Texas Rangers rumors: The deep and tradable Texas Rangers bullpen

Lefty strikeout artist

Jake Diekman has also been made available by the Rangers and should cost a fraction of what Kela will net. Not only is he an inferior pitcher, but he only has half a season left. A team would be acquiring him for just the stretch run. While he will not be able to yield as much of a return, the little remaining time on his contract gives the team a greater motive to move him.

In a little over 28 innings of work, he has pitched to the tune of a 3.81 ERA and 3.57 FIP. Granted, his ERA has been ballooned by an incredibly ugly outing on June 26th against the San Diego Padres. He surrendered three earned runs in two-thirds of an inning. Before that appearance, his ERA sat below three.

The southpaw has run reverse platoon splits this season but for his career has been skilled against both sides of the plate. He records an enormous amount of strikeouts with a desirable 11.12 K/9 on the season. That is the good that comes with acquiring Diekman.

The bad is with his command or lack thereof. He currently pairs his stupendous K/9 with an atrocious 5.72 BB/9 and this does seem to be a one-year aberration. The 31-year-old has struggled with walking batters his whole career, but he is taking it to a new level this year.

Still, he does not give up that many homers and churns an above-average amount of groundballs. He is a nice option for those teams without the ample capital to attain Kela’s services. Diekman could slide into a late-inning role somewhat seamlessly.

These are the only two relievers currently mentioned in Texas Rangers rumors. They certainly should not be the only ones in that conversation, though.

Next: Long-term acquisition