One half of the most significant Texas Rangers trade from this past offseason is no longer on a big league roster.
The Washington Nationals designated first baseman Nathaniel Lowe for assignment on Thursday to create space for outfielder Dylan Crews after his return from the 60-day injured list. Lowe, 30, played four seasons with the Rangers and won a World Series with the team before he was traded to the Nationals in December for left-handed pitcher Robert Garcia.
Lowe was in the midst of his worst big league season before the Nationals designated him for assignment. He slashed .216/.292/.373, yielded a career-worst -0.7 WAR according to FanGraph and was a net negative defender at first base. He averaged 2.7 WAR per season with the Rangers and posted a .762 OPS or better each year.
The Rangers traded Lowe, who settled at arbitration with the Nationals for $10.3 million, to both shed salary and acquire a projectable left-handed arm for a bullpen that had to be rebuilt from scratch. They replaced him at first base with Jake Burger (acquired in a trade with the Miami Marlins) and were able to put leftover money toward designated hitter Joc Pederson in a two-year, $37 million deal in free agency, and a host of relievers.
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Any team that claims Lowe will be responsible for around $2.5 million left on his contract this season. The Rangers — who already exceeded the collective bargaining tax threshold at July’s trade deadline — do not profile as a team that would push itself further into the penalty for a player that does not offer their struggling offense a meaningful upgrade.
Burger, 29, has navigated two trips to the injured list this season due to soft tissue injuries but has outperformed Lowe in several significant categories for a fraction of the cost.
His -0.3 WAR, .681 OPS, 95 OPS+ and negative-3 outs above average at first base each trump Lowe’s numbers. Burger, who is not yet arbitration eligible, is on the books for $790,000 this season. Rowdy Tellez — whom the Rangers signed to a minor league contract in July — has slashed .268/.295/.488 in 17 games with Texas and has worked himself into a platoon with Burger at first base vs. right-handed pitchers.
The Rangers have, to this point in the season, received more value from Garcia than the Nationals have from Lowe despite his recent stumbles in high-leverage spots. Garcia, 29, has a 3.33 ERA in 53 games pitched this season and has been worth 0.4 WAR according to FanGraphs.
Garcia was elevated into the closer role midway through this season but was demoted earlier this month after consecutive blown saves in a series against the Seattle Mariners. His greatest value lies in his team-controlled contract (he is not eligible for arbitration until 2027) and the potential high-leverage upside that made him an attractive trade candidate in the first place.
“It’s frustrating,” Garcia said Tuesday night after an errant appearance vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks, “but at the same time, I have to take the positives, because I know how good I am, [the Rangers] know how good I am, my stuff is elite and it’s obviously shown.”
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