Wednesday’s newsletter time: Bad news, no news and a snooze on a lost day
(AP photo/Tony Gutierrez)
ARLINGTON — The trade deadline arrived at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jon Gray hit the injured list just before 6, and the Rangers were well on their way to an 8-2 loss by 7:45.
What a day.
As Rangers Today predicted Sunday, the Rangers did not acquire a young controllable starting pitcher or Juan Soto before the trade deadline and did not trade Martin Perez. I also predicted they would trade Matt Moore for Joey Gallo.
Well, they can’t all be winners.
The Rangers elected to hold Moore, which is somewhat surprising, and Perez, which isn’t at all surprising, with the hopes of keeping them around in 2023. They also held onto all of their prospects for the offseason when bidding will be cheaper and more players will be available.
The lack of a trade for a pitcher makes starting pitching the Rangers’ No. 1 offseason priority, president of baseball operations Jon Daniels said. It wasn’t for a lack of looking, but the Rangers were never able to match a trade target’s value with what it would have taken to pull off deal.
Gray will miss four to six weeks with a strained left oblique. He can’t throw for at least two weeks and will need two or three weeks to get built back up.
The timeline puts him on track for mid-September. Any setback would likely end his season. The Rangers could also decide that Gray might be better off not pitching again until next season.
The Rangers are going to miss him, especially after watching Spencer Howard revert to his 2021 form against the Orioles. Baltimore scored five times in the third inning and chased Howard in the fifth after he allowed a quick run.
Baltimore claimed the series win and will go for a three-game sweep and a perfect 6-0 mark this season against the Rangers this afternoon.
Return of Hearn
Left-hander Taylor Hearn took Gray’s spot on the roster, though he won’t take Gray’s spot in the rotation.
Daniels said that Hearn will work as a reliever, where the Rangers believe Hearn is at his best, and will call up a pitcher before Saturday to take Gray’s turn.
It won’t be lefty Dallas Keuchel, who made his first outing Tuesday for Triple A Round Rock since joining the Rangers on a minor-league deal. The former Cy Young winner allowed one run in 4 1/3 inning at Sugar Land.
One of the leading candidates, if not the leading candidate, is left-hander Cole Ragans. If he is promoted for his MLB debut, it would mark the climax of his comeback from two Tommy John surgeries in 2018 and 2019.
Hearn opened the season in the Rangers’ rotation but never found his footing and was optioned to Round Rock. The Rangers like the way his stuff plays in shorter stints.
Hearn worked a scoreless eighth Tuesday night.
Gallo traded
Gallo’s New York nightmare is over.
The Yankees found a trade partner for the struggling former Rangers outfielder, sending him across the country to the Dodgers for former Birdville High School and Texas Tech pitcher Clayton Beeter.
Gallo, traded by the Rangers last year at the trade deadline, hit .159 in 421 at-bats over parts of two seasons with the Yankees. He swatted 25 home runs, but struck out 227 times.
Daniels declined comment when asked if the Rangers pursued Gallo, who can be a free agent after the season. Daniels also didn’t talk about any pursuit of Soto, who went to the Padres.
The Rangers could have interest in Gallo this offseason, though his potential return would be predicated on an inexpensive deal.
Doggy video!
Wedding crasher. Enjoy. See you Thursday.
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Jeff Wilson, jeff@rangerstoday.com
