5 creative trades that could improve the Texas Rangers in 2022

The Texas Rangers are expected to be big players in this year’s free-agent market. With little on the books and a large bank account, they can sign (practically) whoever they want.

Money isn’t the only currency in MLB, though, as Texas boasts one of the deepest farm systems in baseball. Through trades and the draft, they’ve been able to rise to the 11th overall farm system according to MLB.com. With multiple prospects showing consistent improvement,  it could reasonably go up before the year starts as well.

The Rangers are particularly deep with middle infielders. That, combined with them expected to sign one if not two shortstops, all while having Isiah Kiner-Falefa already established means there will be some movement. In the majors, you have Yonny Hernandez and Andy Ibanez who were called up in 2021. They will be looked at as the depth pieces, but following a 102 loss season, no one is safe.

Texas isn’t exactly looking to field a playoff roster right now. If they were to add players via trade it would be for controllable players, such as Nathaniel Lowe last year.  That leaves most one year rental players off the list. Needs will also be better established after free agent signings, but talent acquisition through trade could be a more popular route with uncertainty with the CBA. With that in mind let’s take a look at…

Texas Rangers trade targets- Garrett Cooper, OF – Miami Marlins

Cooper will be controlled through the end of the 2023 season and is projected to make $2.9 million in ’22 through arbitration. That leaves two years to see how well he fits with this team.

The haul proposed above may seem like a steep price to pay for someone who has only played 95 games over the past 2 years but Garrett Cooper is worth it.

Over the past 3 seasons (212 games) he has hit for a .282 average with 30 home runs. The Texas Rangers FO is likely to fall in love with him as well since he is an analytics dream. His hard-hit rate last year was a career-best 52.7% and he drives the ball to center at a 55.7% rate. He also tends to keep the ball in play with a 52% ground ball rate as compared to 25% for line drives and 20% for fly balls.

As mentioned earlier, an infielder will likely be in any package so Wendzel would headline the return. Miami is also expected to move some starting pitchers so a controllable young major league arm is also a good get for them.

Texas Rangers trade targets- Ryan Yarbrough, SP, Tampa Bay Rays

The cashed strapped Rays will continue to operate as usual and look to trade pieces who are not part of the future plan or aren’t considered cost-efficient.

That means Ryan Yarbrough, who is expected to earn $4.6 million through arbitration, will be on the move.

Yarbrough is controllable through 2024 and would be a dynamic pitching piece for the Rangers. He was used in a multitude of ways with the creative Rays and could be used similarly here.

The soft-tossing lefty would be considered a cheap starting pitcher if the Rangers only bring in one free-agent pitcher. He could start games in a tandem role or as an opener as well for the younger pitchers. Yarbrough wouldn’t demand a high prospect haul either.

Yarbrough suffered his worst year in 2021 pitching to a 5.11 ERA over 155 innings. Part of that can be contributed to his decreased fastball pitch rate. Before 2021 he threw the FB at a 23% rate, which decreased to 13% in ’21. His velocity on it did dip a bit from an average of 88.4 mph to 86.7 mph. His slider, change-up, and cutter drop of one to two mph as well.

DJ Peters is the name to watch here, though, a controllable power hitter with great defense seems to fit TB’s desires. It would be made more possible if the Rangers had plans to sign OF help as well. Apostel, meanwhile, doesn’t have a clear path to the majors at either 1B or 3B so he could be the next platoon option the Rays.

*trade idea courtesy, @lanceluther83

Texas Rangers trade target- Matt Olson, 1B, Oakland A’s

The full proposal includes RHP Ronny Henriquez going to Oakland.

The Oakland A’s, like the Ray’s, will operate as they do.

Already rumored to be shopping their starters and having lost their long-time manager, they continue to tear it down by sending the Matts (Chapman and Olson) away. Olson is of particular interest here coming off another great campaign. In 156 games in 2021, he hit 39 home runs while batting .271. The power-hitting lefty is also a two-time Gold Glove winner at a key defensive position.

Lowe’s services would be wasted as a backup (maybe DH?) but Oakland would be quick to replace Olson. Lowe did well in what amounted to his first full season in the bigs, hitting .264 with 18 home runs. With some expected growth from him, Oakland would be happy to have a cheap 1B for their rebuild.

Texas may need to upgrade from Tejeda to make this work but as mentioned before, he has a lot of tools that can excite. Meanwhile, Smith has been a riser through both the Yankees and Rangers system as he continues to hit.

If the A’s also moved on from Chapman they could use some 3B help as well. That’s where Wendzel would come in to play. The Rangers cap off the blockbuster trade sending high ceiling Ronny Henriquez to the Bay area. Like Tejeda though, Henriquez could need “upgrading” to either Otto or Alexy if the A’s want major league-ready arms.

Texas Rangers trade targets- Eric Hosmer, 1B, and Robert Hassel, OF, San Diego Padres

This is a trade topic you’ll see lots of.

Hosmer was almost a Ranger last year before the team opted for the larger prospect pool from the Yankees (sorry about that, Gallo).

The Padres will continue to need OF help as well as relief pitching and infield depth. However, the main purpose of the trade from the Padres perspective would be to get out from under the remaining $59 million of Hosmer’s contract. After the $20 million in 2021, he is likely to opt into the final $13 million per year over the next three. That’s not a large dent to the Rangers, but a dent nonetheless.

That dent lands you a big-time prospect in Robert Hassell. A long-time personal target, I will speak it into existence. In exchange, the Rangers send Adolis Garcia, the Sporting News’ AL Rookie of the Year to the Padres. This may not seem ideal, but El Bombi will be 29 and had a major regression hitting .224 in the final 104 games.

They also send Patton and Martin to pad the Padres pen. Ibanez would be the infield depth sent but the Rangers may think twice after he hit .321 with 4 homers over the last 39 games so perhaps Nick Solak is the one to go.

If the Texas Rangers’ new hitting coaches can’t stop Hosmer’s regression, they could look at flipping him to make that dent smaller. If not Hosmer could DH and spot start. His defense is better than Lowe’s but you would want Lowe to continue and grow there. Hosmer would also offer leadership and experience to the team.

Expect the Unexpected

One thing to keep in mind is the unexpected trades. No one predicted an Andrus – Davis swap, nor was the Nathaniel Lowe deal expected. Somewhere out there are a couple of executives cooking up a plan. With the winter meetings in question, it’s reasonable to expect the GM meetings in California this past weekend were busy. When the CBA is agreed to, the groundwork better be ready to be built upon because things will move fast.