The first half of the season has not gone the way that the Rangers or their fans would have thought. The team is sitting at 44-46, which is good for the third in the division and four games out of a wildcard spot.
The big thing that has held them back has been the lineup as they haven’t received the contributions that they thought they would be getting from some players. They could also use another arm in the bullpen to make sure they don’t get overworked.
Below, I have listed three targets that the Rangers could have their eye on.
Josh Naylor
The Rangers have not gotten good production out of Jake Burger or Joc Pederson as both of them have struggled mightily in their first years with the team.
Burger has just slashed .228/.261/.400 along with 10 home runs and 29 RBIs. His slash line are all career lows for him. Pederson’s slash line is even worse with it being .131/.269/.238 with two home runs and six RBIs. Pederson is also dealing with a broken bone in his hand and has been sidelined since May.
I don’t have to tell you that this is terrible production. The Rangers are also getting this from positions that don’t do a lot defensively and are normally thought of as bat first positions. That is where Naylor comes in.
His slash line is .298/.352/.460. That would give him the best batting average on the team, the second best OBP (0.02 behind Josh Smith), and the best slugging percentage on the team.
Naylor could bring a big boost to the Rangers lineup as he would be someone that they can slot in the three hole or cleanup spot. He would also be able to hold down the lineup while the rest of the hitters try to get back to their old selves or get back from the injured list.
Now, the question for most fans is what would the Rangers have to send back to the Diamondbacks in the trade. It has already been reported that Naylor is going to bring a lot back and there will be interest from other teams. One thing helping the Rangers is that Naylor will only be a rental, so that will bring his price down.
For the Rangers to get Naylor, it would likely take one of their top five prospects along with two mid level prospects. I could see a package of No.3 prospect Winston Santos, No.12 Abimelec Ortiz, and No.24 David Hagaman going back to Arizona. I think this would be a lot, but I think that it would get the job done for Texas and it might be what they need to do to keep their season alive. All of the prospect rankings come from MLB.com.
Jordan Beck
I want to start out by saying that I don’t think that Beck will get moved this deadline, but I think that he would fit in well on the Rangers. If I were Chris Young I would give Colorado a call to see if they were interested in moving him.
Beck has a slash line of .264/.319/.454. That would put him just behind Josh Smith and Evan Carter for batting average, just behind Smith for OBP, and he would have the best slugging percentage on the Rangers. He also has 10 home runs which would have tied for third on the team with Garcia and Burger.
The parts of his game that could have people be hesitant about is how much he strikes out. His whiff rate is at 29.8%, his strike out percentage is 27.5% and his walk percentage is 6.6%. All of these rank below league average. He is still young and can have room to grow his game.
Beck could be a starter in the outfield for the Rangers or he could slot in as the designated hitter. The outfield would consist of him, Garcia, Carter, and Langford. Beck, Langford, and Carter would make up the outfield for the future and would form a good foundation for the outfield.
Jordan Beck would be a move to help the Rangers now and in the future as he is just 24 years old as he would not be a free agent until 2031 and not arbitration eligible until 2027.
The trade package would be steep I would start with No.6 prospect Alejandro Osuna. I would also throw in No.11 pitching prospect Kohl Drake and No.16 outfielder Anthony Gutierrez. This would be a big package for the Rangers to give up, but Beck could be a big piece for them for years to come.
I am also a believer in not holding onto prospects and I would rather turn them into proven major leaguers who can help them win.
Jake Bird
If the Rockies are telling Chris Young no to Beck, then he can just ask them about Bird and they’ll be more open.
Bird has a ERA of 2.79 and a strikeout rate of 28.6% which puts him in the top 15% of MLB relievers. His ERA would give him the third lowest on the team right behind Chris Martin who has a 2.20 ERA and Hoby Milner who has a 2.42 ERA.
Bird would be a welcome addition as the Rangers bullpen has been overtaxed lately due to the offense not being able to put games away earlier. The normal closer Robert Garcia has had some issues lately even if he isn’t losing games he has been issuing walks and giving up hits.
Over the last month, Garcia has allowed five runs while he only allowed six runs over the rest of the year. I am not saying that Garcia is bad, I am just saying that bullpen has had to pitch more and it is starting to show.
Hoby Milner has had some issues too, Luke Jackson has become none reliable as he appeared against the Padres and allowed two runs without recording an out.
Bird is an expiring contract and a reliever, so Texas won’t have to part with any top prospects. In this situation, I have them shipping off No.20 pitching prospect Josh Stephan who has showed some upside, but is currently in double A with a 5.84 ERA.
These are some of the players that the Rangers could look into and should ask about. While some are more likely than others, I think that the Rangers should look around the market and try to be a bit aggressive to try to wake up the bats or shore up the bullpen. With this historic pitching staff, the Rangers could make noise if they get into the playoffs.
