Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers will have to fight for their playoff lives in both the AL West and a crowded wild-card field without ace Max Scherzer.

General manager Chris Young told reporters on Wednesday that the starting pitcher was out for the remainder of the regular season with a low-grade strain of the teres major muscle and likely wouldn't be able to return for the postseason.

Right-hander Max Scherzer is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season with a strained teres major -- a muscle that connects the scapula to the humerus. Scherzer is, Texas GM Chris Young told reporters, "unlikely" to pitch in the playoffs.

Brutal news for the Rangers.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) September 13, 2023

Scherzer, 39, left Tuesday's start against the Toronto Blue Jays with what the team called at the time a right triceps spasm. He gave up just three hits, a walk and no runs in his 5.1 innings, striking out three.

He said he began feeling some tightness in his throwing arm while warming up for the sixth inning but hoped it wouldn't linger.

"When I threw that first curveball to [Bo] Bichette, it just felt like a charley horse," he told reporters on Tuesday night.

Max Scherzer exits tonights game and heads up stairs with Rangers Athletic Trainer, Matt Lucero.
@Rangers | #StraightUpTX | 📺: BSSW pic.twitter.com/t6bz61Jf9P

— FanDuel Sports Network Southwest (@FanDuelSN_SW) September 13, 2023

He then attempted to throw a pair of warmup pitches but couldn't do so.

"When I got on the mound and was trying to go through my motion, I could just tell it didn't release," he said. "I could feel I just wasn't going to be able to throw another baseball."

The Rangers (80-64) won the game, 6-3, moving just a game back of the Houston Astros in the AL West and a half-game ahead of both the Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners in the second Wild Card spot.

But Scherzer's departure was an immediate concern, given that he also left a Sept. 1 start early after experiencing forearm tightness. He told reporters at the time that his departure was mostly precautionary "even though my shoulder was good, my arm's good."

"I didn't go out there and put myself in a dangerous position," he added. "I was not going to go out there and hurt myself. You come up with a forearm strain now, you're done for the year. So that's where you've got to be smart and take a blow when you need it."

The Rangers have had poor luck with aces this season, as offseason addition Jacob deGrom was also lost for the season in June after needing Tommy John surgery. If the team is going to reach the playoffs and win a title, it may have to do so on the back of its lineup.

The Texas Rangers received a major scare on Tuesday when ace Max Scherzer left his start against the Toronto Blue Jays in the sixth inning with what the team announced was a right triceps spasm.

Max Scherzer winced on a pitch. A lot of people are on the mound conferring.

— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) September 13, 2023

He started to take a warmup pitch and stopped. Twice. He is leaving the game.

— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) September 13, 2023

Scherzer was throwing a gem when he had to be removed, giving up just three hits, no runs and one walk through 5.1 innings, striking out three.

Max Scherzer exits tonights game and heads up stairs with Rangers Athletic Trainer, Matt Lucero.
@Rangers | #StraightUpTX | 📺: BSSW pic.twitter.com/t6bz61Jf9P

— FanDuel Sports Network Southwest (@FanDuelSN_SW) September 13, 2023

Max Scherzer has exited the game with a trainer after an unknown injury during a pitch. pic.twitter.com/swIYg41InO

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 13, 2023

Max Scherzer left tonight's game with right tricep spasm.
@Rangers | #StraightUpTX | 📺: BSSW pic.twitter.com/xrocqLlWGK

— FanDuel Sports Network Southwest (@FanDuelSN_SW) September 13, 2023

Per Jeff Wilson of Rangers Today, Scherzer will be further evaluated on Wednesday.

It's a crucial series for the Rangers, who beat the Blue Jays 10-4 on Monday to move a half-game behind them for the second Wild Card spot in the American League. Entering Tuesday, they remained a half-game ahead of the Seattle Mariners for the final berth.

The AL West crown is also up for grabs, as Texas trails the Houston Astros by just two games.

Scherzer, 39, has been more than solid for the Rangers since being acquired ahead of the trade deadline from the New York Mets. In his seven starts coming into Tuesday's game, he was 3-2 with a 3.63 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 51 strikeouts in 39.2 innings.

