Rangers Interested In High-Leverage Reliever Right-Handed Ba

Things have been looking up in Texas recently. The Rangers have won five straight games, 14 of their last 20, and 26 of their last 41. According to , the clubs front office is moving closer to adding than subtracting. For a club thats just half a game out of a Wild Card spot as things stand, it would be somewhat shocking if they opted to sell at this point. Should the Rangers commit to buying, Rosenthal went on to highlight two areas of need for the roster: a high-leverage reliever and a right-handed bat. Both are reasonable needs for the club to focus on. The Texas bullpen has actually been quite strong this year overall, but their recent lo s of to the injured list created some uncertainty at the back end. Whats more, the Rangers dont have a locked in closer at Kyle Cody Jersey the moment, meaning they could be a strong fit for a number of veteran closing options who could hit the market like of the Cardinals, of the Braves, or perhaps even of the Angels should Anaheim decide to sell this summer. A longer-term addition like Twins closer or Rays closer could also make plenty of sense for a club that is sure to be attempting to compete for years to come, though those names would inherently come with a higher acquisition cost than a player ticketed for free agency this winter. As for a right-handed bat, the Rangers offense has been lackluster all season. has been elite as always, is reliable as ever as a super-utility bat, and the duo of and have turned in above average results in the outfield. Everyone else has fallen short of expectations this year, however, and while some veterans like have managed to turn things around enough over the past two months to bring their season-long numbers up to a respectable level the club still has the sixth-worst offense in baseball on the season. Those struggles have been most pronounced against left-handed pitching, which perhaps isnt a surprise given that Seager, Carter, and Smith all bat lefty. Against southpaws, the Rangers have produced a wRC+ of just 75. Thats better than only the Pirates and Rockies amongst all MLB clubs. Diamondbacks third baseman is the best right-handed hitter available this summer, and given the lackluster performance of (91 wRC+) at the hot corner this year the veteran could make plenty of sense for Texas. The bidding for Suarez figures to be contentious, however, with a number of clubs having been connected to the infielder already. Switch-hitting Twins utility man , Orioles outfielder , and Rays first baseman would all be strong additions and are rumored to be varying levels of available. Any of those players could fit the Rangers roster given the below average production theyve received from the majority of their lineup, though it would be a surprise to see the club bench someone like to make room for a player like Laureano in the lineup. Of course, any conversation about the Rangers buying must include reference to their precarious position regarding the luxury tax. Club ownership was clearly motivated to keep the club under the tax entering this season, and as things stand the Rangers are just over $6MM below the first threshold of the tax according to . That doesnt include future incentives and escalators in the contracts of existing players, meaning the Rangers have very little room to maneuver at this point. Selling a piece or two to clear more budget space could be an option, though any piece of significance dealt would have to be weighed against the production lost by trading them. Another option could be trading with teams willing to pay down their players salary, but that could be complicated by the fact that any deal where the selling club kicks in cash would presumably involve a much higher asking price than if the Rangers took on the players salary entirely. Ferguson Jenkins Jersey