Rangers Place Three On Covid-19 List
The Rangers have placed infielder Brock Holt and right-handers Drew Anderson and Mike Foltynewicz on the Covid-19-related injured list, per a club announcement. Lefty Wes Benjamin and first baseman Curtis Terry are up from the taxi squad to fill spots on the active roster, but the Rangers will play today’s game with a 25-man active roster. Texas has also scratched catcher Jonah Heim due to Covid protocols and will start Jose Trevino behind the dish instead, per an additional announcement. Heim has not yet been placed on the Covid-related injured list.
Today’s placements come just days after Charlie Culberson was placed on the Covid IL. They’ll leave the Rangers with a rather short-handed bench and likely result in some additional roster machinations in the days to come. However, while the Rangers are down a pair of third basemen — Holt and Culberson — Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets that a promotion of top third base prospect Josh Jung is “not in the plans” for the team. Yonny Hernandez and Andy Ibanez will split time at the hot corner while Holt and Culberson are away from the team.
The Rangers now have four open spots on the 40-man roster and will be able to promote players from Triple-A — even those not on the 40-man roster — as replacements without needing to subsequently pass them through waivers in order to return them to Round Rock once Holt, Anderson, Foltynewicz and Culberson make their returns.
Rangers Sign Buck Farmer To Minor League Contract
The Rangers announced that right-hander Buck Farmer has been signed to a minor league deal. Farmer will report to Triple-A Round Rock.
After being released by the Tigers earlier this week, Farmer will move on to the second organization of his nine-year professional career. Farmer was a fifth-round pick for Detroit in the 2013 draft and he made his big league debut the very next season, beginning an eight-season run in the Tigers’ bullpen (with a few appearances as a starting pitcher). While Farmer’s career 5.33 ERA over 320 2/3 innings isn’t impressive, it isn’t entirely indicative of a player who has been at times been a very valuable multi-inning workhorse out of the pen.
The 2021 season itself reflects Farmer’s inconsistency. He posted a 12.66 ERA over his first 10 2/3 innings, resulting in the Tigers designing the right-hander for assignment. Farmer cleared waivers and was called back up to the active roster in June, then posting a 3.65 ERA over his next 24 2/3 frames.
Farmer is controlled through the 2022 season, and the Rangers are only responsible for a prorated league minimum salary for Farmer in 2021 if he reaches their MLB roster — Detroit is paying the rest of what remains of Farmer’s $1.85MM salary for the 2021 campaign. There isn’t much risk on the Rangers’ part in taking a look at what Farmer has to offer, as the team looks ahead to putting some potential pieces together for its 2022 team.
Rangers Select Nick Snyder
The Rangers announced they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Nick Snyder and recalled infielder Nick Solak. Righty Joe Barlow has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a blister on his right index finger, and lefty John King was transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Additionally, utilityman Charlie Culberson has been placed on the COVID-19 IL. Culberson has flu-like symptoms, relays Levi Weaver of the Athletic, but he has not tested positive for the coronavirus.
Snyder joined the Rangers as a 19th-round draft choice in 2017 out of a Florida junior college. He’s worked exclusively in relief as a professional, posting strong performances at every level up through Double-A. Snyder has compiled a 3.05 ERA across 105 career innings in the minors, punching out a strong 29.6% of batters faced while walking a tiny 6.7% of opponents. Entering this season, Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs noted that Snyder works in the 93-96 MPH range with his fastball. He’s been dominant with Double-A Frisco this season, working 16 1/3 frames of 1.65 ERA ball, but has very little in the way of Triple-A experience.
Solak began the year as Texas’ regular second baseman. After a strong start to the season, his bat tailed off considerably. He was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock in late July, carrying a subpar .225/.295/.353 line for the year. Solak has earned himself another look with a strong .353/.409/.459 showing over 93 plate appearances with the Express. The rebuilding Rangers figure to give the 26-year-old another regular look, as Solak was one of the more promising offensive players in the organization during his time as a prospect.
