Texas Rangers Kick Off Trading Season

The Texas Rangers again made headlines when they traded for Aroldis Chapman.

Chapman is posting a 2.37 ERA with 55 k’s in 30.1 innings pitched.

All Rangers fans, writers, and podcasters know that the bullpen needs help. Besides Will Smith and Josh Sborz, it has been hit or miss. Adding an arm like Aroldis Chapman will bolster this bullpen and should help the Rangers win more close games. Texas’ bullpen is posting an ERA of 4.45, the 4th worst in the American League.

The Rangers aren’t done adding, in my opinion, but this is a great start. They need to bring that bullpen ERA down if they plan on competing for a World Championship, which I believe they can. I am unsure if the Rangers will use Chapman in a closers role or a setup role, as Smith has done a good job in the closers role.

The Rangers have proven once again they are serious about competing, and as we talked about on the Ranger Report Podcast, more trades mean more players we like moving to another team.

So far, in 2023, the system has lost Rickey Vanasco, Sandy Leon, and Cole Ragans. Of course, they also lost Mason Englert to the Rule 5 draft.

To acquire the right pieces, the Rangers could lose players like J.P Martinez, Jake Latz, Luis Angel Acuna, Justin Foscue, Blain Crim, and other names we all know. The reason a team stockpiles prospects is for moments like this. Not all of them will play for the Rangers.

Fans should be pretty excited about the direction of this team right now, and you should be too. They have a legitimate shot of making a run in 2023.

With the team as they are currently constructed, the Rangers have managed to have the second-best record in the American League and be in first place in the West for the entire season so far.

The Astros are not going anywhere, but so far, they have managed to hold them at bay. The Angels are also having a good season. It should be an interesting next three months of the season for the AL West.