Would this proposed Texas Rangers trade package for Matt Olson work?

Do the Texas Rangers need to upgrade at first base? No, not really, since Nathaniel Lowe is certainly good enough. Could they, though? It would be silly not to at least kick the tires when premier talent is available.

That’s evidently what the Rangers have done by doing their homework on free agent Freddie Freeman and trade target Matt Olson of the division rival Oakland A’s. The question is whether Texas would actually pull the trigger on either of them.

Of the two, Olson seems far likelier to acquire, which is ironic in some senses given Freeman would only cost money. But does the latter fit the Rangers’ timeline given his advanced age (32) as compared to the former’s (27)? And not to mention, the money and years needed to commit? They did hand seven years to 31-year-old Marcus Semien, which still gives me some pause even though he’s an amazing player. It’s for these reasons (and rightly so) that Texas seems to prefer Matt Olson in this case.

The staff at Bleacher Report recently put together a hypothetical trade package that would net the Texas Rangers Matt Olson from Oakland for a substantial prospect package. Let’s review it.

Reviewing a proposed Texas Rangers trade for Matt Olson

Really, that’s it for a player of Olson’s caliber? For Lowe and two prospects, sign me up!

I’m not a fan of the Rangers including Harris in this deal, though, particularly given his meteoric rise and well… they acquired from Oakland in the Mike Minor trade, so why send him back there? I think Texas should hold onto Harris, perhaps subbing in other players like Davis Wendzel where the team has loads of infield prospect depth. Foscue seems likely to be dealt in any Olson trade, tough as that may be to live with.

If the Rangers can get away with sending Lowe, Glenn Otto, Foscue and let’s say Davis Wendzel to Oakland for Olson, that would be a steal. But there’s simply no chance of that happening, especially given that the A’s would want more for trading in division. The reality is that the prospect package heading back to the Bay Area for Olson would be nothing short of steep.

Bleacher Report has us dreaming of a steal, though!