King’s injured list placement was backdated to July 7, and today’s move rules him out for sixty days from that date. He’ll be eligible to come back in early September after missing a couple months with inflammation in his throwing shoulder. The southpaw has been on a rehab assignment with Round Rock but recently felt some unexpected soreness, as Kenndi Landry of MLB.com wrote this week. The expectation still seems to be that King will make it back next month, and today’s transfer gives him a little extra recovery time while opening up 40-man roster space.
Rangers, Assistant GM Shiraz Rehman Part Ways
The Rangers and assistant general manager Shiraz Rehman have parted ways, the team announced. (Levi Weaver and Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic first reported the news shortly before the announcement).
“After discussions with Shiraz, we mutually agreed that it is best to part ways at this time,” president of baseball operations Jon Daniels said in a statement. “Shiraz has expressed a desire to seek a new opportunity where he can utilize his experiences and take on a more significant role than we currently have available. Since joining the Rangers, Shiraz played an important role in our process to shape the future of the franchise and ensure on-field success for the years ahead. The Rangers want to thank Shiraz for his contributions and wish him the very best for the future.”
Rehman had been with Texas since October 2018, coming over after five seasons as an assistant GM with the Cubs. Rehman was one of three AGM’s in Texas, pairing with Josh Boyd and Mike Daly as the top lieutenants for Daniels and general manager Chris Young.
Young was hired as GM last December, which Rehman indicated likely played some role in today’s decision. “I’m extremely grateful to ownership — Ray Davis and Neil Leibman — and baseball leadership – Jon Daniels, Chris Young and Chris Woodward — for the opportunity to work for the Rangers organization, and have enjoyed my 3 years with the team. … Ultimately, the redistribution of front office responsibilities after (Young) came aboard this winter left me with a less fulfilling and impactful role, so we agreed to part ways at this time,” Rehman told Weaver, who hears from others in the organization that Rehman was dismissed as opposed to stepping away as part of a mutual decision. “I am looking forward to my next challenge and wish the entire front office, the coaches, the players, and Rangers fans all the best in the future.”
Interestingly, Weaver reports that the Rangers and Mets have spoken with Reds’ director of pitching Kyle Boddy about a potential position for next season, although he hears that those discussions are unrelated to the team’s parting ways with Rehman. Boddy’s contract with Cincinnati expires at the end of the year, according to Weaver.
Boddy rose to prominence as the founder of Driveline Baseball, an independent data-driven training facility that counts numerous MLB pitchers among its clients. Weaver notes that Young worked out at Driveline during his days as a player, and Boddy consulted with the Rangers on their 2018 amateur draft, so he’s surely familiar with the top decision-makers in the Texas front office.
Jimmy Herget Elects Free Agency
TODAY: Herget elected to become a free agent rather than accept an outright assignment to the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate, the team announced.
AUGUST 13: The Rangers announced they’ve activated starter Dane Dunning from the 10-day injured list and selected the contract of catcher Yohel Pozo. Left-hander Wes Benjamin and first baseman Curtis Terry were optioned to Triple-A Round Rock in corresponding moves. To create space on the 40-man roster for Pozo, Texas designated reliever Jimmy Herget for assignment.
Dunning is back after a minimal absence due to a right ankle impingement. He’s getting the start tonight against the A’s. Acquired from the White Sox in exchange for Lance Lynn over the offseason, Dunning has had a solid year working out of the Texas rotation. The 26-year-old has pitched to a 4.07 ERA over 95 innings. His 23% strikeout rate and 8.2% walk percentage are essentially league average, and Dunning has racked up grounders at a massive 55.7% clip. He looks to be a solid middle or back of the rotation piece over the long-term for the rebuilding Rangers.
Pozo is getting the start at designated hitter tonight in what’ll be his major league debut. Signed as an amateur free agent out of Venezuela during the 2013-14 international period, the right-handed hitting backstop has appeared in parts of seven minor league seasons in the Texas organization. Pozo actually signed with the Padres as a minor league free agent last offseason, but the Rangers almost immediately selected him back in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft.
