Analyzing Rangers Trade for Merrill Kelly Being Deemed a Great Move

The Texas Rangers have slipped up a bit after the trade deadline, losing two straight games to the Seattle Mariners.

With the American League West shaping up to be a tight race, every game against division opponents is going to be key to making the playoffs.

Currently, Texas finds themselves a few games back of the Houston Astros for first place, but they are squarely in the mix for the AL Wild Card spots.

So far this season, the Rangers have mostly been around a .500 team. However, they got on a hot streak right before the deadline and proved that they should be a buyer at the trade deadline.

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They were able to make a couple of notable additions to keep up with both the Mariners and the Astros in the division. This division was arguably the most improved in baseball at the deadline, and all three making the playoffs is a possibility.

If the offense can get going a bit more for the Rangers in the second half, they have a World Series-caliber starting rotation ready to go. However, this was the unit that they shockingly ended up improving the most.

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the addition of Merrill Kelly for the Rangers being one of the best moves of the summer.

“The 36-year-old was the best rental starter on the market this summer, posting a 3.22 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 121 strikeouts in 128.2 innings over 22 starts with the D-backs, and now he joins a Texas Rangers rotation with the talent to carry them to a deep playoff run.”

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Coming into the trade deadline, the two top priorities for Texas were to improve their bullpen and their lineup.

Of those two needs, they certainly improved the bullpen with a couple of nice additions led by Phil Maton.

However, the real shock came with the Rangers adding arguably the best starting pitcher who was traded. Despite a lot of starting pitchers being rumored to be dealt at the deadline, most stayed put, with asking prices being quite high.

The Arizona Diamondbacks made sure to deal their veteran starter, and he will be joining one of the best rotations in baseball.

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Perhaps the Rangers didn’t see an impact hitter that they wanted to acquire, but they certainly improved their rotation with Kelly. Adding to a strength is never a bad thing, and this rotation is capable of carrying them into the postseason.

If Texas can make it into the playoffs, nobody is going to want to see their trio in a playoff series.

For more Rangers news, head over to Rangers On SI.