Texas Rangers Acquire Matt Moore From Giants

The Texas Rangers added another arm to their rotation Friday evening. The Rangers have acquired LHP Matt Moore from the Giants for prospects according to reports.

John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday evening that the Rangers and Giants have agreed on a trade that will send southpaw Matt Moore to Texas, pending a physical. The Giants will be getting “prospects” in return, but nothing too costly according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. The only prospect in the trade that’s been reported so far is pitcher Sam Wolff.

Moore is coming off his worst season statistically, going 6-15 with a 5.52 ERA in 174.1 innings. Moore was an all-star in 2013 and was very successful with Tampa Bay from 2011-2014, before injuring his elbow and needing Tommy John surgery. In his first full season after the surgery, he was 13-12 with a 4.08 ERA in 2016.

The Giants have been looking to shed payroll. Moore and Hunter Pence became the focus of rumors that they may be dumped to clear salary. Pence is not in the trade with Texas.

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Moore will make $9 million in 2018. There is a $10 million club option in 2019 with a $750,000 buyout. While that is relatively on the cheaper side for starting pitching, Moore hasn’t looked like the same pitcher since having Tommy John surgery.

This move is consistent with other moves that general manager Jon Daniels has made when acquiring starters this winter. He’s signed Doug Fister and Mike Minor to contracts so far, both players looking to bounce back to form. Minor was a very successful reliever in 2017, but is trying to make a comeback as a starter in 2018.

The trade for Moore puts four left-handers in the rotation, leaving Fister as the only right-hander. If the six-man rotation idea is still on the table for the Rangers, they could add another starter. They could also have Minor stay in the bullpen, alleviating one of the lefties in the rotation.

This is a bit of a questionable trade for the Texas Rangers. It could work out if Moore bounces back to form. The $9 million could be costly if Moore’s numbers are close to his 2017 numbers. On the contrary, the Rangers are not in a position to say “no” to pitching right now.