Entering the 2021 season, Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs ranked Pozo the #56 prospect in the Rangers system, suggesting he could be a reserve catcher in the Willians Astudillo mold. Indeed, Pozo has almost never struck out or walked in his minor league career. His first promotion to Triple-A brought with it a huge uptick in power production, as Pozo has popped 19 home runs in 280 plate appearances after entering the season with 25 long balls in 1733 trips to the dish.
Herget has appeared in the big leagues with the Reds and Rangers, working thirty innings of relief over the past three years. His 4.20 ERA is fine, but the right-hander has only punched out 14.5% of opponents against an elevated 13% walk rate. That said, he’s had a very strong season in Round Rock, tossing 37 2/3 frames of 2.63 ERA ball with much better strikeout and walk numbers (30.6% and 7.6%, respectively). It’s the continuation of a long track record of good minor league work for Herget, who was once a fairly well-regarded relief prospect in the Cincinnati system.
The Rangers will place Herget on waivers in the coming days. Given his solid work in the minors, he could pique the interest of a club looking for some extra bullpen depth. Herget still has a minor league option remaining beyond this season, so any claiming team could shuttle him between the majors and Triple-A through the end of 2022 if he sticks on a 40-man roster.
Rangers Select Yonny Hernandez
The Rangers announced Thursday that they’ve selected the contract of infielder Yonny Hernandez from Triple-A Round Rock. He’ll take the active roster spot of outfielder Eli White, who is headed to the 10-day injured list with a right elbow strain. The Rangers transferred outfielder/designated hitter Willie Calhoun from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster.
Hernandez, 23, will get his first big league opportunity after hitting .250/.424/.323 in 261 plate appearances at the Triple-A level. Hernandez has swiped 21 bases in 31 tries and seen action at each of shortstop (285 innings), third base (183) and second base (85) so far in 2021. That gaudy OBP is the result of a 20.3 percent walk rate, which exemplifies the plate discipline Hernandez has shown throughout his pro career to date. Since debuting as a 17-year-old back in 2015, Hernandez has drawn more walks (15.2 percent) than strikeouts (13.7 percent) in 1904 professional plate appearances.
Hernandez ranks 27th among Texas farmhands over at FanGraphs, where Eric Longenhagen tabs him as a versatile role player with a good glove and a keen eye but a fairly weak contact profile. He’s never ranked among the team’s top 30 farmhands at Baseball America, although BA credited him with the best strike zone discipline of any prospect in the Rangers system in each of the past two offseasons.
Red Sox Acquire Delino DeShields Jr.
The Red Sox have acquired outfielder Delino DeShields Jr. from the Rangers in exchange for cash, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports (via Twitter). While the July 30 trade deadline has passed, DeShields is eligible to be traded by virtue of the fact that he’s on a minor league contract and has not been on a Major League roster so far in 2021. It’s the second post-deadline trade of a notable name who’d been on a minor league deal all season; the Brewers picked up righty John Axford from the Blue Jays in exchange for cash earlier in the week.
DeShields, who’ll turn 29 in less than two weeks, will bring the Sox plenty of speed and provide some outfield depth. He’s had a solid season in Triple-A, batting .263/.392/.368 with five homers, nine doubles, a triple and 16 stolen bases (in 18 attempts). The former No. 8 overall draft pick has walked at a gaudy 16.4 percent clip and fanned in 20.3 percent of his 368 trips to the plate so far in Triple-A this year.
Of course, DeShields has quite a bit of big league experience under his belt as well. He was the most frequently used option in center field for the Rangers from 2015-19 and spent the 2020 season in Cleveland after being shipped to the Indians as part of the Rangers’ ill-fated Corey Kluber acquisition. DeShields had a promising debut campaign as a 22-year-old back in 2015, but his bat never came around as hoped. He’s played in 576 big league games and tallied more than 2000 plate appearances, but the resulting .246/.326/.340 output has been 21 to 24 percent worse than league-average in that time, by measure of wRC+ and OPS+, respectively.
