The Texas Rangers are still sitting in first place in the AL West at 43-42, and they’ve done it with a run differential of minus-5. That’s a strange-looking profile for a division leader, but it also points to one obvious place Texas could try to sharpen things up before the trade deadline: the bullpen.
MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand flagged relief help as a need for the Rangers, noting that while Texas relievers have a 3.82 ERA - fifth-best in the American League - the group doesn’t bring many swing-and-miss weapons. In his view, that’s the kind of arm the Rangers should be hunting over the next month.
“The Rangers’ 7.8 strikeouts per nine ranks last among all AL bullpens, so adding some hard-throwing, high-leverage relievers could be in the cards,” Feinsand added. “Perhaps a reunion with Aroldis Chapman? It worked in 2023, so you never know.”
That name will grab attention in Texas. Chapman is now with the Boston Red Sox, but he was part of the Rangers’ World Series run three seasons ago. He also brings exactly the sort of missing ingredient Feinsand pointed to: as of Tuesday, Chapman owns a 29.8% WHIFF rate and is striking out 11.7 batters per nine innings.
The fit would make sense on paper, but Boston has to decide it’s ready to sell before anything like that can happen. And right now, the Red Sox are not exactly drifting out of the race. After sweeping the New York Yankees, they’re suddenly only 4.5 games back in the Wild Card chase.
In Other News...
Franklin Arias Is Making Red Sox Fans Wonder How Long This Wait Lasts
Franklin Arias has moved from intriguing name to the prospect Red Sox fans are tracking most closely, and it is not hard to see why. With Payton Tolle already ahead of him in the pipeline, Arias has taken over at the top of Bostons farm system by backing up the hype at Double-A Portland, where he has paired production with the kind of offensive line that forces a front office to pay attention. He has shown enough to make the next step feel less like a question of if than when, with Triple-A Worcester looming as the logical next stop.
Arias rise also comes at a time when Boston is sorting through a deeper wave of young talent, from Anthony Eyansons fast-moving path to Kyson Witherspoons recent rebound to Jake Bennetts place in the pitching mix. That only sharpens the focus on Arias, because the more he keeps hitting, the more the conversation shifts from prospect rank to roster fit. For a club still looking for long-term stability up the middle, his progress is starting to feel like one of the more important timelines in the organization. [Read more 🡒]
Chris Sale Just Matched Another Red Sox Pitching Legend
Chris Sale was at it again against the Giants, piling up 10 strikeouts in another dominant outing and adding one more line to a resume that keeps stacking up in Red Sox history. The performance gave him his 93rd career start with at least 10 strikeouts, tying Curt Schilling for seventh-most all-time and underscoring just how long Sale has lived in that upper tier of power pitchers.
Sales season has been every bit as sharp, with a 2.10 ERA and 109 strikeouts, and the next benchmark is sitting right in front of him. He is also closing in on Sandy Koufax on the left-handed leaderboard, and another double-digit strikeout start later this week against the Mets would move him past Schilling and keep the chase moving. [Read more 🡒]