Rangers made right call by passing on 3-time All-Star catcher at trade deadline

On Monday, the Baltimore Orioles traded three-time All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman to the Boston Red Sox for right-handed pitching prospect Anthony Eyanson (MLB Pipeline's No. 49 overall prospect), catcher Carlos Narváez, right-hander Kyson Witherspoon (Red Sox's No. 4 overall prospect), outfielder Enddy Azocar (Boston's No. 5) and a player to be named later. The Red Sox also received catcher Jake Rogers, whom Baltimore acquired from the Detroit Tigers last week.

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Texas Rangers were interested in Rutschman, 28, but weren't going to extend a better offer than the Orioles.

It sure would've been exciting to see Rutschman, the first overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, land with Texas. The catcher is a former Silver Slugger with 17.3 fWAR and a solid .254/.342/.414 (115 wRC+) slash line throughout his five-year career. The backstop is under team control through next season.

Rangers likely made correct decision by not matching Red Sox's offer for Adley Rutschman

However, the Rangers likely would've had to pay too high a price to acquire Rutschman, given the massive haul the Red Sox surrendered to get the three-time All-Star. Boston desperately needed catching help and appears to be one of the top American League contenders after going 32-5 since June 25, so acquiring Rutschman made perfect sense for them. The Rangers own the third American League Wild Card spot as of Saturday morning but only have a half-game lead with a 58-58 record, suggesting that giving up a huge chunk of the farm system for Rutschman would've been a mistake.

There's no doubt that Rutschman is a big name and has had a strong career. However, a deeper look at his numbers reveals another reason the Rangers shouldn't have offered the Orioles a package similar to the Red Sox's for the catcher.

Last season, Rutschman slashed just .220/.307/.366 (91 wRC+) over 90 games. He has a solid .251/.331/.443 (115 wRC+) slash line this year, but he's hit just .218/.309/.362 across 220 plate appearances since May 1.

Not to mention, Rutschman is currently on the injured list with a wrist injury. He's beginning a rehab assignment on Saturday, so he should be returning soon, but one has to wonder if his wrist will reemerge as an issue later this season. Rutschman's poor numbers since May 1 may be partially due to his wrist, which is a reason to believe he could return to All-Star form if he is fully healthy. However, the injury is also a reason why Texas may have made the correct decision to stay away from acquiring the catcher.

Getting more help behind the plate would have been nice, but the Rangers will have to settle for Logan O'Hoppe potentially righting his ills down in Round Rock.

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