Should the Texas Rangers Consider Trading Jonathan Hernandez?

With the MLB Trade Deadline days away, the Texas Rangers look to be sellers. Should they consider moving Jonathan Hernandez while his value is high?

With the MLB Trade Deadline only three days away, the Texas Rangers are looking more and more like they will be sellers this year as their 11-19 record has them in fourth in the AL West. The new postseason format this year where 16 of the 30 teams will make the postseason, there’s still somewhat of a chance that the Rangers can still make up lost ground and push for a playoff spot.

But chasing for a postseason berth this season would be fool’s gold and ignore the current state of the franchise. The best move the franchise can make for its long term health would be to sell their best pieces and restock their farm system.

The Rangers’ best asset this summer will be Lance Lynn, whose 2.0 bWAR ranks fifth in all of baseball. Lynn is also the most realistic candidate to actually be moved in the next few days as starting pitching is always a hot commodity during the trade deadline as teams try to upgrade their rotation for the stretch run in September and October. Lynn also represents arguably the most valuable starting pitcher available in all of baseball and the club has reportedly already been getting interest on the right-hander.

But you know what else is a huge demand during trade deadlines? Young, good, healthy and controllable bullpen arms. Jonathan Hernandez checks all these boxes.

But should the Rangers really consider trading one of their best, young bullpen arms already? Or should they just keep him through the season and see what happens in the winter? Here are arguments for both sides as to why the Rangers should and should not trade the 23 year old.

Why Texas Should Consider Moving Hernandez

Jonathan Hernandez has been one of the few bright spots to this season as he has developed into one of the game’s better relief pitchers. Jonathan relies heavily on his sinker, throwing it 53.6% of the time averaging a blazing 97.5 MPH. The average wOBA against his sinker is an awful .292. Hernandez’s velocity on all his pitches has increased while his BB% has decreased from 16.7% last season to 7.5% this year. His K% has skyrocketed from 24.4% last year to 32.8%. In short, Hernandez has jumped from promising prospect to a legitimate reliever in the span of a year.

You can say it in many different ways but the same conclusion remains: Jonathan Hernandez has been great this season.

So why would the Rangers want to trade him? Because relief pitchers are unpredictable and hold little value to a team that is not going to compete this season. They can break down at any moment for a multitude of reasons such as injuries or shifts in mental edge. The Rangers have experienced this first hand in recent seasons with guys like Jose Leclerc, Shawn Tolleson, Sam Dyson.

Matt Bush and Jeremy Jeffress went from being at the top of the world in their profession to struggling to not give up runs each time they enter a game. Relief pitchers are just unpredictable in nature as is their value.

Hernandez has been great this season and with the benefit of having five seasons of control left in him, this could give the Rangers one of the better available bullpen pieces that teams will call in asking for.

The Rangers will not be competing for a World Series for the foreseeable future, why waste such a hot commodity on a team that will view him more as a luxury than a necessity? Having great and young relief pitchers is cool, but the Rangers have gained a reputation of being able to develop them moderately easily. Trade them while the iron is hot.

Why the Rangers Should Hold Onto Hernandez

Because Hernandez is really good and is young, cheap and controllable. In short, all the reasons they should trade him. If the Texas Rangers are going to continue to convince themselves that they can compete in their shiny, new ballpark, why would you just give away one of your better young players for prospects that won’t be ready to contribute to the big leagues immediately?

If the Texas Rangers are going to win games, they will need dependable and solid bullpen guys who can come in high leverage spots and get hitters out. Hernandez has done that thus far this season, rocking a 77.8 LOB%. One of the bigger downfalls for competing teams have been questionable bullpens that blow leads.

The Rangers will not have to worry about that for the foreseeable future with guys like Hernandez and Leclerc signed for the long term and guys like Alex Speas and Demarcus Evans waiting in the wings.

Texas is notorious for their lack of developing homegrown starting pitching but they have been one of the better franchises to develop relief arms.

The Texas Rangers are also in no rush to trade Hernandez as they have five seasons of control left. So the Rangers can play the waiting game and not be forced into making a deal with any other club. If teams are trying to short change the Rangers when it comes to discussing trade scenarios, they have the luxury to say no.