Texas Rangers Trade Rumors: Tracking Hot Updates, News and Reaction
What was supposed to be another season lost to injury in Texas has turned into one that finds the Rangers sitting within shouting distance of a playoff berth at the unofficial halfway point despite a losing record (42-46) and a negative run differential (minus-25).
That has general manager Jon Daniels looking to add pieces at the trade deadline, as he explained to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan:
"We've told clubs we would like to help out our bullpen a little bit, and add the right complementary right-handed bat. That's kind of the 2015 short-term. Long-term big picture, adding the offseason mentality to it between now and the winter, we are going to have to consider the balance of our lineup -- left and right. Not only at the big league level, but some of our best prospects in the upper levels are left-handed hitters.
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Then again, should the Rangers get off to a slow start when the second half of the season begins, we could see the club look to move some of its pending free agents, most notably starter Yovani Gallardo.
Keep it here for the most up-to-the-minute rumblings about the Rangers, along with analysis and everything else that comes with it. While the post date will always show as July 15, simply click to the next slide to see the latest about the Rangers as they try to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2012.
Done Deals
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July 29: Acquired LHP Jake Diekman, LHP Cole Hamels and $9.5 million from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for C Jorge Alfaro, RHP Alec Asher, RHP Jerad Eickhoff, LHP Matt Harrison, RHP Jake Thompson and OF Nick Williams
July 31: Acquired RHP Sam Dyson from the Miami Marlins in exchange for C Tomas Telis and LHP Cody Ege
Rangers Are Listening on Yovani Gallardo
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Update: Thursday, July 30 a 2:02 p.m. ET
The market for Gallardo is starting to pick up, with CBS Sports' Jon Heyman listing the Blue Jays, Cubs and Dodgers as the teams with the most interest. Both the Giants and Yankees are keeping tabs on the situation.
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Update, Thursday, July 30 at 10:55 a.m. ET
Gallardo, who has limited no-trade protection, would waive it and accept a deal to Toronto, tweets Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
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Update: Thursday, July 30 at 10:45 a.m. ET
The Toronto Blue Jays are believed to have interest in Gallardo, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Texas remains willing to trade Gallardo if the return is right.
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Update: Saturday, July 22 at 3:27 p.m. ET
Fox Sports' Jon Morosi says that while a trade remains "likely" before Friday's deadline, Yovani Gallardo will make his scheduled start for the Rangers tonight against the Angels.
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Update: Thursday, July 22 at 2:11 p.m. ET
The Dodgers and Rangers have discussed a potential Gallardo deal, according to Fox Sports' Jon Morosi, though no deal is believed to be close.
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Update: Wednesday, July 22 at 6:06 p.m. ET
CBS Sports' Jon Heyman lists Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles (NL) and Toronto as the most likely landing spots for Gallardo, who is expected to be traded.
While the Astros and Dodgers have the deepest farm systems, both the Blue Jays and Royals have some pieces in the upper levels of their systems that could be of interest to the Rangers, both position players and pitchers.
It's still not clear what Texas might be looking for in return.
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Tuesday, July 21 at 9:20 p.m. ET
Texas is fielding offers on Yovani Gallardo, according to a report from Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal, who says that the club might be buying and selling as the deadline approaches.
Gallardo, 29, has performed admirably for Texas, posting a 2.91 ERA and 1.27 WHIP over 117.1 innings of work, but per CBS Sports' Jon Heyman, plans on testing the free agent market after the season.
With so many pitchers potentially on the market, Gallardo's value isn't tremendously high, but the Rangers should be able to land a package of mid-level prospects in a potential deal.
July 29: Traded for LHP Cole Hamels (Tentative)
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Note: As ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweets, this deal will not become official until all medicals have been examined and approved, which won't come until Thursday at the earliest.
It cost the Rangers six players—including a former All-Star—but Texas finally got its man.
Per Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News, the Rangers have reached an agreement to acquire left-handed ace Cole Hamels, left-handed reliever Jake Diekman and cash from the Philadelphia Phillies for a six-player package that includes Matt Harrison and blue-chip prospects Jorge Alfaro and Jake Thompson.
Hamels, 31, has been one of baseball’s most consistent and durable arms for nearly a decade, making at least 30 starts for seven consecutive seasons, logging at least 200 innings in all but one of them (193.2 in 2009).
