Rangers' new acquisitions make them the team to beat in the AL
The 2016 Major League Baseball trade deadline has now come and passed. When the dust settled at 4 p.m. ET on Monday, one team stood above the rest. The Texas Rangers went all-in, picking up Jonathan Lucroy, Jeremy Jeffress and Carlos Beltran in two separate deals.
The Rangers came into the day with an American League leading 62 wins. By nightfall, the club had widened the gap, solidifying themselves as the team to beat in the AL.
The Rangers’ new-fangled lineup will be the focus of Yahoo Sports’ Free MLB Game of the Day on Tuesday. Jonathan Lucroy and the Rangers will take on Chris Davis and the Baltimore Orioles. The game, which takes place at 7:05 p.m ET, can be streamed at Yahoo’s Sports Home, MLB index, video home, the Yahoo Sports app, and right here in this very post. Local blackouts apply.
The Rangers already had a formidable lineup coming into the day, but managed to upgrade at their two weakest positions. Prior to picking up Beltran, the team’s designated hitters combined to “hit” just .205/.285/.331, with nine home runs, over 386 plate appearances. By wRC+, an advanced stat that measures offensive performance, they received the least production of any AL team from the DH position.
While 39-year-old Carlos Beltran is no longer in his prime, he’s experienced a resurgence in 2016. Beltran is hitting .304/.344/.546, with 22 home runs, over 387 plate appearances. The move not only gives the Rangers a major upgrade at their worst offensive spot, but also ensures Beltran won’t play the field as much. Formerly an elite defensive outfielder, injuries and age have sapped his range in recent seasons, making him an ideal fit at DH.
The same can be said with Lucroy. Rangers catchers combined to hit .231/.285/.419 this year. Lucroy is up to .299/.359/.482 on the year. Lucroy has long been a logical target for the club, so seeing them upgrade another position of need with one of the better catchers in baseball should play huge dividends.
With both players, the lineup becomes one of the best in the game. The Rangers were already seventh in the league with 505 runs scored this season. Now, they boast an even more impressive lineup.
The @MLBNetwork shows this as post deadline rangers lineup pic.twitter.com/UTHUK1Xqan
— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) August 1, 2016
When Rougned Odor, who has hit 21 home runs this year, is your eighth hitter, you’re in good shape.
While the team failed to upgrade its rotation, the Jeffress acquisition should not be tossed aside. The Rangers bullpen has been among the worst in baseball this season. Collectively, Rangers relievers have posted a 4.78 ERA, good for 28th in the league. The bullpen’s 17.9 percent strikeout rate is the worst in the game.
It’s worth noting that the Rangers do have strong players in the bullpen. Tony Barnette, Sam Dyson, Jake Diekman and Matt Bush all currently have sub-3.00 ERAs. The team’s performance has mostly been dragged down by Tom Wilhelmsen, Cesar Ramos and Shawn Tolleson. Of that group, Ramos’ 6.83 ERA is the lowest.
Jeffress immediately becomes one of the best relievers on the club. While his strikeout rate has dropped this season, he’s still managed a 2.22 ERA. This is nothing new for Jeffress, either. Over the past three seasons he’s put up a 2.55 ERA over 144 2/3 innings, quietly becoming one of the better relievers in the game.
Even with the additions, the Rangers still have holes. But in a deeply flawed AL, they were the one team that went out and aggressively attempted to get better. Texas may have already been the best team in the AL prior to Monday’s deadline. Somehow, they got even stronger.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
