Texas Rangers: Joey Gallo and Jurickson Profar Are Untouchable
The Texas Rangers had an incredible June to carry them to the top of the league, but they have cooled since then. They want to make a trade at the deadline, but can they get it done?
The Texas Rangers were playing very well during the month of June, going 20-7 during the month with a five-game win streak early in the month and a seven-game win streak toward the end. With one of the worst pitching staffs in the league (4.45 team ERA), the Rangers were able to win despite their blatant roster issues. The hot June has given them some space in their division, also thanks to going 6-1 against the Astros this season, but their issues are beginning to bite back.
The luck that carried the Rangers through their hot streak has begun to run out and the team clearly needs to make a move for pitching. Last season they made headlines by trading for one of the hottest commodities of the trade deadline, Cole Hamels. No player like Hamels exists on a clear seller this season, so the Rangers are going to have to get creative. Aside from having to get creative in who they would like to pursue, the Rangers have to consider what they are willing to give up.
The Rangers have been in trade talks, but most teams are interested in their incredibly talented young players; players like Nomar Mazara, Rougned Odor, Jurickson Profar and Joey Gallo naturally draw attraction. With Mazara and Odor as clear major league talent, they are almost certainly sticking with the team. When it comes to the extreme interest in the players who have been up and down from the minors to the majors, Gallo and Profar, the Rangers are also holding off on giving them up, and rightfully so.
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Profar is currently up with the Rangers, and he has performed incredibly well. His addition to the team helped propel them into their hot month, and his versatility in the field was incredibly invaluable to a team that battled injuries here and there. Not to mention that he has been holding his own at the plate, hitting .318/.366/.455 with a 116 wRC+.
Gallo has had more struggles than Profar has, but he remains one of the top 20 prospects in any organization. He has made headlines mostly because of his incredible raw power, graded 80 on the 20-80 scale by many scouts. While that power remains very real (16 home runs in AAA this season), it has led to him holding a very high strikeout rate (29.8 percent).
His strikeout rate remains the biggest concern from the Rangers and scouts alike, but this season’s rate has been the lowest of his career at any level, save for a couple stops in the lower minor league levels. His strikeout rate is keeping him in the minor leagues, but he is nearly ready to take the next step once again.
The Rangers holding Gallo and Profar through the trade season shouldn’t be considered what some have dubbed “prospect hugging.” Gallo and Profar are almost locks to make a difference on the major league team, so keeping them isn’t a gamble. Keeping them also isn’t a choice between the present and the future. Gallo and Profar are both part of the future and part of the present for the Rangers, which would make losing one of them for an average to above average pitcher hurt the Rangers more than help them.
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With the trade deadline approaching, the Rangers have some tough decisions to make about what they will or will not add at the deadline. The one fact remains that they have a list of players that are unavailable, which contains Gallo and Profar.