Jeff Passan links Rangers to three-time batting champ in early trade deadline buzz

What the trade deadline holds for the Texas Rangers remains to be seen. Sitting at 30-32, it's easy to say it's time to pack it in; however, the mediocrity in the American League has the Rangers sitting just a half-game back of the Athletics for the final wild card spot and just 2.5 games back of the Seattle Mariners for the division lead.

While the starting rotation hasn't been spectacular, given the resources invested in it, it has still been solid in comparison to the rest of the league. Combined with the bullpen, Texas has one of the better pitching staffs in the league, ranking sixth in ERA with a 3.72 mark. That is a good reason to focus on contending.

Offense has been the problem, though that might be mitigated soon, too. Wyatt Langford and Corey Seager are on the comeback trail, with Langford being the first expected back with a target return of Friday, June 5, against the Cleveland Guardians. The 24-year-old generated excitement as to what his return could provide, with a big homer in his second rehab game down in Frisco.

The stars coming back will help, but more is needed to boost an offense that has more often than not let the club down. Fortunately, Jeff Passan dropped a little nugget that could provide a real solution, though maybe not a perfect one, to boost the lineup when he suggested that the Rangers could target three-time batting champ Luis Arraez.

Jeff Passan's suggested Rangers trade target, Luis Arraez, isn't a perfect player, but he is a great fit

The Rangers haven't hit for a ton of power, ranking 26th in slugging with a .378 mark and 21st in homers with 60, though theoretically, Langford and especially Seager, if he performs how we hope down the stretch, provide internal solutions to the power problem.

More pressing is the lack of consistent contact. Guys like Joc Pederson, Jake Burger, and Langford are more pop over hit, and All-Star hopeful Josh Jung is one of the few Rangers bats that leans more towards the high contact spectrum this season.

The Rangers' .235 team batting average ranks 22nd in baseball, and the collection of Nicky Lopez, Justin Foscue, Josh Smith, and others who have been run out at second base has contributed to the underwhelming .689 OPS Texas has gotten out of second base.

Arraez is well-known for his contact skills, winning three-straight batting titles from 2022 through 2024, posting averages between .314 and an eye-popping .354 over that span.

However, the 29-year-old has developed a reputation as something of a one-trick pony. His contact has been punchless, his defense has been atrocious, and his speed has been nonexistent.

This year, though, that hasn't really been the case. Arraez has just two homers, but is slugging .430 after posting back-to-back seasons with a .392 SLG. He's getting balls into the gaps more and logging doubles and triples even if the ball isn't flying over the wall.

The biggest development has been his defense. In the past, Arraez has been such a butcher at second base that he's been pushed to first base more often than not, a position his offensive profile doesn't fit well into. The Giants have been miracle workers, however, making Arraez their regular second baseman and watching him flourish with the glove, as his nine outs above average is good for second-most among all big league second basemen.

Finally, Arraez makes just $12 million a year, meaning the Rangers would theoretically absorb somewhere between $4-$5 million in salary should they make a deal. That's a pretty good bang for the buck for a club that spent the offseason trying to find ways to build a contender while cutting costs.

Arraez isn't a perfect player, and by no means is he a star, but the things he does well, he does really well. Those happen to be things that the Rangers could really take advantage of.

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