Three Players the Texas Rangers Need to Trade this Winter

1. Willie Calhoun

In no particular order, the first player we’re moving on from the Texas Rangers is Willie Calhoun. The 24-year-old slugger has yet to find a home in the Rangers lineup despite being here for nearly a season and a half. Acquired as the featured prospect that sent for Texas ace, Yu Darvish, to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Calhoun brought with him plenty of expectations when he came to Arlington.

Last season he spent a fairly large chunk of the year in the minor leagues, evidence of his struggles to secure a place in the Rangers lefty-laden lineup. Calhoun impressed mightily in his time with Triple-A Round Rock last season. In 108 games, Calhoun hit .294 and posted a .782 OPS showing the abilities he possesses. When he got time with the big league club though, Calhoun hit just .222 in 35 games and saw his OPS drop to .602 struggling to get on base.

Our very own, Travis Koch featured the dilemma that the Texas Rangers face when dealing with Willie Calhoun just yesterday. So with no spot for Calhoun to go in the lineup, he needs to go from the club. It makes the best sense long-term. Calhoun profiles best as a DH in Major League Baseball with his sub-par defensive ability at nearly every position he’s tried. Texas, however, has a DH locked up with the club for two more seasons in Shin-Soo Choo. While trading the 36-year-old Choo would be the ideal move, his $42 million remaining over the next two years makes that nearly impossible.

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Now moving Willie Calhoun becomes the necessary evil. While he’s still young and clearly talented,  holding on to him as a rotational player for the next couple of seasons is pointless and could be harmful to his growth (see Jurickson Profar for proof). A move to ship out Calhoun almost guaranteed will have to be to an American League club so he can be a DH, but his 5 more seasons of team control make him an attractive option for clubs caught between contending and trying to plan for the long-term.

It’s not ideal trading away a player who has that much team control left, but neither is holding on to him while he plays every few games for a couple of years. He won’t recoup a top-tier pitching prospect but I’d imagine he could bring back a pitcher with rotation potential and a few lottery ticket type prospects.

2. Jose Leclerc

I’m not sure which player will be the most unpopular trade on this list. Leclerc or the one coming third, but no doubt Leclerc being traded will generate plenty of angst from the Texas faithful. Trading away a 25-year-old closer who statistically, was a top reliever in the game last year won’t win Jon Daniels any more friends, but it could win him some quality prospects.

Leclerc is coming off what amounts to a break out season in 2018 where he was a great reliever up to the point that the Texas Rangers traded then closer, Keone Kela. After that trade, he became an elite closer. Featuring a hard fastball, Leclerc posted a minuscule 1.56 ERA in 59 appearances for the Rangers last year. In the second half of the season, when Leclerc mostly acted as the 9th inning man, Leclerc appeared in 25 games, held opponents to a .110 average, had an ERA of just 0.73 and struck out 37 in 24. 2 innings while racking up 12 saves. He was in a word, unhittable.

He was discussed as a piece that could get moved before the deadline last season but the Rangers opted to hold onto him. It’s been reported that offers are coming in for the young reliever but nothing has caused Texas to pull the trigger yet.

Why would the Rangers be willing to deal such a surefire piece this offseason? Especially when, like Calhoun, he’s under team control for so long. Leclerc is set to hit arbitration next offseason but won’t become a free agent until after the 2022 season. However, at this point, Jose Leclerc is an unnecessary luxury.

For a team that will likely be battling to keep from hitting the 100-loss mark in 2019, a lockdown closer isn’t a need. Not when your starting rotation and your starting pitcher prospects are so thin. What good is wasting a top tier closer on a team with a losing record for likely the next two seasons? Generally, relievers are easier found on the free agent market and easier to develop as well. At this point, it’s worth dealing Leclerc to set the team up long-term rather than have him closing out meaningless games.

Leclerc should pull in a pretty big haul and it may be wise to capitalize on his success from last season. However, if Texas is willing to gamble that he’ll be as good for the first half of 2019, it may be worth holding onto him until the deadline.

3. Nomar Mazara

Nomar Mazara is probably the most controversial name on the list and likewise, also is the most valuable. The Rangers lefty slugger is approaching just 24-years-old and has already cemented himself as a mainstay in the Rangers order. He’s been a starter since 2016 and has arguably been one of the most consistent players on the team as well. Signs point to Mazara having the potential to be a star in the league.

Mazara, or “The Big Chill”, as he’s known by many, is coming off a season in 2018 that saw him spend some time out of the lineup with an injury. However, he still managed to hit .258, launch 20 home runs for the 3rd season in a row, and post an OPS over .750 for the first time in his young career. He seems to be trending upwards, which is the exact reason it’s time to capitalize on his value.

Similarly to Willie Calhoun, Mazara could be a victim of overcrowding in the Rangers roster. While he is good enough to lock in a spot in the order every night, he’s limited to playing right field defensively where, coincidentally, looks like the best spot for the Rangers to play Joey Gallo. He’s a quality right fielder but either Mazara or Gallo needs to be starting there meaning one is without a spot.

When debating Mazara versus Gallo, while the stats may lean towards Maz, team control points the other direction. Mazara is under team control through the 2021 season while Gallo has an extra year. Additionally, Gallo likely wouldn’t draw the same return that Mazara would. Dealing Mazara would take another lefty out of the lineup to give Texas some much needed balance.

Nomar Mazara should pull in the biggest haul out of anybody on this list and in my opinion, could bring in a top-tier pitching prospect that could give the Rangers a piece to build the rotation around for years to come. A legit frontline starter plus a late-rotation potential prospect would be a good return plus a lottery ticket player or two.