Former MLB GM Jim Bowden put the Texas Rangers in the Luis Arraez conversation ahead of the trade deadline, but the more intriguing part of his idea may be the names he suggested Texas could move.
Bowden’s list of five deadline trades included the Rangers landing Arraez, a target that has already been floated by MLB Network’s Jon Morosi and ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Still, Arraez comes with more risk than his reputation suggests.
His bat is built around contact, but this season the gap between his actual production and the numbers underneath it has been wider than ever. And that doesn’t even factor in the defensive outlier he has been on the other side of the country under former Rangers manager Ron Washington in San Francisco.
Texas, though, has a different kind of offensive hole to fill. The bigger need is a proven run producer with some pop, ideally from the right side and preferably someone who can handle the outfield. Even that may not be the most urgent issue, with a right-handed high-leverage reliever and a starting pitcher sitting higher on the list.
Where Bowden’s idea gets interesting is in the return he outlined. He suggested shortstop Yolfran Castillo and left-handed starter Dalton Pence as the kind of package that could get Arraez to Arlington.
Castillo has been one of the organization’s better risers this season. Baseball America highlighted him earlier in the year, and his numbers at Hickory back up the buzz: .285/.394/.409 with four homers and 41 steals.
He also owns a career-best .124 ISO and has walked more than he has struck out. The power isn’t likely to become a major part of his profile, but the speed and on-base gains are real.
The caution flag is that Castillo still hasn’t proven himself at the higher levels of the minors. If the offense backs up, it becomes harder to project him as a future starting-caliber player. And even though his glove at shortstop is a real selling point, the path is crowded with Corey Seager locked in long term and top prospect Sebastian Walcott also at the position.
That makes Castillo look like the kind of player Texas should be willing to move while his stock is up.
Pence is in a similar spot, just from the mound. The left-hander has put together a strong year, beginning at Hub City and spending most of the season in Frisco. Across 15 appearances, including 14 starts, he has thrown 75 innings with a .252 ERA, a 27.6% strikeout rate and an 8.1% walk rate.
He is the Rangers’ No. 12 overall prospect and profiles as a back-end starter, which still carries value. But Texas also used three of its first four picks on high-upside pitchers, which softens the blow if Pence is included in a deal.
The Rangers still need to give something to get something, and even if Arraez does not look like the right target, Castillo and Pence both make sense as trade chips. Each is coming off a career-best stretch, and that is exactly when a team should consider cashing in before the shine comes off.
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