The three-time Cy Young award winner, eight-time All-Star and one-time champion also exited a start in early September with forearm tightness. After that game he preached taking a cautious approach, telling reporters he noticed his "location was starting to get off" before exiting.

"Now I can tell that I was kind of at my limit, even though my shoulder was good, my arm's good," he continued. "I didn't go out there and put myself in a dangerous position. I was not going to go out there and hurt myself. You come up with a forearm strain now, you're done for the year. So that's where you've got to be smart and take a blow when you need it."

The Rangers will be hoping that Tuesday was a similar situation and nothing more serious. Losing Scherzer for any substantial time would be a huge blow as they fight for their postseason lives.

The Texas Rangers have trended in the wrong direction of late, so they are calling up their top prospect in an effort to turn things around ahead of the stretch run.

Texas announced it is calling up outfielder Evan Carter before Friday's game against the Oakland Athletics:

Evan Carter is headed to The Show. #StraightUpTX pic.twitter.com/8hY9kC6UcR

— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) September 7, 2023

According to MLB.com's rankings, Carter is the No. 1 prospect in the Rangers' system and the No. 8 overall prospect in the league.

Carter's promotion comes just in time for the Rangers.

After all, they were just swept by the Houston Astros in a three-game series and are an ugly 4-15 in their last 19 games. The swoon has dropped them into third place in the American League West behind the Astros and Seattle Mariners. They are also a half-game behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the final AL wild-card spot.

Texas being in the playoffs once seemed like a foregone conclusion, and now it is struggling to keep pace in both races.

Carter's promotion wasn't the only move for Texas, as Jeff Wilson of Rangers Today reported All-Star right fielder Adolis García was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a patella strain.

It is a major loss, as García has 34 home runs and a league-best 100 RBI on the campaign.

García's absence will place even more pressure on Carter to perform, and Wilson noted he will likely play in center and left field against right-handed pitchers even though there is a chance he could slot into the lineup against southpaws as well.

Carter has a slash line of .288/.413/.450 with 13 home runs, 67 RBI and 26 stolen bases in 108 games across three different minor league teams this season. His ability to impact the game in a variety of ways by playing multiple positions in the field and bringing power and speed on offense stands out and should provide a much-needed boost for the Rangers.

If it doesn't, Texas may miss out on the postseason entirely.

Texas Rangers starter Max Scherzer left his Friday start after six innings and 88 pitches with tightness in his forearm, though he told reporters after the game it was mostly a precautionary decision.

"There in the sixth inning, I could tell my location was starting to get off," he said. "Now I can tell that I was kind of at my limit, even though my shoulder was good, my arm's good. I didn't go out there and put myself in a dangerous position. I was not going to go out there and hurt myself. You come up with a forearm strain now, you're done for the year. So that's where you've got to be smart and take a blow when you need it."

Scherzer, 39, gave up just one hit and two walks while striking out seven in the contest, another strong outing for the veteran ace.

He's looked like a different player since being traded to Texas:

• Scherzer in 2023 with the New York Mets: 9-4 in 19 starts with a 4.01 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 121 strikeouts in 107.1 innings.
• Scherzer in 2023 with the Rangers: 3-1 in six starts with a 2.21 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 47 strikeouts in 36.2 innings. 

The Rangers, however, lost his latest outing, 5-1 against the Minnesota Twins, the team's 11th defeat in its past 14 games. The bullpen gave up all five runs.

"He got us where we needed, had a lead there," manager Bruce Bochy told reporters after the loss. "Unfortunately, the 'pen struggled again."

That has dropped Texas to 75-59 on the year, a game back of both the Seattle Mariners (76-58) and Houston Astros (77-59) in the AL West. The Rangers find themselves currently in the final American League Wild Card position, just 1.5 games ahead of the dangerous Toronto Blue Jays.

So the Rangers have a crucial September ahead of them, and keeping Scherzer healthy and available to pitch every five days is paramount.

