RANGERS BUSY AT TRADE DEADLINE | Texas trades for Arizona’s Kelly, Twins’ Coloumbe
OK, we promised if the Texas Rangers made any moves prior to today’s Major League Baseball trade deadline at 5 p.m., we’d be back with an update.
Here it is.
Texas was very, VERY busy today, a shopper at the deadline, and all the shopping involved pitching. Like, every single player involved in Texas’ wheeling-and-dealing on Thursday was a pitcher.
The Rangers traded for Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Danny Coulombe, then about an hour later, traded for Arizona Diamondbacks’ starting pitcher Merrill Kelly.
As we said today in Wake Up! (WAKE UP! ON ETBLITZ | A busy day here on ETB; schedule release later; Rangers-Mariners tonight in game one of HUGE series), the Rangers have been on fire since the All-Star Game break, and have pulled even with Seattle for second place in the American League West Division behind the collapsing Houston Astros. The Rangers are 57-52 and are actually beginning a three-game series in Seattle tonight. Texas is also tied for the final wild card spot in the AL.
By the way, we have a Rangers Report in Wake Up! every single day. Just sayin’.
Coulombe is 1-0 on the season with a 1.16 ERA and has 31 strikeouts in 31 innings pitched this season.
The Twins have had a fire sale on Thursday, also having sent Carlos Correa back to Houston and closer Jhoan Duran and outfielder Harrison Bader to Philadelphia.
Texas adds to an already-strong bullpen: they had a 3.37 ERA already. Coloumbe joins Shawn Armstrong, Dane Dunning, Robert Garcia, Chris Martin and Hoby Milner out in the pen.
Texas sent Garrett Horn to Minnesota for Coulombe.
The Rangers then turned around and traded for Arizona starting hurler Kelly, a 36-year-old making a very-economical (in MLB terms) $7 million a season. Kelly this season is 9-6 with a 3.22 ERA in 22 starts, a 2.56 ERA since the beginning of June.
The Rangers sent a pair of left-handers Mitch Bratt and Kohl Drake, to Arizona for Kelly.
Texas’ rotation currently has Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi, as well as youngsters Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter. Tyler Mahle has been injured and could re-join the group before the end of the regular season.
Kelly is an Arizona lifer: all seven of his MLB seasons have been spent there, and he played a key role in the D’backs’ ride to the World Series two years ago, a 2.25 ERA at the time.
Another move by the Rangers involved pitching, as well. They got reliever Phil Maton, a right-hander, from St. Louis, and sent Skylar Hales and Mason Molina to the Cardinals in return – both of them are pitchers as well.
Maton has, in 38 1/3 innings this season, a 2.35 ERA and 48 strikeouts.