Was Rangers Trade Deadline Deal for Chase Silseth, Logan O’Hoppe Worth It?

Looking back on the Texas Rangers’ late July trade, did they get what they were hoping from the two former Los Angeles Angels?

Texas Rangers pitcher Chase Silseth. Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When the Texas Rangers traded for Los Angeles Angels reliever Chase Silseth and catcher Logan O’Hoppe, there was hope in the air.

It was the first move the Rangers made leading up to the deadline. It was nearly a week before the deadline so there was hope that Texas might make more moves. It didn’t turn out that way.

Texas only made one other trade after that, and the Rangers finished one game under .500, one game behind the Houston Astros in the American League West.

So, was the dead worth it? Let’s look back.

Assessing the Silseth-O'Hoppe Trade

Texas Rangers designated hitter Logan O'Hoppe. Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Rangers only had to trade infielder Angel Arredondo, a low-level minor league prospect, to acquire Silseth and O’Hoppe. The latter was assigned to Triple-A Round Rock immediately after he was acquired. That was the plan. The larger move was to get Silseth, a right-hander who could give Texas another power arm and bolster a bullpen that was starting to buckle under the weight of use.

When the Rangers acquired him, he was 3-2 with a 2.72 ERA in 47 games. He struck out 48 and walked 22 in 39.2 innings. That’s the kind of strikeout rate and ERA Texas was looking for.

But it didn’t translate with Texas. Silseth made 26 appearances with Texas as he went 0-2 with a 5.31 ERA. He struck out 26 and walked 13 in just 20 innings. He gave up as many earned runs with Texas as he did with Los Angeles in half the innings. His opponent batting average went up from .230 with the Angels to .266 with the Rangers.

Strangely, he finished with as many holds (nine) with Texas as he did with Los Angeles. Ultimately, he didn’t have the impact that the Rangers hoped.

O’Hoppe wasn’t expected to do much for the Rangers but he did get 10 games, all at designated hitter, and slashed .353/.333/.412 with an RBI as a right-handed hitting DH against left-handed pitchers. It was far better than the .209/.271/.295 that he slashed with the Angels. But didn’t get to play enough to impact winning.

Part of the reason the Rangers went after both players was control. Silseth is a pre-arbitration player and O’Hoppe is about to hit arbitration. So, Texas traded for two players they’ll control the rights for the next few seasons. If Silseth bounces back and O’Hoppe can be a capable tandem with Danny Jansen, then the long-term view of this trade is much better than the short-term view.

As for Arrendondo, his numbers at Class-A Rancho Cucamonga went up, with a slash of .283/.383/.391, with one home run and 11 RBI in 24 games. He’ll get plenty of runway to develop for the Angels.

If the trade was about helping the Rangers reach the playoff this year, it fell short. But the final verdict comes in a few years when Silseth and O’Hoppe have finished their time with the Rangers.