"You look across the league, and there's forearm strains and Tommy Johns everywhere," Scherzer told reporters. "I have little forearm tightness right now. I'm not going to let that turn into a forearm strain or Tommy John."

The Texas Rangers' big swing at the trade deadline to land Max Scherzer in a deal with the New York Mets wasn't contingent on the three-time American League Cy Young winner receiving additional financial compensation.

Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, Scherzer "never asked for additional financial compensation" to approve a deal to the Rangers.

Scherzer had control over any potential deal thanks to the full no-trade clause he negotiated into his contract with the Mets when he originally signed with the team in December 2021.

Before the deal was approved in the evening on July 29, there was a period of a few hours when it seemed like it could fall apart. SNY's Andy Martino and Steve Gelbs reported Scherzer was willing to waive his no-trade provision, but the finances were still being worked out.

https://twitter.com/martinonyc/status/1685412895566319617

Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post and MLB Network, Scherzer wanted to retain his optionality by not opting in to his $43.3 million salary for 2024.

All the parties eventually worked things out, including Scherzer opting in to his deal for next season and the Mets paying a significant part of his remaining salary.

Full details of the trade, per ESPN sources:

Texas receives Max Scherzer

New York receives 21-year-old shortstop Luisangel Acuña, the brother of Atlanta star Ronald Acuña Jr.

Scherzer opts in to 2024.

The Rangers will pay Scherzer $22.5M. The Mets will cover $35M-plus.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 30, 2023

Speaking to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal on Aug. 1 following the trade, Scherzer explained he wasn't "itching to jump ship" from the Mets but general manager Billy Eppler told him during a meeting that also included owner Steve Cohen their new plan was to build a contender for 2025 and beyond.

"I was like, 'So the team is not going to be pursuing free agents this offseason or assemble a team that can compete for a World Series next year?' (Eppler) said, 'No, we're not going to be signing the upper-echelon guys. We're going to be on the smaller deals within free agency. '24 is now looking to be more of a kind of transitory year,'" Scherzer said.

The Rangers needed to make a splash, both to hold off the Houston Astros in the American League West and increase their chances to potentially make a deep playoff run.

Their rotation took a huge hit on July 30, one day after the Scherzer trade, when Nathan Eovaldi was placed on the injured list with a forearm injury. Manager Bruce Bochy told reporters on Aug. 4 it would take at least two or three weeks before the right-hander was going to be activated.

Texas also landed Jordan Montgomery and Chris Stratton in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals on July 30 to provide reinforcements to the pitching staff.

The Rangers are in the midst of an eight-game winning streak that has improved their record to 68-46. They are currently 2.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for the best record in the AL.

Scherzer has won each of his first two starts with Texas, allowing four earned runs with 15 strikeouts in 13 innings.

The Texas Rangers' acquisition of Max Scherzer may have been even more important than initially thought.

Texas announced Sunday that it placed pitcher Nathan Eovaldi on the 15-day injured list because of a right forearm strain. The stint on the IL is retroactive to July 27.

The Eovaldi news came shortly after the Rangers officially announced they landed Scherzer and cash considerations for minor leaguer Luisangel Acuña in a trade with the New York Mets.

Eovaldi's last appearance came on July 18 when he pitched six scoreless innings and allowed just two hits in a 5-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. It was more of the same for the right-hander, who has been excellent this season with a 2.69 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 111 strikeouts in 123.2 innings.

He was named to the second All-Star Game of his career and is a major reason Texas was in position as a buyer and contender ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline.

The Rangers are 60-45 and one game ahead of the Houston Astros for first place in the American League West. They haven't made the playoffs since 2016 but have been among the biggest positive surprises in the league this season.

Scherzer is someone who can anchor the pitching staff in the playoffs' biggest moments as a World Series champion and three-time Cy Young winner, but Texas looks much more formidable with the one-two punch atop its rotation.

But there is now plenty of concern for Eovaldi.

He was scratched from Sunday's start against the San Diego Padres because of soreness behind his elbow, although manager Bruce Bochy told reporters an MRI returned clean results. Yet the Dallas Morning News noted he was scratched from his previous scheduled start on Tuesday against the Astros after his fastball velocity decreased in four of his last five appearances.

