The Rangers need more starting pitching and bullpen help and the Padres have two players available who fit the bill.
SAN DIEGO — The Texas Rangers and San Diego Padres are playing a three-game series this weekend in San Diego, and each team is going in different directions. The Rangers are still in first place in the AL West, hoping to get stronger at the trade deadline. The Padres have had a disappointing 2023 and will more than likely be sellers at the deadline and look ahead to 2024.
And while the Rangers are doing well, they still have some needs to address. Mainly pitching, both starting and relief. And guess who has the players available to address those needs if they decide to “blow things up?” The Padres.
Brice Paterik of Locked On Rangers and Javier Reyes of Locked On Padres discussed the possibility of a Rangers-Padres trade on their latest crossover episode.
Paterik asked Reyes, “Of the players on the Padres right now, who do you think is mostly likely to be traded?” Reyes emphatically answered, “It’s definitely Josh Hader and Blake Snell.” He added, “There have been conflicting reports about whether they will buy or sell, but I think (AJ) Preller is crazy enough to buy.”
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Snell is having a great season. He’s 7-8 with a 2.61 ERA across 114 innings and 21 starts. Snell, who won the Cy Young in 2018, also has 147 strikeouts. Hader is 0-1 with a minuscule 0.95 ERA in 38 innings with 58 strikeouts and 24 saves.
As of two days ago, the reports were that the Padres had turned away interest in both Snell and Hader in the hopes of being buyers at the deadline, but things can change quickly, and if the team finds themselves on the verge of a sweep at the hands of the Rangers on Sunday afternoon, AJ Preller could reverse that stance and deal one or both players and look to reset for the 2024 season.
And it wouldn’t be just the Rangers interested in Snell and Hader’s services. More than a few teams could use a front-end starter and a top-tier reliever.
The Padres could get a pretty good haul back for both players and build up their farm system even more. Logically, it makes more sense for the Padres to sell at the deadline, but again, it really hinges on what happens this weekend against Texas.
If the Padres can actually win two of three or even sweep the Rangers at home, that would incentivize Preller to buy and help the team try to capture one of the NL Wild Card spots. At the moment, they are six and a half games out of the final Wild Card slot, and anything less than a series win this weekend could seal their fate as sellers.
As for the Rangers, making a splash at the deadline could allow a good team to get even better. They traded for Aroldis Chapman back in June and are looking for more help in their bullpen which is the ‘weakest link’ on an already good team.
So should the Rangers trade for Snell and Hader? Of course, they should, but it’s all up to the Padres right now. The ball is in their hands.
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