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Who are the Texas Rangers “Untouchables” in Trade Talks?

By Kenneth Nash |
ARLINGTON, TX - JUNE 26: Rougned Odor #12 of the Texas Rangers celebrates with Elvis Andrus #1 of the Texas Rangers after hitting a solo home run against the San Diego Padres in the bottom of the second inning at Globe Life Park in Arlington on June 26, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - JUNE 26: Rougned Odor #12 of the Texas Rangers celebrates with Elvis Andrus #1 of the Texas Rangers after hitting a solo home run against the San Diego Padres in the bottom of the second inning at Globe Life Park in Arlington on June 26, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
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ANAHEIM, CA – JUNE 03: Nomar Mazara #30 is congratulated by Jurickson Profar #19 of the Texas Rangers after hitting a solo home run in the eighth inning of the game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Angel Stadium on June 3, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA – JUNE 03: Nomar Mazara #30 is congratulated by Jurickson Profar #19 of the Texas Rangers after hitting a solo home run in the eighth inning of the game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Angel Stadium on June 3, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

Heading into the trade deadline season, the Texas Rangers have two players who should without a doubt, be untouchable in trade discussions.

Names that the Texas Rangers are willing to trade have already been thrown about this month with the trade market quickly heating up. Fan favorites like Adrian Beltre and Cole Hamels are destined to leave. Jake Diekman and Shin-Soo Choo are hot on their tracks as well. Even names like Elvis Andrus and Keone Kela are being tossed in as departures in the next month. But in all of this, who should Texas not even entertain trading? There are two answers to this all important question.

ARLINGTON, TX – MAY 04: Nomar Mazara #30 of the Texas Rangers hits a standup double in the second inning against the Boston Red Sox at Globe Life Park in Arlington on May 4, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Rick Yeatts/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – MAY 04: Nomar Mazara #30 of the Texas Rangers hits a standup double in the second inning against the Boston Red Sox at Globe Life Park in Arlington on May 4, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Rick Yeatts/Getty Images) /

Nomar Mazara

This one is probably the least surprising of the two. Or at least the one you guessed off the top of your head. Nomar Mazara is without a doubt the most valuable player on the Texas Rangers. At just 23-years old, he’s on pace for his best season yet hitting just a couple ticks shy of .280. His overall slash line this season is .278/.339/.472. Those are All-Star caliber numbers. And as I mentioned earlier, he’s just 23.

Mazara possesses a gifted swing from the left side of the plate. His power shows itself in his 14 homeruns and 14 doubles. He also has been arguably the best situational hitter for Texas this season leading the team with 51 RBI. To go along with his stellar plate, he also has shown this year that he has a cannon in right field. While not necessarily the most savvy outfielder, he has unleashed throws this season to gun down runners which is why he leads the Rangers in outfield assists. His talent on the field combined with his age means he is the future of this organization. He will be the building block that the franchise develops around for years to come.

KANSAS CITY, MO – JUNE 20: Jose Leclerc #62 of the Texas Rangers throws in the eighth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on June 20, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO – JUNE 20: Jose Leclerc #62 of the Texas Rangers throws in the eighth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on June 20, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /

Jose Leclerc

Now for the curveball. This probably isn’t the first name that popped into your head when you considered untouchables. However, Jose Leclerc has quickly developed into one of the Rangers best relievers and he’s only 24-years old, relatively young for a pitcher. This season will be Leclerc’s first real season that is spent mostly in the Majors and he has impressed over and over. Currently he holds the lowest ERA in the bullpen among those who have appeared in more than 5 games at just 2.54. His 38 strikeouts in just 28.1 innings showcases the swing and miss ability Leclerc possesses on the mound. Perhaps more importantly than all of that however is what the Rangers may view as his future role.

The value in Jose Leclerc may be that the Rangers view him as the heir apparent to take over as closer if and when Keone Kela leaves. Despite only being a year younger, Leclerc is without a doubt well behind Kela in terms of service time and development meaning he is still trending upwards. Kela on the other hand, is playing peak baseball which means his value is arguably as high as it’ll ever get, which is why Texas is considering trading him. If Texas does trade Kela, Jose Leclerc becomes the most important arm in the Rangers bullpen as he really becomes the only true young, late inning arm that’s remotely close to big league level. If the Rangers view Jose Leclerc as their closer of the future, he is 100% untouchable in trade talks this summer.

Next: Rumors: Texas Rangers Offering Up Three Players Before Deadline

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