Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers no longer have the worst bullpen ERA in baseball, but they do still have the worst in the American League, edging out the last-place Minnesota Twins. They’ve also struck out the fewest hitters in the AL, and opponents have hit an astonishing .791 OPS against them.
In short, the Rangers need to improve their bullpen if they want to hold on to their lead in the AL West. Like the Cubs, they have a ten-game lead over their closest division rival, and it’s imperative that they make some moves in order to hang on to that advantage. Doolittle would be a good fit for Texas, and Billy Beane has never hesitated to trade with a division rival mid-season if he can get what he wants in return.
General manager Jon Daniels has expressed repeatedly in recent weeks that he’s not yet ready to make moves, focusing instead on the pitchers that are currently on the disabled list and may return soon.
"“We want to get our arms around where our guys are,” Daniels said. “We want to know who will be back and what to expect from them. We’re spending most our time on that.”"
But that would be pretty foolish for the Rangers, given that the rest of the team is playoff-worthy. Their rotation has the second-best ERA in the AL, behind only the Cleveland Indians – it’s just their bullpen that needs to improve.
Daniels points to relievers like Keone Kela and Tanner Scheppers, who will be back from the disabled list before the deadline – but none of them are on the same level as Doolittle.
Next: The Miami Marlins