Three Trade Deadline Needs for the Texas Rangers

July 1st means the hot stove will now be in full effect. As the Texas Rangers try to make a surprising playoff push, what are the needs that should be addressed?

Trade season is always one that generates excitement among the MLB faithful. The rumor mill is churning, deals are getting done, and the futures of organizations shift constantly. Every team in the league will involve themselves in talks as either a buyer or a seller, either making a playoff push or trying to build for the future. A few weeks ago, the Texas Rangers looked very much in between. Having entered the season on the outside looking in, Texas consistently surprised everybody and worked their way into the playoff picture raising questions about their deadline plans. That was with Texas still very much an outside looking in team, however, now the Rangers look like legitimate Wild Card contenders.

Despite being firmly a part of the AL Wild Card race, the Rangers surely won’t be spending big in trying to acquire pieces to help them compete this season. All expectations are that if Texas does buy, it will buy low on players that have multiple years of control ensuring their long-term plan isn’t altered. That’s a tricky way to do business because good players are expensive at the deadline and good players with control are at a premium price. Navigating these deals will be tough business for Jon Daniels and the front office, but there are holes that Texas needs to fill.

Find an Upgrade at Catcher

If there’s been one glaring hole in the Texas Rangers lineup this season, it’s at catcher. A mixture of Jeff Mathis, Tim Federowicz, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa have filled that role this season with varied results, none of them great. Jeff Mathis, an offseason free agent signing, came to Texas with all the focus on his defensive prowess. He had a career average below .200 but was known as a defensive wizard behind the plate which Texas coveted to help tutor catcher conversion project Kiner-Falefa. Somehow, Mathis has lowered the bar with a bat in his hand this season hitting just .152, with a .208 on-base percentage and a .425 OPS. That’s catastrophically awful and is holding back an already elite offense. Defensively, he hasn’t been as good as advertised either which really hurts his argument to get into the lineup. His saving grace is that as the primary catcher, he’s helped Mike Minor have a career year, Lance Lynn rebound phenomenally and helped Ariel Jurado and Adrian Sampson take steps forward. His influence on them should be noted but Texas cannot continue to have a number one catcher put up this kind of production.

Kiner-Falefa was slotted as the backup for Mathis this season as he tries to transition to that position moving forward. Currently, on the IL, he’s been poor as a catcher though and has been a net negative in run production defensively. He’s also taken a step back at the plate, not all that surprising for a player trying to learn and adapt to a new position. The idea is growing that he’s not a long-term answer at catcher and if it came down to needing a catcher in the playoffs, I can’t imagine it would be him.

As an insurance policy when IKF got injured, Texas acquired Tim Federowicz from the Indians Triple-A affiliate. A veteran who has bounced back and forth between the bigs and the minors, Federowicz has been an improvement on a very low bar at the plate. His OPS of .684 is his best argument for sticking around but I’d imagine the Rangers would like an upgrade from him as well.

Catchers are extremely tough to find on the trade market. A friend of mine noted that they’re like goaltenders in hockey as there are fewer starting-caliber catchers than there are teams in the league. And when a team gets one, they won’t just give them away because they’re rebuilding. Texas is going to have to work hard to find an upgrade behind the dish that doesn’t cost them a fortune. If there was a position to invest in a rental for, this would be the position.

Strengthen the Rotation

Texas has been fortunate to have a number of starting pitchers exceed expectations this season. Mike Minor has morphed into a legitimate ace and a Cy Young caliber pitcher who leads the AL in WAR. Lance Lynn is an efficient number 2 starter that continues to get better with each start and sits in the Top 10 in the AL in pitching WAR. Adrian Sampson and Ariel Jurado both took massive steps forward this season and have been solid back-end options.

Finding a reliable 5th starter has troubled Texas. Shelby Miller struggled mightily and was relegated to a relief role. Drew Smyly earned himself a DFA and an outright release with his performances. Texas tried a couple of prospects to little success and now Texas is relying on Jesse Chavez to fill that slot. Chavez has been solid in his first 2 runs through the rotation throwing 12.1 combined innings and allowing just 3 earned runs, 5 runs in total. However, Chavez is also one of your top relievers and the Rangers are best served with him in a relief role which once again opens up that 5th starter spot.

Before this year’s deadline, the Rangers have the opportunity to help strengthen the rotation by adding a 5th starter. We’ve featured a couple of cheaper, controllable options in our GM Mode series, as well as some blockbuster acquisitions. Whichever path Texas takes, adding any semblance of a reliable starter could really help this team pick up a few more wins in the 2nd half. A home run deal would allow Texas to get a number 3 guy that could also feature in a postseason rotation.