Yovani Gallardo of the Texas Rangers has been on fire as of late, and has a current streak of 33.1 scoreless innings. That is third in team history behind only Charlie Hough (37.1) and Kenny Rogers (39). Gallardo will be a free agent at the end of the year, and it might be time to trade him away while his stock is on the rise.
Yovani Gallardo started off slow, but has been excellent as of late
Gallardo is 7-8 with a 2.62 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP, and a .231 BAA in 113.1 IP, however, he is averaging just under six innings per start. He has been the best starting pitcher for the Texas Rangers even though his record does not reflect that. He has not been the inning eating workhorse the team has needed him to be, but he has shut down the opposing teams. His biggest issue has been pitches per inning (16.75), which is ranked 89 out of 97 qualified starting pitchers.
Gallardo would bring back a good prospect if he continues to pitch the way he has until the July 31 trade deadline. He will make $14 million by the end of the season, and is still only 29 years old. He will garner some interest if the Rangers are willing to move him. They do have plenty of arms to replace him as the team just got Matt Harrison and Martin Perez back from the DL and expect Derek Holland back in the next month. The team sent down Nick Martinez and Chi Chi Gonzalez to triple-A before the All-Star break to get extra rest.
The Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburg Pirates, and New York Yankees are all looking for starting pitching help. I don’t believe the Rangers will make the trade with the division and in-state rival Astros. The Blue Jays might have the biggest need for a starting pitcher because none of their pitchers have an ERA under 3.30 and they only have had three starters make all 19 starts and they are the only Blue Jays pitchers to have 100 innings so far this season. The Royals only have two pitchers that have 100 innings and Gallardo would lead the team in IP and ERA. The Dodgers would have a solid third starter with Gallardo behind Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw. However, they are looking for a pitcher under control for longer than two months. The Pirates would not need him as much as they have Francisco Liriano, Gerrit Cole, and A.J Burnett, all who have been solid this season with sub-three ERAs and 113+ IP. The Yankees are in dire need of another start and Gallardo would lead the Yankees’ starters in ERA and IP.
If Gallardo goes to a team in the AL East he might be the difference maker and lead any of those teams to the playoffs and a division title. He will be a great addition to any team trying to make a playoff run. He can be the key piece that turns a team from playoff team to a championship winning team.
This article Texas Rangers trade rumors: Yovani Gallardo edition appeared first on isportsweb by Juan Cruz