The Rangers have some difficult decisions looming.
They sit as a perfectly average team at 51-51, yet are in first place in the American League West entering a massive weekend series against the Mariners, who are a half-game behind Texas in the standings. Starting Friday, Texas plays 10 games in 10 days, four at home against Seattle, three on the road vs. Tampa Bay and three on the road vs. Houston.
Then comes the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
Trading Latz and maximizing his value is something the Rangers should consider, according to The Dallas Morning News’ Rangers insider Evan Grant. On Thursday’s Q&A live stream on the DMN Rangers YouTube channel, Evan gave his thoughts on potentially trading Latz.
Here’s what he had to say.
Grant: “I think the most difficult decision the Rangers would have to consider would be this. Jacob Latz has a ton of value right now. He has been a unique weapon as a closer. He’s cheap in terms of salary, still not yet arbitration-eligible. He’s also going to be 31 next year. Is that the guy you’re going to build around? Are you going to build around a closer, or are you going to consider moving him back to the rotation? I do think that the Rangers would have to at least be open, as much as I hate to say it because Jake has been the story of the year, he’s an easy guy to root for, I’ve said that a million times, but I think if the Rangers are going to talk about rebuilding and trying to maximize value, that’s something they’d have to consider.”
Maybe the Rangers play winning baseball over the next 10 days and it never becomes a conversation. But if things were to go awry over the next three series, trading Latz has to be on the table.