3 trade proposals between the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees

3 trades between the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees

Are you ready for yet ANOTHER overpriced player on the move?! In this exchange, the Texas Rangers are actually receiving a high-profile outfielder and his name is NOT Joey Gallo. It’s the controversial(?) Giancarlo Stanton!

Calling Stanton an outfielder is pushing it, he’s really just a DH at this point. Figuring out a Stanton deal is…complicated. He has 6 years and $179 million left on his contract but the Marlins are paying $30 million of that in the last 3 years. He also has a full no-trade clause. Stanton MAY be willing to lift it given the fact the fans there want him gone.  His contract is too big, he doesn’t play the field, He strikes out too much and he’s always hurt. These past 3 years have ruined his stay in New York. Even hitting 35 home runs with a .273 BA in what was left of his ’21 season wasn’t enough to alleviate their concerns.

As I mentioned though between his contact, no-trade clause, health, and level of play…it can be difficult to nail down exactly what the trade could look like. The Texas Rangers had no problem with Gallo’s strikeouts and they’ll have no problem with Stanton’s. His health and ~$149 million is a problem though. He would also fill the same role here as he does in New York as a DH. So anyways, let’s do the impossible and make the trade happen!

OH BOY. So Stanton, when healthy, could fit into the Rangers lineup well. His strikeouts aren’t as big of a bane as they were in New York because that’s all the Yankees have. His contract and health concern (Prince Fielder anyone?) will bring in some decent prospects. NYY’s top 3 prospects are even more untouchable than the Rangers so we start with Clarke Schmidt.

The 2017 1st round draft choice comes in at number five for the Yanks MLBPipeline top 30, which seems a bit high. He’s made 2 big league appearances going 6.1 Innings in both allowing four and five earned runs. The main knock on him though is his health. If he can stay healthy then he has all the potential of a big-league starter. His best pitch is a curveball that FanGraphs has as a 70 grade but his delivery has some worried about his ability to maintain starter status.

Ken Waldichuk, meanwhile, is another “riser” along the lines of the prospects the Texas Rangers got back for Gallo. He has a repertoire that features a 60/65 grade fastball AND a 60/70 grade changeup. Once again his method of delivery is concerning but if he shows control and perhaps an improved curveball, his tools will make him enough to be a starter in a few years.

The Yankees need starting pitching. They get it in the form of Dane Dunning. He isn’t an “ace” pitcher but he’s really good, is cheap, and controllable. What more could a (self-imposed) cash-strapped team want. This one is hard to lose for the Rangers. Dunning is looked as at the 2nd best starting option and is a breath of hope from the young guys. But his status as a 4/5 starter is compromised with Taylor Hearn, AJ Alexy, Glenn Otto, Spencer Howard, and Clarke Schmidt. The Rangers have Jon Gray and are likely to sign another SP. Not to mention Cole Winn and Jack Leiter will be here soon. That leaves 1-2 spots to be filled by the quintet listed. Losing Dunning stings and I don’t like it but it’s dealin’ time and he is somewhat expendable. Wendzel goes for much of the same reason as Apostel did. He’s blocked and they could use some help on the corner. Steele Walker is a lower ceiling, lower floor kind of player. He COULD become a steady everyday player but is more likely suited for a platoon spot in the OF.

Now let’s talk about the money. The Yankees would also be sending over $30 million (10 per year) for the first 3 years. The Yankees still save a boatload of money opening up their ability to sign Carlos Correa or whoever. They also get a good and proven starting pitcher with a couple of prospects. The Rangers get a guy who could be a formidable bat in the lineup if healthy. They also get a former top 100 pitcher as well a pitcher who could develop into one. At this point with NYY putting in $30 million in the first 3 years and MIA paying the same for the later 3 years, Texas is taking on 6 years/$119 million.

As I said, this one is difficult to piece together. Stanton did earn back much of his value by staying healthy and crushing the ball post-August. He hit .308 with 20 home runs in 57 games to be exact, finishing the season as one of the better hitters. But these aren’t the George Steinbrenner Yankees anymore: they’re Hals. He’s more fiscally motivated and if he sees an option to free up over $100 million to sign the next big attraction then he’ll take it. To land Stanton, the Yankees gave up Starlin Castro, their number 9 prospect and an unranked prospect. They paid less in players because the contract was longer and more expensive. Plus, Stanton was the reigning NL MVP outfielder. Now, he’s an injury-plagued DH. See how that works?

At this point, with NYY putting in $30 million in the first three years and MIA paying the same for the later three years plus the prospects, Texas pays a high player price.

The question comes down to, do the Rangers take that chance? I’m not advocating for it because frankly, I like Dunning a lot. If this trade were to happen though I would be (cautiously) excited. Stanton could be a HUGE offensive upgrade to put with Seager/Semien and solidify the DH spot that’s confounded Texas.

Now, I’m sure at this point both Rangers and Yankees fans alike are approaching with torches and pitchforks, so let’s get into a trade that’ll really set things over the top.

3 trades between the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees

No, this is not an Isiah Kiner-Falefa trade, either. If you want though, Tyler Henderson has already covered this topic and he did a great job, you can read it here. It’s centered around Miguel Andujar, yet another player Yankees fan would love to see go. Unfortunately for them, he pretty much has no trade value.  However, It’s not wild for the Rangers to have interest given they once did.

I need to be clear about something. This is overpaying on the Texas Rangers’ end. I know Yankees fans don’t want to hear that but it’s the current state of things. It’s gone from talking about trading Andujar for guys like Jo Adell, Max Fried, and Kyle Schwarber to hoping they can get a couple of 10-20 range prospects. Now it’s down to spare parts.

Yankees fans will say that Andujar should’ve won the ROY award over Shohei Ohtani when he slashed .297/.328/.527 with 27 home runs in 2018, but how he’s fallen. In the past 3 years, he’s only stayed healthy enough to play in 78 games. He’s combined for a .228 average with 7 home runs and a NEGATIVE 1.7 WAR when he has. He’s moved from third base to left field so he would have a clear path to playing, sort of. The other problem is his defense is downright terrible. He’d do better as a DH but we already have Willie Calhoun for that role. To make the trade a little more reasonable the Rangers’ real target is outfielder Anthony Garcia. He is a power-hitting switch hitter who strikes out a ton but did you read the first part? In 2021, he hit .306 with 14 home runs in 39 games across Rookie and Low A. If he could cut back on the strikeouts a bit he could develop into a lethal bat.

For the Yankees, they continue to target bullpen help. Josh Sborz got his first extended playing time in 2021 where he pitched 59 innings of 3.97 ERA ball. He showed he could be a very trustworthy relief pitcher in the 6th-8th inning range. He posted an ERA+ of 111 meaning he was above average and had a good 10.5 K per nine inning rates.

Going back to the team that originally drafted him, Nick Solak may get the change of scenery he needs. Being blocked by the new signings, having plenty of prospects coming up, and not stepping up into the role makes Solak expendable. He would ideally be 2nd base depth for the Yankees. He is a bat-first player who improved his defensive play while somehow not being a bat-first type player in 2021. Solak is one of the most obvious trade candidates for the Rangers and the Yankees could use him, hoping his swing comes around.

Honestly, I don’t see the Yankees trading Andujar, given this is about as low as his value goes. They’ll do as the Rangers did with Odor/Mazara when their value fell. If they decide not to hold out hope he comes back to his rookie year form then the Yankees fans will get what they want and that’s him off the team.

For the Texas Rangers, this wouldn’t be the splash move that it once was. It would be a reclamation project akin to the David Dahl deal.