ARLINGTON, Texas — Up until the clock struck 5:00 pm CT on Tuesday, there was speculation as to just how busy the Texas Rangers would be at the MLB trade deadline, but for all the hype and questions about whether they would be “buyers” or “sellers,” Texas ultimately made a few low-impact moves while banking on their players returning from injury to be the bulk of their reinforcements.
This could be construed as general manager Chris Young and ownership playing it safe and being non-committal, but the reality is that they just got two upgrades in the day before the deadline and have more to come. The injured list was the Rangers’ best trading partner in 2024 and many transactions were made to bring back familiar faces as July nears its end.
In terms of actual trades, however, Texas made four total moves if you count shipping recently designated Davis Wendzel to Cincinnati for cash considerations, but three moves that will impact the team for the remainder of the season.
Rangers acquire: Catcher Carson Kelly
Detroit acquires: Minor Leaguers catcher Liam Hicks, RHP Tyler Owens
Andrew Knizner was supposed to be a solid offense-first-but-with-defensive-upside backup catcher for Jonah Heim. Coming out of a 70-game season with St. Louis, Knizner slashed .241/.288/.424, which earned him a deal with Texas to take on the role of spelling Heim.
However, Knizner has only registered half that playing time this season and has been a black hole at the plate when he has gotten into a game. Knizner’s .167/.183/.211 slash line in 35 games in 2024 is far and away the worst in his six year career. Therefore, the acquisition of Kelly is supposed to be a second attempt at finding an offensive-upside backup catcher.
Kelly is in the midst of the best offensive season of his career, having played in 60 games with the Tigers, slashing .240/.325/.391. As a veteran with his fourth MLB team, he can pick up a pitching staff quickly, which will come in handy as the Rangers supplement their rotation with members coming back from injury.
Hicks and Owens were relatively far down in the priority chart at their respective positions on the farm, with losing Owens perhaps being the bigger blow. Trading Hicks away is essentially trading a lower-level catching prospect for a Major League catcher.
The trade isn’t a bad one, but finding a backup catcher certainly wasn’t the most glaring problem the Rangers needed to address at this deadline, but it does help to get Heim off his feet more often while infusing the lineup with a bat that can produce.
GRADE: C+
Rangers acquire: Minor League LHP Walter Pennington
Kansas City acquires: RHP Michael Lorenzen
With the pending arrivals of Tyler Mahle and Jacob deGrom, somebody was going to be on the move. Nobody was pitching poorly enough to warrant an option to the minors, and, truth be told, the Rangers’ starting rotation hasn’t been a weakness by any stretch for the team.
Lorenzen, who was only ever in town on a one-year deal, was the perfect combination of effectiveness and movability. He served the purpose that he was brought on to do, which was to keep the Rangers’ rotation stable until reinforcements arrived.
In return, the Royals gave Texas lefty reliever Walter Pennington. Pennington is a high-strikeout pitcher with a great ERA in Triple-A Omaha. He may contribute at the Major League level this season, where the Rangers have been searching for more left-handed relief help, but will likely be competing for a bullpen spot in 2025.
GRADE: B
Rangers acquire: LHP Andrew Chafin
Detroit acquires: Minor League RHPs Joseph Montalvo, Chase Lee
Texas’ second deal with the Tigers was perhaps their most noteworthy at the deadline. Searching for more high-end relief pitching to supplement the strong combination of right-handers Jose Leclerc, David Robertson and Kirby Yates, the Rangers went for a veteran lefty.
Andrew Chafin’s career has spanned 11 years with five teams. Most recently, the lefty was with Detroit, but he is not a stranger to being traded mid-season. In 2023, Chafin went from the Diamondbacks to the Brewers and in 2021, he went from the Cubs to the Athletics.
Chafin, in 41 appearances for the Tigers has pitched to an ERA of 3.16 in 2024 and has posted his best full-year K/9 rate at 12.2. In return, the Tigers are getting Texas’ number 27 prospect in Montalvo and a side-winding relief arm in Lee.
Neither prospect figured to be in the Rangers’ immediate plans and wasn’t likely to be added to the 40-man roster in the winter. For now, acquiring left-handed relief that can help in a season where Texas is trying to get back to the playoffs is worth dipping into the farm system depth.
GRADE: B+
Before the deadline had even passed yesterday, the Rangers reactivated third baseman Josh Jung and pitcher Cody Bradford. For two players who had missed all but a few weeks of the season, re-adding them to the active roster is virtually the same as landing them in a deal – and the Rangers didn’t have to give anything up.
After the calendar turns to August, Texas is expected to have Tyler Mahle to add to their rotation and Jacob deGrom could come shortly after that, which will inevitably cause a ripple effect with the overall ranks bolstered. With the addition of prominent arms, that should make for a stout pitching staff, befitting of a reigning, defending championship team.
The Rangers’ offense, however, has been the sore spot all season and that continued during the first game after the trade deadline passed as Texas scored just one run on four hits in a loss to St. Louis on Tuesday evening.
The lineup seemed to be the place where Texas needed the most help at the deadline, especially with the news that Evan Carter is not expected to return to action this season. As it is, the 2024 Texas Rangers will enter August with the same question marks for a lineup that hasn’t produced consistently all season.
For a reigning, defending championship team, that just won’t do.
OVERALL GRADE: C
What grade would you give the Rangers for their deadline deals? Share your thoughts with Matt on Twitter @FisherWritesMLB.