Not only does he immediately upgrade Texas’ rotation, which ranks 25th in EA (4.43) and 28th in WHIP (1.40), but he gives the Rangers a potentially dominant duo atop the staff when Yu Darvish returns from Tommy John surgery in 2016.
He’s due the balance of his $23.5 million salary this year and at least another $70 million through 2018 (not including a $20 million team option in 2019 that could vest and be worth $24 million). But between the salary shed and money coming from Philadelphia, the Rangers are on the hook for roughly $40 million.
For three-plus years of Hamels, that's reasonable.
Diekman, 28, has struggled badly in 2015 (5.15 ERA, 1.75 WHIP) and doesn’t have great control, averaging nearly five walks per nine innings of work.
But he knows how to miss bats (225 strikeouts over 173.1 innings) and has been especially tough on left-handed batters, holding them to a .219/.307/.270 slash line over the course of his career. He’s under team control through the 2018 season as well.
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The Rangers Are in Talks with San Diego About a Pair of Starters
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Update: Wednesday, July 29 at 6:21 p.m. ET
Talks between the Rangers and Padres "have cooled," according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Jeff Wilson. While the two sides could certainly re-engage each other at any time, it's possible that one (or both) teams is currently exploring other options.
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Update: Wednesday, July 29 at 8:00 a.m. ET
In what can only be called a surprise development, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reports that Texas is as engaged with San Diego about their controllable pitching—specifically Andrew Cashner and Tyson Ross—as they are with Philadelphia about Cole Hamels.
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Saturday, July 25 at 11:47 a.m. ET
You'll have to excuse Texas general manager Jon Daniels if he doesn't make direct eye contact with you, for they're both focused in completely different directions. One continues to search for ways to bolster the club in 2015, while the other is searching for pieces that can be a part of the long-term future.
“We’re realistic about where we are, but we still believe in the team," he told the Star-Telegram's Jeff Wilson. “We’re open and listening, open to talking about deals that make us better in a combination of now and the future. Most of the players we’ve talked about acquiring are multi-year fits, most but not all."
That's why speculation continues to swirl around the possibility of Philadelphia's Cole Hamels winding up a Ranger while the team potentially moves pending free agents like Yovani Gallardo and Wandy Rodriguez.
Could Mitch Moreland Bring Texas a Young Arm?
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Wednesday, July 22 at 5:12 a.m. ET
With only a handful of impact bats potentially available, Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports that multiple teams have reached out to the Rangers about acquiring first baseman/designated hitter Mitch Moreland.
The 29-year-old is in the midst of his breakout campaign, finally able to stay healthy enough to put up the numbers that Texas long believed he was capable of which, according to Rosenthal, has the Rangers unmotivated to move him.
Yet if a team were to come along and offer a young starting pitcher with upside that's nearly major league ready, it might be hard for the Rangers to pass it up—especially with Joey Gallo waiting in the wings down at Triple-A as a potential replacement at first base.
Wandy Rodriguez Is Drawing Interest
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Update: Wednesday, July 29 at 4:40 p.m. ET
The Rangers have designated Rodriguez for assignment, per Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. It's highly unlikely they'll find a taker for him before Friday's deadline. He figures to eventually be released.
--End of Update--
Thursday, July 16 at 8:25 p.m. ET
Teams have expressed interest in 36-year-old Texas southpaw Wandy Rodriguez, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan, noting that the Rangers have been told that Rodriguez could be a fallback option for clubs if they fail to land their primary targets before the trade deadline hits.
Rodriguez has been solid for the Rangers, going 6-4 with a 4.07 ERA (4.14 FIP) and 1.45 WHIP with 68 strikeouts over 84 innings of work. While he's not going to bring back a substantial haul for the Rangers, he's worth far more than anyone imagined he'd be when the team signed him to a minor-league deal.
Could Ryan Raburn Be the Complementary Right-Handed Bat Texas Seeks?
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Adding any complementary piece isn't an overly exciting or sexy move for a team to make, but it's the kind of addition that could have a big impact on a team's success down the stretch.
It's all speculation on my part, but one player who fits the description of what Texas is looking for would be Cleveland's Ryan Raburn, who could become available if the Indians decide to sell at the deadline.
Raburn, 34, has crushed left-handed pitching this season, posting a .314/.398/.559 slash line with 17 extra-base hits (four home runs) and 17 RBI over 102 at-bats. He's not going to cost much in terms of prospects to acquire, and with a reasonable $3 million team option on his deal for 2016, he could be more than a short-term rental.
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