Possible Prospects for Texas Rangers to Trade at Deadline
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The Texas Rangers are looking more like buyers at the trade deadline, which would be the first time in several years they’ve been in that position.
The needs are obvious to most. The Rangers could use more bullpen help and even an additional veteran bat.
But to make a trade you have to deal players away. The Rangers have a stocked minor league system to work with, but the odds of moving a highly-touted prospect, at least as the landscape looks right now, seems remote. But that could change in a month.
Setting aside any obvious trade targets on the Rangers 26-man roster, here are five prospects that the Rangers could deal by the Aug. 1 deadline without depleting the farm system.
INF Davis Wendzel (Triple-A Round Rock)
Recently named Pacific Coast League Player of the Week, Wendzel has been on a power binge of late (nine home runs and 41 RBI through May). The batting average could be better (.242), but he’s a quality fielder that can play multiple positions. He’s played second base, third base and shortstop this season.
Normally, you wouldn’t trade a former first-round pick. But Wendzel — like several other Rangers prospects — is blocked from joining the Rangers because of second baseman Marcus Semien, shortstop Corey Seager and third baseman Josh Jung. Heck, Ezequiel Duran and Josh Smith make it hard to add him as an all-purpose player.
The time may be now to include the 26-year-old in a deal that could get the Rangers some help for a potential playoff run. There are teams that could use his blend of power and versatility.
LHP Cody Bradford (Round Rock)
This sounds a little odd, given the Rangers have started him twice in their rotation. But his second start against Baltimore Orioles proved that he has the ability to pitch at the MLB level. He’s been absolutely lights out at Round Rock this season. But he is 25, has a set of veteran arms in front of him on the Rangers roster and is surrounded by a group of top prospects that the Rangers are eager to call up.
His performance in the bigs gave him value the Rangers could cash in on. If a team comes looking for a young starting pitcher that has shown some promise, dealing Bradford for a reliever or a bat wouldn’t hurt the organization’s depth.
INF Thomas Saggese (Double-A Frisco)
He doesn’t have much pop but he can hit for average (.300 through the end of May) and can play nearly every position in the infield. He’s a Top 30 prospect, but he’s not as highly-regarded as infielders like Justin Foscue and Luisangel Acuña. I don’t believe the Rangers are interested in moving either of them, though they may be enticed when it comes to Foscue, depending on the payoff.
Saggese could be a player used in a package to help the Rangers address needs at the MLB level.
P Tekoah Roby (Frisco)
The Rangers could be inclined to move some younger pitching if the right deal presents itself. Jack Leiter’s resurgence in Frisco probably means the Rangers won’t try to move him. Owen White is close to a call-up, which could come late this year or next year. Roby, a high-schooler the Rangers grabbed in the shortened 2020 Draft, is probably more than a year away.
He has four pitches, great velocity and his makeup is that of a future starter. If the Rangers give him up, the payoff in return should be considerable.
OF Anthony Gutierrez (Low Class-A Down East)
Gutierrez is just 18 years old, but he’s already a Rangers Top 30 prospect and MLB Pipeline writes that Gutierrez would have the “highest ceiling” of any prospect in the organization. That said, he’ll need a couple of more years to be MLB ready. The Washington Nationals were reportedly interested in signing him before the Rangers did. He could be one of those players that the Rangers use as a sweetener in a multi-player deal.
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