Texas Rangers: Three potential offseason trade pieces

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JULY 24: Rougned Odor #12 of the Texas Rangers celebrates a 1-0 win against the Colorado Rockies on Opening Day at Globe Life Field on July 24, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. The 2020 season had been postponed since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

Jose Leclerc

Jose Leclerc is another Texas Rangers player in an interesting and uncertain position. In 2018, Leclerc was one of the best relief pitchers in baseball, posting a 1.56 ERA in 57 innings and striking out 85 batters. The future seemed very bright for the then-24-year-old.

In 2019, Leclerc took over as the Rangers full-time closer. The 2019 campaign started off great, but after a number of blown saves, Texas opted to use Leclerc as an opener. Eventually, Leclerc righted his ship and returned to the closer role, but the numbers haven’t returned to the 2018 elite level.

He posted a 4.33 ERA in 2019 and then saw only two games of action last year after a muscle tear sidelined the young reliever.

Similar to Joey Gallo, Leclerc is a “price is right” scenario for the Rangers. The right-hander is locked into a contract through 2023-24 when a team option comes into play. But, at just 27-years-old, Leclerc is one of the longest-tenured players in Texas.

Next. Deja vu for Elvis Andrus. dark

The best scenario for Texas is for Leclerc to return to his 2018 form and sign a long-term deal to be the Rangers’ closer of the future. But, again, in the middle of a full rebuild, it doesn’t hurt to see if the price is right elsewhere. The Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, and Seattle Mariners are all contending or close-to-contending teams in need of relief pitching next year.

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