Texas Rangers: Grading the team's 2021 MLB trade deadline moves

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Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports /

Was that a crazy trade deadline or what? Even though the Texas Rangers only made two trades, they were seismic. And their action was only a small part of what comprised a frenzy of trades leading up to the July 30 deadline.

It was one of the most memorable trade deadlines of recent memory, whether on the buying or selling side.

For the Rangers, they were clearly sellers, as they shipped off Joey Gallo and reliever Joely Rodriguez to the Yankees and Kyle Gibson, Ian Kennedy and prospect Hans Crouse to the Phillies. At the same time, we welcomed 7 new players into the organization.

Here are visual breakdowns of each deal:

This deadline undoubtedly transformed the Texas Rangers, as they dramatically improved their farm system depth as they eye the future and a rebuild done the right way. It was bittersweet to see Joey Gallo and Hans Crouse, but knowing the future is plenty bright.

And now, let’s dive into some trade grades.

Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports /

Texas Rangers Trade Grades: Joey Gallo and Joely Rodriguez to the Yankees

Yeah, this one STILL stings.

It wasn’t easy to trade Joey Gallo anywhere, let alone to the Yankees of all places. The All-Star and Gold Glover was the closest thing the Texas Rangers had to a franchise player developed in-house in quite some time.

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It’s clear, though, that both parties didn’t see eye to eye on value, and so it was better to capitalize on trade value than driving a wedge between both sides. The possibility exists for Gallo to return to Texas as a free agent after the 2022 season.

What the Rangers got for Gallo was a haul. In getting Ezequiel Duran, Josh Smith and Trevor Hauver, the organization added 3 top-20 prospects (Duran and Smith were top 10) that can serve as valuable depth as the organization moves forward with a rebuild. That’s how it’s done.

Even the fourth piece, Glenn Otto, is in AAA right now and could be in Arlington before the the end of the season. Talk about immediate impact.

Sure, the return seemed underwhelming at first, but truly take a look at each prospect individually. The numbers are impressive and they all have a chance to become big leaguers.

It definitely took some time to process this trade, but the more I’ve sat on it, the more I’ve warmed up to the return package.

Grade: B+

Texas Rangers Trade Grades: Ian Kennedy, Kyle Gibson and Hans Crouse to the Phillies

They probably should’ve just stopped announcing the trade after Kyle Gibson and Ian Kennedy to the Phillies for Spencer Howard and two prospects. That also would’ve been the ultimate steal.

Alas, they didn’t, and we had to find out the Texas Rangers shipped off pitching prospect Hans Crouse to Philly in the deal. That was a gut punch, for sure. His inclusion made the deal go from absolute no-brainer to rather “meh” in an instant.

Still, Kyle Gibson and Ian Kennedy were destined to leave the Rangers this week and they certainly did, as they’re now teammates together in Philly.

Even with Crouse included, Texas did well in this trade. Acquiring former top prospect Spencer Howard, even with his bloated near 6 ERA, has tons of potential and is under team control through 2027. Plus, who doesn’t need a change of scenery sometimes?

Howard was once one of the top pitching prospects in all of MLB. If the Rangers can tap into that pedigree, they’ve got themselves a keeper.

And in prospects Josh Gessner and Kevin Gowdy, Texas adds more pitching depth to their farm system, and you can never have too much pitching. Those are two solid adds.

The one aspect holding back complete praise of this trade is the Crouse element. As the No. 9 prospect in the Rangers’ system, some had him pegged as a reliever and others a starter. When that happens, like Gallo, predicting the future can become murky. It’s better to let another organization have that problem.

And it’s not as though the Phillies have been very successful with developing pitching (Spencer Howard), so it’s not as if we should expect Crouse to turn into Jacob deGrom for them.

Sometimes, sacrifices must be made for the future betterment of the organization. We should trust that Jon Daniels and Chris Young made the correct decision here with Crouse. More importantly, they shipped out Gibson and Kennedy for real value.

Grade: B

OVERALL GRADE: B

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Texas Rangers: Grading the team’s 2021 MLB trade deadline moves