Recent defeats send 'sell' signal
GM Daniels will make decision on keeping or trading top assets.
The Texas Rangers would like to add a relief pitcher or two to their roster. They do not want to sell off assets and — have not engaged with any trade partners yet. —
But the team on the field is making it more and more difficult to hold to that strategy.
On Thursday, the Rangers closed out a disastrous four-game sweep at the hands of a left-fordead Baltimore team with a 9-7 loss. It extended their losing streak to five games, matching a season high. That left them five games below .500. And with 10 days to go before the trade deadline, when teams all but formally announce their direction for the remainder of the season, they have started to sink like a stone in the American League wild-card race.
They headed into a threegame series with wild-card leader Tampa Bay beginning Friday with an interested observer on hand: General Manager Jon Daniels. He will make the decision next week on whether to buy, sell or hold.
“Are things going in the direction that they need to go?” manager Jeff Banister asked rhetorically. “No, they are not. But to say this team will falter for an extended period of time, I simply don’t believe that. We were swinging the bats well, pitching well and playing well before the (All-Star) break. I believe this is still a viable team. We are five or six wins from being back where we need to be.
“I know everybody has a date (July31, the trade deadline) on their minds. But the only date I care about is tomorrow. We need to come out and play well tomorrow.”
That would be a distinct change from the four previous days.
On Thursday, starting pitcher Cole Hamels couldn’t hold a fourrun lead. Jeremy Jeffress was the appointed reliever to allow multiple runs. The offense hit a bit, but also ran into three outs on the bases.
“I’m disappointed in myself,” said Hamels, who had thrown 24 consecutive scoreless innings before suddenly losing command in the fourth inning. “I’ve got a job to do, and obviously it didn’t go like it needed to. But we have Yu (Darvish) on the mound (Friday). And that’s a pretty good guy to have.”
The question, though: For how many more starts can the Rangers say that?
If Daniels does decide to sell off some assets and retool for 2018, Darvish is the most likely to bring the highest return. He can be a free agent at the end of the year, but his remaining salary (about $5 million) is affordable. Daniels has shown no inclination to move Darvish but has said the team’s play on the current road trip could affect his ultimate direction.
There are other tradable assets, including a few guys in the last year of their contracts. Mike Napoli is one of them. He hit a threerun homer Thursday and has seven homers in July. He might be increasing his value. Others at the end of their contracts: Catcher Jonathan Lucroy, outfielder Carlos Gomez, and starting pitchers Andrew Cashner and Tyson Ross. There will be interest, though the return isn’t likely to be high.
Daniels isn’t likely to make a decision before the end of the weekend, if then. He must consider the Rangers’ chances and the potential return for his players. At some point, the return will look better than the chances.
The Rangers are reaching that point.