The Texas Rangers sit just 1.5 games out of a Wild Card spot and 2.0 games behind Seattle for the AL West lead. Still very much in the playoff hunt.
But MLB.com’s Thomas Harrigan thinks they could end up as sellers anyway, with Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi emerging as potential trade targets.
It’s not as crazy as it sounds.
“The Rangers might have to eat some money, given what deGrom and Eovaldi are still owed, but both pitchers could be popular trade targets for playoff contenders.”
The market’s there. Contenders are scrambling for rotation help – the White Sox, Cardinals, Braves, Padres, Diamondbacks, Blue Jays, and A’s all need starting pitching. When you’ve got two veteran aces with term left on their deals, the phone’s going to ring.
That said, it’s a complicated situation for Texas.
Eovaldi is locked up through 2027 on a three-year, $75 million deal. Any trade would likely require the Rangers to eat salary to get meaningful return. Same goes for deGrom, who’s got three years left on his five-year, $185 million contract.
The money makes things tricky, but controllable starters are gold at the deadline. If Texas decides they need a roster shake-up – and Harrigan thinks they should consider it – moving both veterans would certainly qualify.
It’d be a bold move for a team still in contention, but sometimes you have to think bigger picture. In a seller’s market for pitching, the Rangers could potentially reload their system while cutting payroll.
Whether they’re actually willing to wave the white flag on 2024 remains to be seen. But the pieces are there for a deal if they decide to go that route.
