular season. They got hot int he play-offs - yes, it does happen, even when you are not one of the 'four or five' best teams.

[Joe A. Preusser]

5 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Eovaldi would cost about $8M for the rest of the season. They should hope his $20M option vests because it is very tradeable even if they decide not to keep him.

Ok.  Trade for Eovaldi and have TX kick in 8M in salary. Of course this will cost much more in prospects.

Then his option vests, and we get to deal him for a nice piece next offseason after he helps us win the world series.

Win, win, win.

Or just pony up for the young, cost and team controlled SP I want us to bring in.

 

 

[LambchoP]

I'd be all in on Eovaldi. I think the only way we bring on his contract is if we can find someone to take on Kepler, Farmer maybe Margot to open up some payroll ....would still rather have Crochet or Luzardo but either one of them is going to be extremely costly prospect wise.

[twinfan]

Scherzer would be the only pitcher I would want from Texas. Eovaldi would be nice but I doubt Texas would trade him until they are out of it. Both are very expensive but the Mets are footing part of Max's contract. If we want to go for it this year (and it looks like we will have to play the Yankees first), I want Max.

[arby58]

1 hour ago, twinfan said:

Scherzer would be the only pitcher I would want from Texas. Eovaldi would be nice but I doubt Texas would trade him until they are out of it. Both are very expensive but the Mets are footing part of Max's contract. If we want to go for it this year (and it looks like we will have to play the Yankees first), I want Max.

Certainly possible but a bit too early to set anything in stone.  The Yankees are scuffling and the Twins and Red Sox are hot - they could both overtake them (or the Red Sox could just overtake the Twins). FWIW, the Twins are still within striking distance of the Guardians.