Rangers left-hander Drew Smyly turned in his latest disastrous performance Sunday during a 9-8 loss to the Athletics, who clobbered him for five earned runs on six hits (including a pair of home runs) and two walks in three innings. Smyly now owns an 8.40 ERA/7.66 FIP in 45 innings this year, and his already tenuous grip on a rotation spot is getting weaker.
Given that Smyly suffered an ankle sprain last month and hasn’t fully healed, the Rangers are at least considering placing him on the 10-day injured list, manager Chris Woodward said (via Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News). Regardless, the playoff-contending Rangers could acquire a starter, which would enable them to eject Smyly from their rotation. The club may be seeking “external possibilities,” Grant writes, but general manager Jon Daniels doesn’t seem optimistic about landing anyone so far in advance of the July 31 trade deadline.
“We don’t have a lot of options. There’s not a ton of pitching readily available,” Daniels said.
As things stand, lefty prospect Joe Palumbo – who made a shaky MLB debut in a win over Oakland this past Saturday – remains their most likely Smyly replacement. Meanwhile, fellow Double-A starter Jonathan Hernandez is not yet on the Rangers’ radar for a promotion, reports Grant, who also names Triple-A righty Seth Maness as a potential call-up. Maness, 30, is a longtime reliever who has never made a start in 252 major league appearances, but he’s working exclusively out of the rotation in the minors and averaging just under six innings per appearance this season. Promoting Maness would require the Rangers to add him to their 40-man roster, Grant notes.
If the Rangers do drop Smyly in favor of Palumbo or Maness, it would still be hard to have much confidence in the back of their rotation. Mike Minor, Lance Lynn, Adrian Sampson and Ariel Jurado have all impressed (in a limited sample size in the latter’s case), though the Rangers are likely going to need another competent starter in order to maintain a playoff spot. While the Rangers didn’t enter 2019 looking like postseason contenders, they’re 35-30 with a plus-33 run differential and hold a two-game lead on the AL’s final wild-card spot. That could lead Daniels to buy going up to the deadline, when Matthew Boyd, Madison Bumgarner, Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez might be among available starters. However, whether Texas will like its chances enough to make a significant acquisition along those lines is anyone’s guess.
Sanchez makes sense.
Chris Archer is available, call me – Neil Huntington
Smiley should have started the season in the bullpen. The Royals were very smart to use Mike Minor out of the bullpen when he finally got healthy. And look how Lance Lynn has progressed after his TJS. Command is the last to recover. Next year, Smiley should be good wherever he pitches—barring another injury
Only controlled starters. We don’t need to give up assets for a rental. We aren’t winning the WS with this bullpen.
So proud of what this team has accomplished the first few months of the season, Considering all the sports stations MLB network and even the moderators of these sites have picked up buried dead last, Rangers showed heart coming back and beating Boston last night, Boston has a great team.
As for pitching, yes we need another starter without having to give up what’s left of the farm, but, we’re gonna need someone for a few years so we might as well sell off the good tractor.
The four mentioned in the article above would be a nice addition, but I’m not sure what Daniels is thinking,I have an idea he’s looking to go cheap again or double a help. We will have to wait and see.
Not the good tractor! Nooooo!
Did I mention that Drew Smyly needs taken out of the rotation.
Please don’t acquire someone. Sell everyone at their highest value and stack our farm.
Sell everyone? You are far from intelligent. Don’t need to sell. Keep what ya got since payroll is way down from past. Keep Minor since he’s under contract for 2020 and add one ace(Cole) and 3rd baseman(Rendon). Payroll has the space for them. Start 2020 in the new stadium kicking serious ass!
IF payroll has the space, your suggestion has merit.
Dilly dilly!
I hope Dipoto lost Smyly’s cell #