The Rangers sit seven games back in the Wild Card race, sporting a 42-49 record. While they’ve outscored opponents by seven runs on the year and have shown some signs of progress after back-to-back last place finishes, they’re unlikely to reach the postseason in 2022. Impending free agents on non-playoff teams are straightforward trade candidates at every trade deadline, making a Martín Pérez swap viable on paper.
However, both the left-hander and Texas general manager Chris Young have expressed a desire to extend their relationship beyond this season. Talks have not yet gotten underway, but the mutual interest in a long-term contract could keep the Rangers from flipping him to a contender. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes that Pérez is indeed “unlikely to be traded” this summer. Grant suggests the sides could delay the start of extension talks until after the August 2 trade deadline in recognition of the front office’s more pressing need to address other trade possibilities before circling back to try to hammer out an extension next month.
For the front office to forgo the opportunity to deal Pérez this summer before even opening extension talks with his representatives, they’d have to be confident in their ability to work out a long-term deal. Whether the qualifying offer system will remain in place is to be determined over the coming days — the union and league have until next Monday to agree on an international draft that would eliminate the QO — but Pérez would be a longshot QO candidate anyhow. While he’s fresh off a first career All-Star selection and owns a sparkling 2.68 ERA through 111 innings this season, he’d allowed more than four earned runs per nine in each season between 2014-21. He’s demonstrated strong control and induced lofty ground-ball rates, but he’s still missing bats and striking batters out at a lower than average rate.
If the club doesn’t (or is unable to) issue him a QO, Texas would run the risk of losing Pérez for nothing in free agency (barring some other form of draft compensation under a new system attached to the international draft). At the same time, the veteran hurler has gone on record a few times in recent weeks about his desire to stick in Arlington. It’s understandable if Young and president of baseball operations Jon Daniels are bullish on their chances of keeping him around beyond 2022.
It could be an interesting deadline in general for the Rangers, as if the intent is to keep Perez, they’re lacking in obvious trade candidates despite their record and long-shot playoff odds. Rental relievers like Matt Moore and Garrett Richards could be available — Richards has struggled of late but was quite sharp until his past two appearances — but the majority of the Texas roster seems likely to remain in place. If anything, given the team’s desire to push into a win-now mindset and return to contention as soon as 2023, the Rangers could look to gear up for that post-2022 run and add pieces that are controllable beyond the current season, much as they did over the winter when inking Corey Seager, Marcus Semien and Jon Gray to long-term deals.
If they’re able to reach an extension, I understand not wanting to trade Perez. Texas is trying to build rn.
This is a mistake not trading Perez. The Rangers could acquire a prospect or two for trading Perez. Then, in the off-season they can re-sign him if they want to. Another mistake they made earlier this season was not adding Matt Carpenter to the roster and look how well he is playing with the Yankees.
If I’m the Rangers I’m definitely keeping Martin Perez for the playoff drive. Worry about all the free agency stuff later on.
“Playoff Drive” there’s like 5 teams that would get in the wild card before they would
Or those five teams could tank.
This isn’t the NBA. There’s no playoff play-in tournament for 10 seeds.
Ah, the added Wild Card has done exactly what MLB intended….clubs with the “possibility” of qualifying as a WC have visions of grandeur…..with Perez, you’d have to wonder when Cinderella’s coach will turn back into a pumpkin….might as well keep him and see what his back end of the season has to offer …..and then gauge whether it makes sense to sign him longer term……but as Bill Parcells used to say, the odds are, “he is what his record says he is” and nothing more….and that record in multiple previous seasons tells the tale.
As a Red Sox fan he was painful to watch last year, glad he turned it around
Couple quick notes. He may not have the success he did and the first half and that’s okay because the main thing Texas needs is innings. The guys at the upper minors aren’t ready and when they have pitched it hasn’t been good. I’m hopeful someone like Howard has turned it around and Otto can limit the free passes. This has led to a very used bullpen trying to keep games close. Texas trading him creates a bigger hole in the rotation than it may first look like and that doesn’t help them by rushing guys.
He’s pitched to a 4.50 ERA since June 1st. He is the exact same guy he was in Boston – which is a 5th starter on a competitive team.
That being said, I understand keeping him. The Rangers have no replacement starters that are ready and able to mop up innings for the remainder of ‘22 and for ‘23. A reasonably competent franchise would have some guy that could be run out there for that purpose while trading Perez for a lottery ticket in ‘22. But that’s not who the Rangers are.
Does anybody remember Danny Santana?
Oh I do. The guy who careered at 28 and slugged to 850 OPS on a 75 win Ranger team, was the ultimate sell-high candidate, but not traded because the Rangers were approaching a contending window. That window would go on to produce a .370 winning percentage in ’20 and ’21. History has a funny way of repeating itself.
I may be off-base here, Rangers fans can correct me at will, but I would trade Perez for the best available deal and then re-sign him in the offseason. Steal a prospect or two and realign down the road. I understand you can’t make pre-deals and nothing is guaranteed… but I would roll with that premise in this case. The Rangers have even stated that ’23 is their focus and every farm is always looking for more talent.
You have incredibly logical, pragmatic points rooted in a history of what is done on competitive franchises. However, as this is the Rangers, expect the opposite to be performed. Perez will be signed to an above market contract or he’ll walk and the Rangers will come away with absolutely nothing.
They need him to eat innings though. The Rangers starting rotation is threadbare and patchwork as it is.
He eats innings, but until earlier this season, has never shown anything resembling a upper level starter. The Rangers would be foolish to talk extension right now. His next 4-6 starts will determine when, and if, the Rangers start talking extension.
Thing is, everyone in Baseball including the Rangers and Perez himself know that this is an outlier season. Even if they don’t extend him before the season ends there is nothing ssying that they can’t re-sign him over the winter.
I get they need guys who can take the ball every fifth day and eat up innings, but they’d be fools to extend him for anything beyond 2 years. His track record is quite clear about who he really is. I’m happy to see him doing well, but let’s call this season what it is: a mirage. If he can end up somewhere between this and his track record, then 2 years is serviceable. But anything longer than that would a mistake.
Trade him before he turns back into a pumpkin.
He’s got a 4.50 ERA since June 1st. That pumpkin is already upon them.
Keep him his era hasnt average a hundred the past 6 years and we didnt let him walk for nothing before (we did) surely he’ll be an ace when we have to actually pay more than someone else for multiple years of a…well maybe he’ll stay healthy and eat innings. Although according to 99% of rangers fans Leiter, Winn, Rocker, White, Ragens, Porter, Vanasco and Bratt will be in the Cy Young race next year. Sorry Gray Dunning Perez guess you guys will be in round rock