It’s less than a week away from the July 31 trade deadline. The Rangers could be big-time sellers at the deadline, but which players should you expect to be elsewhere in August?
This could be the biggest week of the year for the Texas Rangers. It’s looking like the organization will be sellers and trade away their one-year veterans. The pitching staff could looking completely different next month.
The Rangers have starters Tyson Ross, Andrew Cashner, and of course Yu Darvish as pending free agents this winter. It’s likely the organization looks to move all three pitchers for younger controllable starters at the deadline.
That’s not all Texas has available as Carlos Gomez, Jonathan Lucroy, and Mike Napoli are all on one-year deals as well. It’s fair to say the Rangers have plenty to offer at the upcoming trade deadline.
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Not all of these players will likely be moved off the Rangers roster. Both Napoli and Tyson Ross have little value and the team may want to just hang onto them. The Rangers do have a team option on Napoli and might wait until next season to move him.
The rest of the players named should be moved, especially Lucroy. The two-time All-Star cost the Rangers a hefty price when they acquired him last August. The Rangers need to salvage something from that deal and restock their farm system.
The catching position will be fine with Robinson Chirinos and Brett Nicholas. Any return of prospects is better than having Lucroy finish out the season in Arlington. The Rangers can reinforce the catcher position in the off-season.
The other player that is a must-go is starter Yu Darvish. The Rangers have failed to reach a long-term extension with the 30-year-old pitcher. He’s a pending free agent and is looking like he’s ready to test the open market.
No one wants to see Darvish leave in Arlington, but if no extension is reached then trading him is a must. The Rangers could get a huge return of controllable young players for him. In the best case scenario they could even re-sign Darvish in the off-season.
Both Gomez and Cashner should be dangled as trade bait too. Neither player will get the return of Darvish or Lucroy, but why not see what you can get. It’s looking like a fire sale in Arlington, and the fans better get ready.
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The Rangers need young controllable pitching, and they need it now! It’s obvious fans don’t want to see these talented players leave Arlington. They will thank general manager Jon Daniels later when he pulls off the best trades of the deadline.