There is exactly one thing that is harder to do in Major League Baseball than win a World Series and it's to win another one. The dreaded championship hangover is a real phenomenon in this sport, known for its grueling regular seasons, and the Texas Rangers are the latest team trying to fight off that hangover in search of a repeat title, which hasn't been achieved since the New York Yankees in 2000.
Sitting at 21-16, with a narrow lead over the Seattle Mariners atop the AL West division, the Rangers have at least managed to avoid a huge early season slump, but it's clear some of their marquee players are still feeling the effects of playing into early November. Superstar shortstop Corey Seager has had an awful slump at the plate, Marcus Semien is hitting below his usual standard and the pitching staff has been ravaged by injuries.
But the good news is that as a proven championship operation, the Rangers will have plenty of suitors in the trade market among teams looking to unload their expiring assets. If Texas makes some smart additions to shore up the shakiest parts of its roster, they stand a far better chance of breaking the curse of the defending champion. In a perfect world, these are three moves that would get the Rangers much closer to where they need to be.
Acquire White Sox DH Eloy Jiménez
In the past 48 hours, the public expectation has become that the Chicago White Sox are going to unload any and all players of value that aren't signed to contracts beyond the next two seasons. Designated Hitter Eloy Jiménez, who has expensive club options for 2025 and 2026 but could otherwise become a free agent at the end of this season, is a prime trade candidate who will likely have a number of teams vying for his services because of the power potential he brings on a flexible contract.
At the moment, the Rangers are struggling mightily to get production from the DH role. Rookie mega-prospect Wyatt Langford was struggling to adjust to MLB pitching after barely any seasoning in the minors and just landed on the injured list. In Langford's absence, the Rangers are using the DH slot as a way to get their regulars a day off the diamond, but eventually, any contending team wants a consistent option who can do damage in that role. At his best, Jiménez is exactly that, and his timeline is perfect for the Rangers if they want Langford to resume primary DH duties in 2025 rather than occupy one of the three outfield spots.
Jiménez is having a bad start to 2024 offensively and has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career, but there's never been any question he has 40-homer potential when he's consistently in the lineup. And playing for the White Sox makes it hard to criticize anyone's production too harshly, because playing good baseball on a terrible team is one of the toughest things to do in the sport. There are hardly any change-of-scenery candidates more obvious across MLB right now than Jiménez, who could be a game-changer if things break his way in his new city.
Acquire Athletics RP Austin Adams
Many have been shocked by the effectiveness of the Oakland Athletics' bullpen at large this season and in the more-than-likely that the A's become sellers at the deadline, the team's relievers will likely be in high demand. But although nothing can be put past the Oakland front office, selling budding superstar Mason Miller and even setup man Lucas Erceg would be borderline malpractice when both still have half a decade of team control available. Austin Adams, though, is a great option for a number of suitors.
Adams has been reasonably effective for the past few seasons, but seems to have taken a leap forward in 2024. He has 100th percentile average exit velocity at 81.2 mph and is also in the top 5% of whiff rate, barrel rate and hard-hit rate. In simpler terms, swing and misses are good and so are softly hit balls and Austin Adams gets a whole lot of both. It's what's enabled him to put up a 1.59 ERA with 16 punchouts in 11.1 innings.
And for the second year in a row, the Rangers could use some serious help in the bullpen. 2023 closer José Leclerc lost his job due to poor performance and the team essentially has just three relievers it feels comfortable trusting, one of whom is David Robertson, who is 39 years old. Adding Adams to the Texas bullpen would make Rangers fans feel much more secure when Bruce Bochy takes the ball away from his starter, both now and in the playoffs.
Acquire Rockies C Elias Díaz
If there is another hole to poke in the Rangers' lineup beyond the DH spot, it's backup catcher, where free agent acquisition Andrew Knizner has bombed to the tune of a .344 OPS and -0.4 bWAR in just 14 games. Though 2023 All-Star Jonah Heim will continue to be the full-time starter, it's important to have a capable backup for the remainder of the regular season and ideally, someone who could factor in as a lineup option come the postseason. Elias Díaz ticks all those boxes with authority.
After a poor second half of 2023 at the plate, Díaz has kicked it back into gear to start 2024. He's hitting .308 with a .776 OPS/114 OPS+, plus he's been a revelation defensively. Not known as a good framer, he's shockingly in the 96th percentile in framing runs this season, with 100th percentile caught stealing metrics. At 33, Díaz is another late bloomer who could be en route to his best overall season on both sides of the ball.
Díaz certainly deserves a chance to keep starting, but he equally deserves a chance to get out of Colorado. We've seen numerous championship teams in recent years carry two starting caliber catchers, including the Rangers last season when they still employed Mitch Garver, so why not run back the same formula with another playoff-hungry veteran?
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