Rangers predicted to swing trade for $22 million 1.93 ERA Mets reliever originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Texas Rangers are fighting with the Seattle Mariners for the top spot in the AL West. They have a 1.5 game lead one week from the trade deadline, and could further extend that gap with a strong close to July and start to August.
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But to truly separate themselves from the Mariners, the Rangers might have to get some help at the MLB trade deadline. If there’s one thing this team needs, it’s more bullpen help, specifically at the back-end of the bullpen.
That’s why Dennis Lin of The Athletic is predicting that the Rangers will swing a trade with the New York Mets this summer, landing $22 million, 1.93 ERA reliever Luke Weaver to significantly upgrade the Texas bullpen for a postseason push.
Rangers predicted to trade for Mets’ Luke Weaver
“Luke Weaver becomes a Ranger,” Lin predicts. “He’s not Aroldis Chapman, whom the Rangers acquired on their way to the 2023 World Series, but Weaver would represent a significant upgrade for a bullpen in need.”
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Adding Weaver would be a huge move for the Rangers, and would give them the kind of player who’d provide a real upgrade for the team’s shaky bullpen.
While Jacob Latz has been great with a 1.69 ERA this season, and a few others haven’t been terrible either, adding one more elite reliever who could close games if needed would be an ideal move for this team this summer.
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Weaver would be just that, as the 32-year-old Mets reliever has been awesome this season. He has a 1.93 ERA in 40 appearances with 1.8 bWAR, and 43 strikeouts in 42 innings pitched.
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His 217 ERA_ is the best mark of his career, and with a 2.92 FIP and 0.833 WHIP, Weaver’s dominance this season isn’t a fluke.
One of the best parts about Weaver for the Rangers would be that he’s under club control through 2027 on his two-year, $22 million contract. Weaver isn’t a rental, but rather a 1.5-year high-leverage reliever.
The Rangers would benefit greatly from adding Weaver, and that’s what Lin is predicting Texas will do this summer by the August 3 trade deadline.