Texas Rangers trade deadline target profile: Blake Snell

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As the MLB trade deadline moves closer, pressure is mounting for the Texas Rangers to make at least one more big move, and a starter like San Diego Padres lefty Blake Snell could be the answer. But what would that look like, and what would that cost the team to make a deal for him? Let's break this down, see how it could unfold and forecast what that would mean for the Rangers.

What Blake Snell would bring to the Texas Rangers

To understand this trade possibility a little better, it might help to see what kind of pitcher Snell is. To see what he's capable of, we do have to go back about five years to the 2018 season. As a member of the Tampa Bay Rays at that time, Snell flat-out dominated. While winning 21 games with a stellar 1.89 ERA in 31 starts, he led the AL in several key stats, including wins, ERA and H/9IP. All this earned him the 2018 American League Cy Young Award in just his third MLB season. In fact, his 21 wins and 1.89 ERA didn't just lead the AL, but all of Major League Baseball in 2018.

As a lefty, his go-to pitch for outs varies by situation. He has a top-of-the rotation four-seamer that averages 95 MPH, as well as a downward-moving curveball, and a solid changeup that drops heavily to induce grounders. He also offers a slider with solid horizontal movement that he's depended on less this season than he has previously. However, his changeup and curve have become more reliable for him as a result. This repertoire has helped Snell strike hitters out at a healthy rate of 11.1 per nine innings for his career. What's interesting to note about that stat is that he'd lead all current pitchers in that category if he had at least 1,000 MLB innings pitched, but he's currently 80 innings short of that mark.

As for this season, don't look so much at his win-loss record. Instead, focus on the fact that he sports a 2.67 ERA and has struck out 143 hitters in just 108 innings. And if that's not enticing enough, check out his 6.6 hits per nine and 0.9 home runs per nine rates. Simply put, those numbers are outstanding and would bring plenty to the rotation for the Rangers. And, the lefty has a contract that expires at the end of this season, which could actually make him a tiny bit more affordable.

Next: What the Padres need

What the Padres need

The other side of this trade of course, is the Padres. Honestly, the thought of the them trading Snell would have sounded crazy at the start of the season. Most outlets favored the Friars to take home the NL West crown, or at the very least to clinch one of the three NL Wild Card slots. Yet now, here they are, trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers (whom the Rangers face this weekend in a pivotal three game set) by 10 games, and sitting six and a half games behind the NL Wild Card leaders. Not to mention, another two teams sit between the top wild card teams and San Diego. So, the next question is, "What would the Padres ask for in return?"

Currently, they have a solid, but middle-of-the-road farm system. This is because they sent off many of their key prospects last season to acquire Juan Soto. The Padres did a fantastic job of bolstering the farm with last week's amateur draft. This means the future looks solid for the franchise as a whole, but they could use some players that are closer to making an MLB roster within the near future.

Their biggest needs lie at catcher and bullpen. Texas could offer some relief (no pun intended), but finding a catching prospect might provide a bit more of a challenge. The Rangers do have some platoon player options to offer instead.

Next: Who the Rangers could offer and odds of a trade for Snell happening

Who the Texas Rangers could offer for Snell

As far as arms go, the prime trade candidate for Texas should be LHP Cody Bradford. He has the potential to earn mid-to-front rotation status and could also offer a great long/middle relief option to the Padres as he develops. Since he made his MLB debut just this season, the Friars would hold control of him for at least the next five seasons. He'd be a tough piece for the Rangers to let go of, but he's also a luxury right now that won't hurt things too much if he was traded. And lastly, MLB.com has Bradford towards the bottom of Texas' top 30 prospects. But of course, Bradford alone would not be enough to get a deal done for Snell, so there needs to be a bit more included.

Another option is infielder Justin Foscue. With Corey Seager, Josh Jung and Marcus Semien controlling the infield for the Rangers for the foreseeable future, Foscue is expendable. While he is a top prospect in the organization, he could be a guy that really sweetens the deal with San Diego, but wouldn't completely deplete the system for Texas.

One more arm worth discussing is RHP Zak Kent. At 25 years old, he's ready for the big leagues. However, he's on the mend from an oblique injury that's kept him out most of the 2023 season. He has the stuff though to perform as either a solid starter or a strong late-innings guy. Heading into this season, relief seemed to be his most likely role.

As a final piece to round things out, the Rangers could toss in either Ian Moller or David García. Both rank pretty lowly at the moment within the Texas farm system, but are also both young catchers that could add some value. Both are underdogs to make an impact at the MLB level, but could thrive with the right coaching. And of course, a change of scenery might do the trick for either as well.

What the odds are and some final thoughts

Dealing for Snell might be a longshot, given the needs of the Padres and the players the Rangers have to offer. That doesn't mean it's not worth General Manager, Chris Young calling up his former team and kicking the tires. You gotta start somewhere, right?

The other thing to consider with this deal, is that the Padres could put together some magic over the next week and a half to close the gap in the wild card race. It should also be noted that Snell, himself recently told reporters he'd rather San Diego enter the deadline as buyers and not sellers.

Considering all this, it puts the Rangers at about a 10% chance of making a deal for Snell. Undoubtedly, after losing Jacob deGrom to injury for the season, and an overall feeling of "you can never have too many arms," Snell is worth going after. These next few days will tell whether it's a possiblity or not.

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