A look into the White Sox bullpen, and the arms that could help the Texas Rangers

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Breaking news: the Texas Rangers are in need of bullpen assistance. Ok, maybe it's not exactly breaking news, but the Rangers do still need some help out in the pen. That was a fact before last night's debacle of a game in Houston, and it remains a fact after the said game.

The Rangers already added a strong arm and resume to the bullpen with the addition of Aroldis Chapman, in late June. He has been lights out for the Rangers until last night, but that is just the way baseball goes sometimes. The pen as a whole this year has a 4.80 ERA which is the fourth worst in MLB.

Ironically, the White Sox have the fifth highest ERA for relievers at 4.66. With that being said, there are a number of quality relievers on the White Sox roster that could help out in the pen for the Rangers. Chicago is going to be selling for sure, as they are well back in the playoff picture at 12.5 games behind Minnesota in the AL Central and 15 games out of a wildcard spot. Perhaps the two teams can come up with a trade that makes sense for both clubs. The Rangers don't want to sell out for just this season but are more than willing to part with some prospects to bolster their chances of success in 2023.

Here are four White Sox relievers that the Texas Rangers could target to bolster the bullpen

Keynan Middleton - rental

The first option for the Rangers to consider is Keynan Middleton. The 6'3" - 215lb righty, has a 95 mph four-seam fastball but has relied heavily on his changeup this season. In fact, Middleton has thrown the change 43.9% of the time this season compared to 29% sliders and 27.1% four-seam fastballs.

Middleton started the year as one of the hottest relievers in baseball. From his first outing on April 11th thru June 9th, he appeared in 23 games. In that timeframe, Middleton pitched 21 1/3 innings, struck out 28, walked 7, had a batting average against of .195, and a 1.27 ERA. Since that time, he has pitched in 14 games, thrown 13 innings, struck out 16, walked eight, allowed four home runs, had a batting average against of .255, and a 6.92 ERA.

In a world of what have you done for me lately, this trade target seems like a bit of a stretch. Now, if the Rangers scouts have identified a reason for the lack of production over the last six weeks, then they may take a flier on Middleton. Or perhaps he is paired with one of the other relievers to be listed or even one of the White Sox starters that will be available. The price for Middleton should not be that high as he is a rental that has been struggling lately. He has quickly gone from a huge trade chip, to one that might not make sense for a team looking to make a deep playoff run in 2023.

Joe Kelly - 2024 $9.5M club option or $1M buyout

Joe Kelly is a name that has been flying around on the Twitterverse for quite some time as a possible fit for the Rangers. And why not? He checks a lot of the boxes that GM Chris Young is bound to be looking for when searching for bullpen help. First off, he is a hard throwing right-handed pitcher with lots of skins on the wall. As a two-time World Series champion ('18 Red Sox, '20 Dodgers), he has been in some of the most pressure-packed situations that a reliever can be in.

He is also not a closer, nor has he ever been one. What he has done, and enjoys doing, is pitching in the high leverage situations, no matter the inning. That has been his deal for quite some time (he is 35 years old) and one that he has done well with. Kelly is also not a fan of the Astros and that would make him an instant hit with Rangers fans.

After a brief stint on the IL with arm tightness, Kelly was added back to the roster on Saturday and pitched the sixth inning against the Twins on Sunday afternoon. He looked electric in his one inning of work. Kelly did give up a hard double after falling behind to the second batter of the inning, but he also struck out the side. His fastball was sitting 98 to 100 mph and his curveball was sharp. The Rangers' scouts will no doubt be watching to see how he performs and feels over the next week.

Reynaldo Lopez - rental

Reynaldo Lopez is the 29-year-old, flame-throwing righty from the Dominican Republic. He is a fastball and slider guy, and with his stuff, why not? He has thrown his four-seam fastball which averages 98.3 mph 61.8% of the time this season and his 87.9 mph slider 31.4% of the time.

Lopez has had the reverse season that Middleton has had. He started out slow and has been pitching great over his last 24 games. From a season standpoint, Middleton has slightly better results, but from May 14 on, Lopez has the superior numbers. The struggle was real early on. In his first 19 games and 16 1/3 innings pitched, he had 24 strikeouts, eight walks, six home runs allowed, a batting average against of .299, resulting in a dismal 8.27 ERA.

However, in his last 24 games and 25 2/3 innings pitched, Lopez has 28 strikeouts, 14 walks, one home run surrendered, a batting average against of only .148, and a 1.75 ERA. Talk about the hot hand. MLB relievers are an interesting lot, and their stock can rise and fall quicker than the latest cryptocurrency. The Rangers would love to add a hard throwing right-hander to the bullpen, and Lopez might fit the bill.

Kendall Graveman - one more year of control @ $8M

Kendall Graveman has stepped up for the White Sox this year and taken over the closer duties that were vacated due to Liam Hendricks being sidelined with first cancer and then injury. Graveman has struggled a bit since the end of June but still has solid numbers for the season.

For the year, he has been a part of 44 games and 43 innings pitched, struck out 41, walked 20, given up 6 home runs, has a 3.56 ERA, and a 1.209 WHIP. He has also held opponents to a .207 batting average this season. After a rough outing in his last appearance where he allowed three runs in an inning of work, his ERA went from 3.00 on the year up to its current mark of 3.56.

Graveman is also a right-handed pitcher that has thrown in some high-leverage spots. He has handled the closer duties this year but is fine with a supporting role as well. Also, is there a better name for a shutdown reliever than Graveman? I think not! The cost of acquisition for the 32-year-old reliever will be higher as he still has a year of control beyond this one and at the price tag of $8 million. Adding the veteran reliever to the mix in the Rangers bullpen would be welcomed by Bruce Bochy as he navigates the Rangers through the rest of the regular season and hopefully well into October.

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