Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
With just days to go before the July 30 MLB trade deadline passes, can the Texas Rangers upgrade their roster? Just in the past 24 hours, their AL West rival Seattle Mariners have executed multiple trades, picking up Randy Arozarena and Yimi Garcia. Meanwhile, the Rangers, who enter MLB games today with a 2.5-game deficit behind the division leaders, haven’t done squat.
However, not all hope is lost for Rangers fans expecting to see a trade in the next few days. There are still several other players available on the trade block, including a handful of All-Stars.
According to Buster Olney, the Texas Rangers have already held trade discussions for Isaac Paredes with the Tampa Bay Rays. Paredes may not be a household name that casual baseball fans know right away, but they should learn his name.
Paredes, 25, likely hasn’t hit his prime yet. But he’s in the midst of one of the best seasons of his young career, even recently making an All-Star appearance.
The Rays hitter has primarily played third base this season in Tampa Bay. But in addition to his 77 starts at the hot corner, he’s also played 15 games at first base too.
In addition to being a superb hitter, Paredes brings added value by being under team control until 2028. He’ll be arbitration-eligible for the next three seasons before hitting the open market. Yet, since he’s not on a massive salary yet, one would think the low-budget Rays wouldn’t want to give him up easily. However, all it takes is one offer they can’t refuse, and the Rangers may be the team that pulls it off.
Related: 10 MLB players who will be traded this week, including Garrett Crochet