Rangers Trade Profar

The Texas Rangers have pulled off a 3 team deal involving the Oakland A’s and Tampa Bay Rays.

The Rangers sent Jurickson Profar to the A’s. They also sent minor league pitcher Rollie Lacy to the Rays. (He was one of the three pitchers the Rangers got in the Cole Hamels Trade.)

The A’s sent pitching prospect Emilio Pagan and the 38th overall pick in the 2019 draft to the Rays. They also sent AA infielder Eli White and international bonus money to the Rangers.

The Rays sent pitching prospects Brock Burke, Kyle Bird and Yoel Espinal to the Rangers.

There are a lot of moving parts involved in this deal. But the headline for the Rangers return seems to be Burke, White and international pool money.

Burke who was a third round draft pick by Tampa Bay in 2014 had not pitched a lot in his first three years of pro ball. Like Texas does now, he was in a strength and conditioning program designed for high school pitchers entering pro ball. But this year he started out in high A ball ended by making 9 starts in AA. In those nine starts he was 6-1 with an impressive 1.95 ERA. He also struck out 71 batters in 51 innings. He is left handed and throws 90 to 94 mph and has touched 96.

White was an 11th round pick by Oakland in 2016. He spent last year in AA where he hit .306 and had 9 HR.s He played his college ball at Clemson. He has played mainly SS since turning pro but has spent some time in CF.

With the Rangers in full rebuild, this move proves they are loading up on young talent and looking towards the future. Profar was the top prospect in baseball for two years before getting hurt. After nearly two years out of baseball he was struggling to gain footing in the Rangers organization. Last year was his best as a Ranger and Jon Daniels capitalized on it. The Rangers haven’t gotten this much of a return since the Mark Texiera trade. Four prospects and international money may some day prove to be an equal payout. Only time will tell.

If you are grading this trade you have to give it a solid B+ for the Rangers. However, it could end up being a legit A+. When the Rangers contend again, if any of these players contribute, you have to tip your hat to JD and Profar. It could also prove to be a D if Profar becomes an all star and none of these kids work out.

The Rangers now have to decide on who will play third base. My guess right now would be Patrick Wisdom who they picked up from St Louis for Drew Robinson. Gallo is always another option, but his value remains as an outfielder. I suspect this isn’t the last move made before spring training. Maybe another third baseman is out there by trade or free agency.

I will keep you posted in any more moves. This one was a big one. Hats off to Profar and I wish him all the best except for 18 games out of the year.

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