3 trade proposals between the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees

The Texas Rangers and New York Yankees seem to have as active a trade history as anyone. This past year they were able to make a couple of deals sending veterans Rougned Odor, Joey Gallo, and Joely Rodriguez to the Big Apple. Prior to that, the Rangers received Carlos Beltran for their most recent playoff push. Sandwiched between them was a publicity move that saw QB Russell Wilson wear pinstripes.

Now, neither side has taken advantage of the other in their years of dealing. At the time, some trades had seemed lopsided but hindsight once again comes to the rescue. The one that might change the recent view though is the Gallo deal. He has BOMBED in New York and us Rangers fans would GLADLY take him back.

Unfortunately for the Joey-loving Rangers fans, however, I don’t believe it will happen via trade.

So what kind of deal can be made between these 2 teams?  The Texas Rangers don’t have too much in the way of major league players that would come at value for other teams at the moment, but let’s take a look at what a possible deal between these teams could look like.4

3 trades between the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees

Here we go again.

Taking on a poor-performing, overpaid player for prospects, this isn’t exactly a blockbuster trade, but Hicks is a fairly common name amongst baseball fans.

The difference is Hicks is making $10.5 million for each of ’22/’23 an $9.5 million for ’24/’25. He has a club option for ’26 but that would be swiftly declined. So that’s $40 million for four years.  Hicks hasn’t put up anything resembling even half a season since 2018. When he has played in the past three years (145 games) he’s hit .223 with 22 home runs. This production is similar to the recently signed Kole Calhoun so let’s look at his $5.2 million salary as a base. New York would need to spot some cash to complete this deal so let’s add $20 million to it ($5 million per year). Hicks isn’t going to net the Yankees anything more than a couple of LOW-tiered players himself so he comes attached to Estevan Florial and Stephen Ridings.

Florial is an exceptionally talented athlete. He has great speed and an absolute cannon for an arm. He does come with concern though. He has been sent back and forth between AAA and the majors almost a dozen times but has yet to secure a spot on the big league roster. Concerning from a team that is already OF needy. He also only managed to slash .218/.315/.404 in AAA through 78 games in ’21. His minimal major league experience was positive though. He slashed .304/.440/.550 in 12 games with 23 AB. Most of his value comes with his defensive capabilities which stem from his prior mentioned athleticism. Florial also has some power to be had but would need to be refined to make him an everyday player. Estevan is 24 already so that development would need to come soon and would be best done by him staying healthy.

Stephen Ridings meanwhile comes in with the potential to become a major bullpen piece. The Texas Rangers are still at least a year away from contention, and adding closers/ late-inning relievers is the last step of the process. That doesn’t mean Texas shouldn’t be stacking talent there though. Ridings comes in with an electric fastball that can touch 100 mph. As with any flame thrower though, control is the concern. This profiles him as more of a bullpen piece and anyone who can throw 97-100 mph with life on it has the potential to have a major impact late in games.

In the exchange, Texas sends over what every contending team can never have enough. Reliable relief help and depth. Brett Martin is controllable, cheap, and frankly quite good. He’s not exactly seen as closer material but he has done well in his time on the mound. In the past 2 years, he’s pitched 77 innings and held onto a tidy 2.57 ERA. Cherry-picking stats here, he posted an ERA+ of 248 in 2020. For perspective, 100 is league average.

The favorite trait of a good reliever is missing bats AND not walking people. The latter is what Martin excelled at with only 14 free passes in 62.1 innings for 2021. Joining him on the flight is the long-forgotten and very tradable Sherten Apostel. Apostel was a steal in the Keona Kela deal. He brought much-needed talent to the corner infield spots for a sparse system. Unfortunately, injuries have slowed his growth and he’s since been passed up for a starting or even depth spot. This would benefit the Yankees who don’t have a 1st or 3rd base prospect in their top 10, according to their MLB Pipeline top 30.

Apostel isn’t coming in to be an everyday starter or take over for Voit/Rizzo. He’s depth. He could use some time in the minors to come back from the injury but he isn’t far off. He’s talented and still has a ton of power so his value is there.

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.