Texas Rangers Hold Onto Lance Lynn and Joey Gallo, Trade Chirinos and Frazier at Deadline
Prior to Monday's 3 p.m. deadline, the Texas Rangers were expected to trade starting pitcher Lance Lynn. Outfielder Joey Gallo was another name on the 'Hot Stove' that could have been on the move if the right offer had presented itself.
Instead, both players will remain in Texas for the remainder of the season.
Lynn was one of the hottest commodities on the trade market with his 4-1 record while holding a 1.93 ERA and 0.92 WHIP through eight games this season. He is firmly positioned at the top of the AL Cy Young award race and would have made an excellent front-line starter for a contending team.
It is surprising that the Rangers decided to hang on to Lynn, but his $8 million base salary in 2021 could be helpful for a team that may not have much capital to work with next season. It's clear no team met the Rangers' reported high asking price for the 33-year-old hurler. The Dodgers, Yankees, and White Sox were reported to be interested in Lynn.
"If there was an overwhelming deal out there, we probably would have made it," said Rangers general manager Jon Daniels. "But … I would not have been proud of some of those deals if we made them, and I don't think our fans would have been happy about it, either."
Perhaps a longer shot to be traded away was Gallo, but his name was still being tossed around as a potential option for the club to cash in on. The slugger has hit seven home runs this season and owns a .759 OPS. His previous seasons tell a better tale on what Gallo is capable of. His asking price was reportedly high, rightfully so.
Aside from the two biggest names remaining with the club, Texas traded starting pitcher Mike Minor to the Oakland Athletics, while also moving catcher Robinson Chirinos and infielder Todd Frazier to the New York Mets in two separate moves just prior to the deadline.
Regarding the two trades with the Mets, Daniels said the Rangers know who the player to be named later (PTBNL) is in one of the trades and have a list to choose from in the other trade. Clubs can only officially trade players in their 60-man player pools during the season, so the PTBNL was used as a loophole to get deals done.
The Rangers seem to be straddling a fence of sorts. They aren't close to contention, but the unwillingness to part with veteran players unless the price was absolutely right means they aren't committed to a tear-it-down rebuild.
"Our moves today were not intended to make any sort of declaration different than where we were a week ago," Daniels said. "Obviously, we're not good enough right now. I mean, that's clear. We've talked about that a little bit. And really, we're just trying to improve. Had the value been there to make some of the deals that we were interested in making like we would have, we would have moved some of our guys. I know it would have been painful, but we would have done it for the right reasons.
"Ultimately, we couldn't and wouldn't force it. It doesn't necessarily change the fact that we know we need to continue to develop a young group and supplement from the outside as well."
With the Rangers planning to cut payroll next year due to revenue loss, it's unclear to see a concrete direction of where the organization is headed. The majority of the higher-end you talent is still very young and needs more time to develop. By that time, Lynn and Gallo will likely be gone, unless the Rangers are very confident they can get an extension done with both players.
The Rangers do have over $70 million in salary coming off the books after the season. Hypothetically, they could add a couple nice players, as well as get a healthy Corey Kluber to join Lynn in the rotation. But it still probably won't be enough to make them a contender.
Editor's note: Rangers insider Chris Halicke contributed to this story.
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