Texas Rangers: Five trade targets remaining this offseason

The offseason is starting to wind down and the Texas Rangers are running low on options if they want to make an impact upgrade before the 2020 season.

For most fans, if they knew they would reach the end of January and none of Marcell Ozuna, Starling Marte, Anthony Rendon, Josh Donaldson or Nick Castellanos would be Texas Rangers, they likely would have expressed some disappointment. That’s not to say the club have not made significant additions. Robinson Chirinos and Todd Frazier represent significant upgrades at their spots from 2019 while the rotation has seen three quality pitchers inserted that gives Texas one of the better rotations in baseball. However, many still want Texas to make the big splash we all expected at the start of the season. If the Rangers want to make a significant addition before the season starts, here are five potential targets to consider…

1B Josh Bell (Pittsburgh Pirates)

On Monday, the Pirates dealt a rumored Rangers target Starling Marte to the Diamondbacks, another step on the strip it to the bolts rebuild the new front office seems to be embarking on. If that’s the case, Texas could give Pittsburgh a call and see if this rebuild could lead them to parting ways with All-Star Josh Bell. The 27-year old had a breakout season in 2019 emerging as one of the better power hitters in baseball.

Under team control for three more seasons, Bell doesn’t quite fit the timeline of a Pirates rebuild that is sure to take a couple of seasons at minimum. Additionally, from the Pirates perspective, Bell’s value has probably never been higher and capitalizing on his career year may not be a bad idea in terms of a return.

For Texas, Bell would be the offensive upgrade at first base that the club is looking for with questions about Ronald Guzman’s long-term value starting to arise. Bell, defensively, was poor at first base in 2019 posting a -16.4 UZR/150 in over 1100 innings. That raises some concern that he is best set up to be a DH in the long term but the Rangers were willing to take a chance on moving Nick Castellanos to first base. Maybe they feel they have a better way to develop the glove. One thing is for sure, the switch hitters .277 average, .936 OPS and 37 home runs last season would have made him a formidable partner for Joey Gallo in the heart of the order.

As far as what Texas would have to give up, it would require some significant prospects. But perhaps not to the level that it took Arizona to pry Marte from the Pirates which included to of their Top 10 prospects per Baseball America. Marte plays a more premium position and has a better track record of production whereas Bell is a gamble that 2019 is where his future lies rather than an oddity.

1B/OF Trey Mancini (Baltimore Orioles)

Like Bell, Mancini would represent a legitimate upgrade at first base for the Rangers and works as a long-term option. Mancini, 27, currently plays for a rebuilding Baltimore Orioles club that is set to see their return to competition take up the majority of his remaining team control which won’t see him hit free agency until after the 2022 season.

Unlike Bell, the Orioles slugger could be a defensive plus at first base finishing the 2019 season with a 6.5 UZR/150 in just under 450 innings at the position. He spent most of last season in right field for the O’s but with Joey Gallo locked in there for the foreseeable future, it would make sense for Mancini to slot in at first base long-term.

His bat was excellent last year hitting .291 with an .899 OPS and 35 homers while finishing the year with a 3.6 fWAR. That’s with his defensive being a detracting factor in his value because the majority of his time came in right where he was a defensive negative. He’s a right-handed bat, that like Bell, would compliment Joey Gallo very nicely in the heart of the Rangers order.

He would likely come at a bit of a premium like Bell, as he is fresh off his career best year. He also is one of the few marketable assets that the Orioles have meaning they will want to squeeze every bit of value possible out of any trade. He would take some top prospects but the upgrade could help the Rangers continue their push to being a competitive, playoff contending team.

3B Kris Bryant (Chicago Cubs)

Of the players on the list, the most notable, and most valuable, is Kris Bryant of the Chicago Cubs. Bryant, for the majority of the offseason, has been the highest profile player on the reported trade block until Nolan Arenado’s name crept up towards the end of December. A former NL MVP, the Cubs want to limit payroll growth and Bryant, who is nearing free agency, is an asset they want to capitalize on now.

Any deal for Bryant will rely on his current service time grievance against the Cubs which could drop his remaining years of team control from two years to just one. In fact, that has been the hold up all offseason and once that’s settled, it seems likely for Bryant’s market to move quickly. The 28-year old rebounded in 2019 after a string of injuries and finished the year with a .282 average, .902 OPS and 31 homers for the NL side of Chicago.

Bryant would be the star at third base many fans wanted Texas to find this offseason and would be a big name to have in the lineup as they enter Globe Life Field. He’s not an elite defender at third but holds his own with his bat more than making up the difference. He also has some experience in the outfield and at first base adding to his versatility. If the Rangers added KB, it would likely mean Frazier going across the diamond to play first, splitting time some with Ronald Guzman who, while being better defensively, doesn’t produce at the plate like Frazier has in recent years.

If the first two names on the list were expensive in terms of prospect returns, Bryant would mean emptying out the bank account. He’s sure to draw interest from a number of teams looking to contend in 2020 driving up his price and he has a much better track record than either Bell or Mancini including that MVP mentioned above. It would probably mean one of top prospects Josh Jung or Sam Huff plus a number of other highly touted prospects. For what will be likely two years of control, it’s a steep price to pay, but it might be worth the gamble.

OF Jackie Bradley Jr. (Boston Red Sox)

Of the five names on this list, Jackie Bradley Jr. probably gets the juices of the Rangers fan base going the least. Which is why he’s also the most likely if the Rangers are to make a trade in the next few weeks. With one year remaining on his contract, he would be a low risk acquisition for a team and his current club is one looking to shed payroll, of which he accounts for $11 million.

The 29-year old would not be the star player many Texas fans wanted this offseason, but he could join Robinson Chirinos, Todd Frazier and Kyle Gibson in that tier of solid upgrades. Bradley Jr. has for five seasons now, been a fairly consistent outfielder for the Red Sox. His 2019 season was a down one by his standards hitting just .225 but his 21 homers would be a welcomed addition to a club needing some power.

Where JBJ would fit is as the everyday center fielder Texas currently lacks despite plans for Danny Santana to hold that role in 2020. Santana should be an everyday player, but there are question as to whether center field is the right fit. Bradley Jr. on the other hand, has been a plus-defender for most of his time in the league save some regression last season which was lacking all around. The knock though is that he would be another left-handed hitter, something Texas already has too many of and has tried to thin out with the trade of Nomar Mazara to the Chicago White Sox. He’s a natural fit defensively but in the lineup, he’d be tougher to work in.

With all this, he probably is also the cheapest to acquire in terms of prospect value. Boston could lose him at season’s end for nothing and they are desperate to get under the luxury tax threshold. While Mookie Betts being dealt is still an option, it’s far more likely that Boston pieces together the money to get rid of with Bradley Jr. a prime candidate. He wouldn’t require the Rangers parting with a premier prospect and could fill a hole for the 2020 season.