With the trade deadline less than 10 days away, Jon Daniels and the front office may have more decisions to make than they initially thought.
Looking at the roster and how everyone is performing, there are only two players that should be safe. The heart and soul of the clubhouse, Elvis Andrus, and Joey Gallo. Elvis is an obvious keep. He is the most consistent player for the team and the locker room would fall apart without him.
While Gallo has been struggling of late, he has had a fantastic season. Career highs in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging, OPS, and by the end of the season, his walks should be at his highest total. Gallo has shown strides and proven he can be one a bat that leads this team in the future.
Once past those two players, you have to consider either trading everyone else of value. Obvious names like Mike Minor and Lance Lynn who most thought the team would trade from the start should be moved, but other players whose value is at an all-time high should be moved as well.
Hunter Pence is one of the players that come to mind. Pence was signed to a minor league contract and has been one of the best bats in this lineup. While he may be a DH only type of guy, he does have a 100 percent fielding percentage in 20 games where he has played either of the corner outfielders.
The biggest decision that needs to be made is what to do about the second base position. Going into this year, Rougned Odor was going to be the everyday guy and develop his bat. When the Rangers signed Danny Santana, not much was even thought about it. Santana has slashed .322/.356/.576 this season and some might ask why is he not the second baseman of the future? If the Rangers cannot find good value for Odor or do want him to continue to be the second baseman of the future, Santana is a utility field guy that would be versatile for any contending team out there.
Mazara and Guzman are the two players who need retooling. They may not be worth trading away, but a send down to the minor leagues and giving guys who have proven themselves like Willie Calhoun a chance could help the future of this team immensely.
The plan for 2019 never was to contend. This team got hot during June and got us dreaming. With nine games against the Twins and Astros, both of which are in the first place, reality came crashing down and it may be time for this team to start selling off as much as they possibly can.
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