Boston has been giving the bulk of the at-bats in center field to top prospect Jarren Duran, but he’s struggled through his first 53 big league plate appearances, hitting at a .180/.208/.360 clip with a 37.7 percent strikeout rate. Even if the Sox decide they want to give Duran some more time in Triple-A, however, that doesn’t mean DeShields will immediately be called upon. Enrique Hernandez could certainly shift back to center field, and the Sox could also play Alex Verdugo there. With Kyle Schwarber nearing a return from the injured list, he’d be an option in left field should the Red Sox want to temporarily slide Verdugo over; he’s played 225 innings in center already in 2021.
Still, DeShields gives Boston some experienced depth. Perhaps more importantly, he’ll be an interesting option to come up when rosters expand to 28 players in September. It’s commonplace for contending clubs to acquire fleet-footed depth options who can serve as pinch-runners and defensive replacements for the final stretch of the season, although that tactic’s prevalence could drop now that September roster expansion has been considerably reduced. We’ve also seen teams employ dedicated pinch-runners and defensive replacements into the postseason, however, and DeShields will give the Sox an option to consider in that role.
Rangers Place David Dahl On Release Waivers
Aug. 4: Dahl has been placed on unconditional release waivers, the Rangers announced. Other clubs will have 48 hours to place a claim on him, although doing so would require assuming the remaining $871K on his salary. If he goes unclaimed, a team would only need to commit the prorated league minimum to Dahl for any time spent on the MLB roster. That’d be about $184K from now through season’s end.
Aug. 2: The Rangers announced Monday that they’ve designated outfielder David Dahl for assignment. Texas has also selected the contract of right-hander Jimmy Herget, optioned righty Demarcus Evans to Triple-A Round Rock, and added outfielder DJ Peters to the active roster. The Rangers announced earlier in the afternoon that they’d claimed him from the Dodgers.
Dahl, 27, is a former first-round pick and top prospect who looked like a building block for the Rockies early in his career. He debuted at just 21 years of age back in 2016 and immediately impressed with a .315/.359/.500 slash in 237 plate appearances, turning in seven homers, 12 doubles, four triples and five steals in that time as well.
Injuries have played a massive role in derailing that promising outlook, however. Most notably, Dahl suffered a lacerated spleen in an outfield collision before he ever reached the Majors — a frightening injury that ultimately led to an emergency splenectomy. He’s since had a stress reaction in his ribcage, a fractured foot, a high ankle sprain, a lower back injury and a right shoulder strain.
Dahl spent the 2017 season on the injured list but returned to enjoy productive 2018-19 campaigns. The 2020 season was a disaster, however, as he posted a .183/.222/.247 batting line in 99 plate appearances with the Rox and, somewhat surprisingly, was non-tendered in December. The Rangers swooped in to add Dahl on a one-year deal worth a guaranteed $2.7MM, but he’s looked nowhere near the 2016-19 version of himself; in 220 plate appearances this season, Dahl has batted only .210/.247/.322.
As impressive as Dahl was from 2016-19, slashing a combined .297/.346/.521 in more than 900 plate appearances, he’s only mustered a .201/.239/.299 output over his past 319 plate appearances. Given that downturn and the fact that he’s still owed $900K of that $2.7MM salary between now and season’s end, there’s a good chance Dahl simply goes unclaimed on outright waivers. While Dahl has the three years of service needed to reject an outright assignment, he has fewer than the five years necessary to retain his remaining salary in the event that he rejects that outright.
Rangers Claim DJ Peters Off Waivers From Dodgers
The Rangers announced they’ve claimed outfielder DJ Peters off waivers from the Dodgers. Los Angeles had designated Peters for assignment over the weekend.
It’s not particularly surprising to see a team take a shot on Peters, who’s long been considered a prospect of some note. Peters’ combination of big power and enough athleticism to play a passable center field has long intrigued evaluators, even as swing-and-miss concerns have clouded his overall projection. Peters ran strikeout rates approaching or exceeding the 30% mark throughout his low minors tenure, although he hit for enough power to remain productive.
