It’s official: The Texas Rangers are going for it.
In less than a month, the defending World Series champions have improved their postseason odds from 5.5 percent to better than 25 percent. The Seattle Mariners’ collapse helped, but the Rangers also have won 12 of their past 16 games, including five straight. They are one game under .500, 2 1/2 games out of first place — and getting healthier.
The expected returns of Cody Bradford, Dane Dunning, Tyler Mahle and Jacob deGrom will reinforce their pitching staff. What the Rangers want to add, according to sources familiar with their plans, is a bat — either a left-handed hitting outfielder/DH or a platoon-neutral right-handed hitter.
Could Yandy Díaz be a fit for the Rangers? (Nathan Ray Seebeck / USA Today)
One name of interest: The Tampa Bay Rays’ Yandy Díaz, a right-handed hitter with sizable platoon splits this season (.879 OPS vs. LHPs, .678 vs. RHPs) but more even numbers in his career (.888-.769). Díaz currently is on the restricted list for personal reasons and has not played since the All-Star break.
The completion of the Baltimore Orioles’ sale is expected in the “coming days,” according to sources briefed on the process. At that point, the group led by David Rubenstein and Mike Arougheti will close on the remaining 60 percent of the team, valued at approximately $1 billion (the total purchase price was $1.725 billion).
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How might all of this impact Orioles general manager Mike Elias at the deadline?
According to Christopher Ullman, a spokesman for Rubenstein, “David would entertain anything that Mike Elias recommends.”
The Los Angeles Angels expect to trade right-handed closer Carlos Estévez and setup man Luis García, both of whom are on expiring contracts.
The comparison between Estévez and Miami Marlins left-handed closer Tanner Scott, another potential free agent, is interesting. Their expected ERAs are comparable. Scott has a slightly higher strikeout rate (28.8 percent to 25.8) but also a significantly higher walk rate (14.7 percent to 4 percent). In the postseason, walks can be especially damaging.
Both closers are quite affordable, as is García. Estévez will be owed about a third of his $6.75 million salary at the deadline, Scott about a third of $5.7 million, García about a third of $4.25 million.
The teams interested in Scott (and presumably Estévez) include the Los Angeles Dodgers, Orioles, Kansas City Royals, New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies, according to sources briefed on the Marlins’ discussions. As The Athletic reported Wednesday, the Marlins are fielding calls on nearly all of their relievers, and all are available regardless of contract or remaining years of control.
They made their first deal involving a reliever Thursday night, sending left-hander A.J. Puk to the Arizona Diamondbacks for two prospects, outfielder Deyvison De Los Santos and outfielder Andrew Pintar. Puk is earning $1.8 million this season and is under club control for two additional years.
In addition to Estévez and García, the Angels also are open on left-hander Tyler Anderson, infielder Luis Rengifo and outfielder Taylor Ward. All three, however, are under club control beyond this season and will remain attractive alternatives this winter for teams reluctant to pay high free-agent prices. So, if the Angels do not get offers they want, they can simply wait.
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Anderson is under contract for $13 million next season. Rengifo will be entering his walk year, but the free-agent class is thin on infielders and he will remain affordable after receiving a raise in arbitration from his current $4.4 million. Ward will have two years of arbitration left, at increases from his current $4.8 million.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are scouting Marlins center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. and left fielder Bryan De La Cruz, according to sources briefed on their maneuverings.
Chisholm would make particular sense — the Pirates’ center fielders, primarily Michael A. Taylor and Jack Suwinski, entered Thursday ranked 29th in the majors in combined OPS.
Bryan De La Cruz (left) and Jazz Chisholm Jr. (right) are both on the Pirates’ radar. (Jim Rassol / USA Today)
In addition, Chisholm should fit the Pirates’ budget and is under club control for two more years. He is owed the balance of his $2.625 million salary this season. That number likely will jump to the $5 million range in his second year of arbitration, and increase again in his third.
The Milwaukee Brewers got good news Thursday when Christian Yelich chose rest and rehabilitation rather than season-ending back surgery. But Yelich is on the injured list and what he might contribute the rest of the season is in question. So, the Brewers are seeking a left-handed hitter in addition to starting pitching, according to sources briefed on their plans.
Yelich leads the National League in batting average and on-base percentage. The Brewers obviously cannot replace him. But from the left side, they’re down to Brice Turang, Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell and Jake Bauers, along with Blake Perkins, a switch-hitter. Another left-handed hitting option, corner infielder Tyler Black, is at Triple A.
The Rangers, San Diego Padres and Houston Astros are the teams that might benefit most from the agreement between Major League Baseball and the Players Association enabling the league to direct a portion of competitive-balance-tax proceeds to teams losing TV money.
All three of those clubs are “payors” in revenue sharing and face declines in their regional sports network income. Before the adjustment to the collective bargaining agreement, they were not eligible to receive CBT proceeds (only revenue-sharing recipients were). The new plan allows commissioner Rob Manfred to give teams up to $15 million each, regardless of their status in the revenue-sharing program, with an estimated limit of $75 million in those payments leaguewide.
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The CBT proceeds will not be determined until after the season and will not be distributed until the end of the year. Teams can project what their local media shortfall might be and what they might get from the league, but it’s unclear whether the increased certainty will affect their deadline behavior.
(Top photo of Carlos Estevez: Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Getty Images)
Ken Rosenthal is the senior baseball writer for The Athletic who has spent nearly 35 years covering the major leagues. In addition, Ken is a broadcaster and regular contributor to Fox Sports' MLB telecasts. He's also won Emmy Awards in 2015 and 2016 for his TV reporting. Follow Ken on Twitter @Ken_Rosenthal
