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Set for Aug. 3, the MLB Trade Deadline is rapidly approaching, and the Texas Rangers will be one of baseball’s 30 teams identifying moves that can be made in their best interest.
Currently, the Rangers are 50-49, which is good enough for first place in the struggling American League West Division. But Texas cannot take its slim advantage for granted, especially in the second half of the season.
Recently, The Athletic released its second "Big Board" detailing the top 75-plus best players that may be available for interested teams to make a move for ahead of the deadline.
Each player gets a corresponding color code that speculates how likely they are to get moved (green being most likely, yellow in the middle, and red being unlikely) while also getting three teams attached to them that would be considered the best fits.
For the Rangers, one of those players is Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers.
Given the dramatic decline of Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh this season, Jeffers might be the best backstop with a bat in his hands. This season, Jeffers has a .288 batting average, a .401 on-base percentage and a .540 slugging percentage while boasting a .941 OPS.
A left hamate bone fracture suffered in May interrupted Jeffers’ season, but he has been solid since making his return on July 10.
The Rangers can benefit from Jeffers’ offensive skillset. Even if it takes time for him to fully return to form after missing nearly two months, he is still a better option at the plate than who Texas is currently rolling out at catcher.
Currently, Kyle Higashioka and Danny Jansen have gotten the most time at backstop, and Higashioka is only hitting .218 in 57 games, while Jansen has posted a lowly .171 average in 41 games. Elias Diaz has been the best of the three at the position with a .282 average, but his sample size is more limited at 29 games and 71 at-bats.
Therefore, Jeffers can be impactful immediately. However, the Rangers are hardly the only team linked to him. The Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees, who are sparring for control of not just the best record in the American League East Division, but the AL as a whole, are also linked to Jeffers.
According to a report by Bob Nightengale of USA Today, scouts from the Rays and Yankees were in attendance at Wrigley Field over the weekend to watch Jeffers when the Twins faced the Chicago Cubs. In many reports and speculative pieces, Jeffers is tied to one of those two clubs, first, but it would serve Texas well to put its hat in the ring.
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Currently, the Rangers are 50-49, which is good enough for first place in the struggling American League West Division. But Texas cannot take its slim advantage for granted, especially in the second half of the season.
Recently, The Athletic released its second "Big Board" detailing the top 75-plus best players that may be available for interested teams to make a move for ahead of the deadline.
Each player gets a corresponding color code that speculates how likely they are to get moved (green being most likely, yellow in the middle, and red being unlikely) while also getting three teams attached to them that would be considered the best fits.
For the Rangers, one of those players is Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers.
Given the dramatic decline of Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh this season, Jeffers might be the best backstop with a bat in his hands. This season, Jeffers has a .288 batting average, a .401 on-base percentage and a .540 slugging percentage while boasting a .941 OPS.
A left hamate bone fracture suffered in May interrupted Jeffers’ season, but he has been solid since making his return on July 10.
The Rangers can benefit from Jeffers’ offensive skillset. Even if it takes time for him to fully return to form after missing nearly two months, he is still a better option at the plate than who Texas is currently rolling out at catcher.
Currently, Kyle Higashioka and Danny Jansen have gotten the most time at backstop, and Higashioka is only hitting .218 in 57 games, while Jansen has posted a lowly .171 average in 41 games. Elias Diaz has been the best of the three at the position with a .282 average, but his sample size is more limited at 29 games and 71 at-bats.
Therefore, Jeffers can be impactful immediately. However, the Rangers are hardly the only team linked to him. The Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees, who are sparring for control of not just the best record in the American League East Division, but the AL as a whole, are also linked to Jeffers.
According to a report by Bob Nightengale of USA Today, scouts from the Rays and Yankees were in attendance at Wrigley Field over the weekend to watch Jeffers when the Twins faced the Chicago Cubs. In many reports and speculative pieces, Jeffers is tied to one of those two clubs, first, but it would serve Texas well to put its hat in the ring.
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