Peters played his way to the big leagues for the first time in 2021, picking up 34 plate appearances over 18 games. He’s otherwise spent the year with Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he’s had some uncharacteristic struggles. The 25-year-old is hitting just .233/.319/.372 with four homers across 204 plate appearances in a hitter-friendly environment, his first season of below-average production in the minors.
To his credit, Peters has actually cut his strikeout rate to its lowest level (28.4%) since his 2016 stint in rookie ball. He also still has an additional minor league option year beyond this season, so the Rangers have time to give Peters plenty of run at Triple-A Round Rock if he sticks on the 40-man roster. There’s no real downside for Texas in taking a flyer on a player with obvious physical gifts who was squeezed off Los Angeles’ deeper roster.
Details On Extension Talks Between Joey Gallo, Rangers
6:30PM: In a follow-up piece, Grant speaks to Boras, who disputes the story that they made a counterproposal north of $300MM. “I asked where they saw Joey sat in relation to Elvis [Andrus] and Anthony Rendon,” Boras is quoted as saying. “There was never a counter-offer or demand made. There was only a question asked.”
3:01PM: The Rangers made a late effort to lock up Joey Gallo, engaging the outfielder in extension talks prior to the trade deadline that ultimately proved fruitless, and Gallo was sent to the Yankees as part of a six-player swap. It doesn’t seem like the two sides even came particularly close on a new contract, as Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports that “a chasm” existed between the Rangers and Gallo’s camp.
Grant reports that the Rangers offered Gallo a five-year, $84MM extension that could have become worth more than $100MM if Gallo hit various incentive clauses and escalators within the deal. Gallo has one year of arbitration eligibility remaining, so this proposed extension would have covered the 2022 season and then four free agent years, keeping Gallo in the fold through his age-32 season.
The asking price from Gallo and agent Scott Boras was, as expected, considerably higher — something north of $300MM. That figure would surely have been spread over a much longer contract (Grant noted the Mookie Betts and Bryce Harper deals as possible comps) than five years, and deferred money or opt-out clauses could well have been part of the deal if negotiations had gotten even somewhat serious. Aiming high with an initial offer is standard negotiating practice, and it could be that Boras was floating a purposely huge number on the slim chance that Texas was desperate enough to keep Gallo that they would accept.
Then again, given how Boras often sets a high bar for his clients, this could be an insight into how Boras will market Gallo for free agent suitors during the 2022-23 offseason (or maybe in extension talks with New York, though the Yankees generally don’t pursue extensions). Boras will undoubtedly highlight Gallo’s huge power, quality baserunning, and excellent defense at any of the three outfield positions. Gallo won a Gold Glove as the Rangers’ regular right fielder in 2020, though his ability to more than hold his own in center field makes him particularly valuable. Teams probably aren’t likely to be keen on a decade-long commitment for a player who will be 29 in the first year of such a deal, but some sort of guaranteed nine-figure deal looks like a very safe bet.
Boras might have an easier time making his case next winter rather than now, assuming Gallo blasts several dozen homers into Yankee Stadium’s short porch in right field over his remaining tenure in the Bronx. At the moment, a $300MM deal is hugely optimistic for a player who played only 70 games during an injury-shortened 2019 season, and Gallo didn’t even provide league-average offense in 2020 as he struggled to adjust to Globe Life Field (among the many other difficulties of the pandemic-influenced season).
“Does that make him more Mookie Betts or Nick Castellanos?” Grant rhetorically asks of Gallo, referencing the four-year, $64MM free agent pact that Castellanos (another Boras client) signed with the Reds in January 2020. Castellanos signed his deal entering his age-28 season, the same position Gallo is in now, and the two have comparable slash lines through the same points in their careers though Castellanos had almost two extra seasons’ worth of games played under his belt. As the Rangers’ offer seemed to reflect, Gallo’s much superior defense would merit him a bump over a Castellanos-esque deal, yet the argument can certainly be made for a much bigger bump than only $800K in guaranteed average annual value.