What do the Rangers need to address at the trade deadline?

KRLD-FM / 105.3 The Fan

With the MLB trade deadline a little over a month away, Ranger fans are hoping for some new additions to get the defending WS champs back on track. What positions do the Rangers need to address at the deadline? Are they even likely to add anyone?

Transcript

00:00Areas of need, what would be your Texas Rangers categories for trade targets, areas of need?

00:08Well, the starting pitching has been fine and help is on the way.

00:12Yep.

00:13All right, so not that. The bullpen, Robertson and Yates have been fine.

00:19Yep.

00:20They're not the problem. Okay, could they use a seventh inning guy, like a real,

00:24a better option at seventh inning? Sure. Is that a glaring need,

00:28especially when you're considering if all the starters come back,

00:31Michael Lorenzen's probably heading to the bullpen.

00:36If Malley and DeGrom are here, let's just say the time where everybody's here.

00:40Scherzer, Ivaldi, Malley, and DeGrom are all here.

00:44And then Gray, Lorenzen's probably an odd man out.

00:48You could use him as a trade chip if you wanted to.

00:51If you had him, why would you? Because you have him for depth.

00:54But you could throw him and Heaney in the bullpen.

00:56And all of a sudden, there's your bullpen help.

00:59And from a position player standpoint, you're going to get Young back.

01:02So you're looking for what? An upgrade for Nate Lowe?

01:06I know it sounds off, but is that the reality when you look at the roster?

01:12You could stand another outfielder.

01:15I mean, if you look at right now, let's just look at OPS plus right now in the outfield.

01:20Who is it is right now? Wyatt Lankford,

01:22Laoti Tavares, Adolis Garcia.

01:23A hundred is considered this is league average OPS.

01:26So basically anything above that is going to be.

01:28This is how much above you are. This is how much below you are.

01:31Wyatt Lankford is a 91 OPS plus.

01:34Adolis Garcia is a 95 OPS plus.

01:36Laoti Tavares is a 75 OPS plus.

01:38They are all below league average in the outfield that you've got to have more consistent bats.

01:42And what are you going to do? What are you going to do besides Laoti?

01:46Now, unless you're going to tell me you're fine with trading for a Lankford

01:51upgrade and then stashing him away and saying your time will come.

01:56Are you going to take him out of the outfield?

01:58That's the way he's playing. That's the way he's been hitting, right?

02:00You're not taking Garcia out unless you trade him away.

02:03You're not going to trade for anyone that you're going to try to upgrade there with.

02:09They're going to give him the respect of what he did last year to continue to have his spot.

02:14So unless you're telling me it's going to be a centerfield upgrade for Tavares,

02:19you're going to bench Wyatt?

02:21Yeah, I mean, that doesn't like if he if he continues to play well,

02:24that'll you'll get some of your questions answered here.

02:25But I think that is OPS plus.

02:27That's something that could be at least better.

02:29And by the way, it doesn't even necessarily have to be a start.

02:31If you just get a strong utility back, somebody who can come in and give you better bets.

02:34You've obviously not gotten nearly what you have in the last couple years from the catcher position.

02:39Jonah Heim's not been hitting as well as he has in previous years.

02:43You're getting nothing behind him.

02:44So I mean, if you wanted to add another catcher, they added a catcher last year was a defensive

02:47one. But I mean, they added hedges.

02:49And so I would wonder if maybe they would look at adding a catching option to be middle infield

02:54outfielder that could be in the rotation there.

02:57And then a catcher would probably be some of the things that stand out.

03:00A lot of the total Sean on the Phanteks are saying we just need a bat in general.

03:03806 says just need a bat desperately.

03:0590940 says need some power, maybe a right handed DH.

03:09And then 214 and 817 both say first base needs to be upgraded.

03:13Yeah, the first base one, I think, is the more obvious one of all of them.

03:16I like Nate Lowe.

03:17I think he's a good player, but I think you can absolutely at that position,

03:21at that position, which is a very big power position.

03:24I think I do think he could do better.

03:27He absolutely could do better.

03:28I mean, Peyton's been telling us that for two years now.

03:30That's his his big enemy.

03:31But I mean, yeah, you could you could get.

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