DALLAS — Now that the American League can return the All-Star team to its rightful owner, a man who also just walked away with the draft’s biggest steal, Chris Young can get back to fixing what ails the rest of the Rangers.
Fortunately, your intrepid reporter is here to help with the heavy lifting.
You’re welcome.
A cynic might contend the Rangers are regressing to their historical record instead of simply the mean after one of the most torrid starts in MLB annals. But I’m here to tell you not to worry so much. Nothing a little pitching can’t fix.
The question is: How far does the general manager think the Rangers can go this season, and how much is he willing to sacrifice to get there?
Does he make a big splash, raking off the top of the farm system in the process?
Or does he make a couple of ripples and wait to go all in next year?
Of course, Young isn’t tipping his hand now with nearly three weeks left until the deadline. Even so, check his track record. He’s not exactly the patient type. He went big in the offseason, even if the only real hit was to Ray Davis’ wallet.
Giving up prospects is another matter entirely, though Young sent Cole Ragans, a former first-round pick, to Kansas City for Aroldis Chapman.
Would he consider trading Owen White or Jack Leiter or Justin Foscue or Zeke Duran? For the right pitcher or pitchers, yeah, he should.
Cleveland is in first place in the miserable AL Central, but if the Guardians should go in the tank over the next couple of weeks, Shane Bieber might become available. Maybe Emmanuel Clase, too. Bieber doesn’t throw as hard as he used to, but his numbers are still good. He’s also making just $10 million and isn’t a free agent until after next season.
Otherwise, no matter what happens the rest of the month, the White Sox already are toast. They’ve got some interesting arms, too. The Rangers reportedly will be asking about Lucas Giolito, a rental. Normally he shouldn’t cost much, but the supply of starting pitchers who could slot into a playoff rotation isn’t deep. If the asking price on Giolito is too stiff, what about Lance Lynn? He’s rebounded nicely after an awful start. Still throws hard and misses bats and knows the neighborhood. Might not give up as many home runs in the Globe, either.
Eduardo Rodriguez is another rental putting up a career year in Detroit. Same for James Paxton in Boston.
The Rangers need another starter after the loss of Jacob deGrom and a decline in performances by Martin Perez, Andrew Heaney and, lately, Jon Gray. Gray probably just needs a reset after a terrific start. The prospects for Perez and Heaney don’t seem as likely. Either could move to the bullpen if Young finds another starter. Another reason for adding a starter is to take a little stress off the bullpen and provide a reliever who can soak up innings, thus compressing the need for help to the seventh through ninth.
Basically, the bullpen, already thin, still hasn’t recovered from Dane Dunning’s promotion to the rotation. Meanwhile, no one on the 40-man roster other than Chapman is a viable candidate as a closer on a playoff team.
Meaning that, besides a starter, Young probably needs to add at least two big arms for the back of the bullpen.
Which is a lot to do in a little less than three weeks.
And that’s even if he has the stomach for it.
On the other hand, if Young believes in this team’s chances and added any two of, say, David Bednar or Kendall Graveman or Scott Barlow, it could do wonders for the morale of a team clinging to first like Tom Cruise dangling from an upended railroad car.
Nothing demoralizes a clubhouse like a bullpen on fire. Statistics tell us the Rangers’ bullpen ERA of 4.01 is the 12th-best in baseball and its 1.21 WHIP is an incredible fourth. The 16 blown saves? No worse than a tie for ninth.
Our eyes, on the other hand, tell us the Rangers’ bullpen is gutted, its WHIP whupped.
Of course, this isn’t exactly news. Some of you have been hitting the panic button like you were playing pinball. Yours truly asked the manager two weeks into the season if it was time to be worried.
Two weeks into last season, to be exact.
Chris Woodward acknowledged then that the bullpen’s issues were problematic but cautioned that it was no time to panic. Famous last words. If Woody had known then what he knows now, he’d have bought more insurance.
Bruce Bochy has a lot more to work with than Woodward or Jeff Banister did, but pitching remains a bugaboo. Is the problem too big to fix at one trade deadline? Can Young really afford to tell his players they’ll have to wait until next year? Tough questions. Fortunately, we won’t have to wait long for answers.