With Eovaldi now sidelined and Jacob deGrom already out for the season after undergoing surgery, the pressure will only be dialed up for Scherzer to lead the way for his new team.

The St. Louis Cardinals are preparing for a rare sell at the deadline, and the Texas Rangers, Tampa Bay Rays and Miami Marlins are all interested buyers.

Derrick Goold of The St Louis Post-Dispatch reported that those three teams have interest in players like Jack Flaherty, Jordan Montgomery and Jordan Hicks.

"The Miami Marlins have also talked to the Cardinals about at least starters Flaherty and Montgomery," Goold wrote. "The Marlins recently dispatched a scout to evaluate a Flaherty start in person, a source confirmed. The Texas Rangers have shown interest in Hicks, and the Tampa Bay Rays have also looked into the pitchers the Cardinals have available. Those are teams industry sources have confirmed, but it is not a comprehensive list."

The Cardinals are 46-60 and currently sit in last place in the NL Central. They committed to a rebuild that does not include marquee stars like Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt, instead focusing on players like Flaherty, Hicks and Montgomery who are impending free agents.

Flaherty is the big fish from the Cardinals given his past success, but he has struggled a bit in 2023. He is 7-6 with a 4.43 ERA in 20 starts, but he has been healthy for the first time in several seasons and his 106 strikeouts thus far are more indicative of his earlier, Cy Young candidate-caliber seasons. His seven wins also lead the team.

Montgomery is 6-9 with a team-high 3.42 ERA and 108 strikeouts. He is a seven-season veteran with experience in both leagues and could be an excellent back-end starter for a team making a postseason push.

Hicks has a 3.67 ERA in 40 appearances with eight saves out of the bullpen. He has been hitting triple digits routinely in 2023 and this velocity could be crucial down the stretch for a team that needs to address the bullpen.

All three are arms that could be valuable to a contending team and are on expiring contracts, so they would likely be pure rentals for whatever team acquires them. The Rangers are looking to end a playoff drought that dates back to 2016 and just acquired star pitcher Max Scherzer from the Mets. They appear to be more interested in Hicks, as stated by Goold, and adding a flamethrower like him to the bullpen could be crucial as the Rangers look to build their division lead on the Houston Astros.

The Marlins and Rays both have young cores that they would like to supplement, and experienced postseason starters like Montgomery and Flaherty don't become available too often.

The Texas Rangers just pulled off the biggest move of the MLB trade deadline season by adding New York Mets starting pitcher Max Scherzer on Saturday evening.

ESPN's Jeff Passan provided the details:

Full details of the trade, per ESPN sources:

Texas receives Max Scherzer

New York receives 21-year-old shortstop Luisangel Acuña, the brother of Atlanta star Ronald Acuña Jr.

Scherzer opts in to 2024.

The Rangers will pay Scherzer $22.5M. The Mets will cover $35M-plus.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 30, 2023

Here's a look at how the starting rotation and the team's payroll looks now that Scherzer is under contract with Texas through 2024.

Starting Rotation

The Rangers' starting rotation currently consists of Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray, Dane Dunning, Andrew Heaney and Martín Pérez after staff ace Jacob deGrom was lost for the season due to Tommy John surgery.

Eovaldi is the current staff ace, and he still may hold down that role even with Scherzer aboard. The All-Star has gone 11-3 with a 2.69 ERA and a team-high 111 strikeouts.

On paper, the 39-year-old Scherzer may be best served as the No. 2 starter. He's had a down year in 2023 compared to his previous standards, but he's still posted an above-average season with a 4.01 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 121 strikeouts in 107.2 innings over 19 starts.

Jon Gray (3.66 ERA, 4.39 FIP) and Dane Dunning (3.28 ERA, 4.26 FIP) should round out the top four thanks to their solid years.

That would leave Pérez and Heaney as the replacement candidates.

It's unclear who would be moved out of the rotation, but Pérez is having the worst year of the five with a 4.91 ERA, 5.38 FIP and 1.49 WHIP. His 6.0 K/9 rate is also second-lowest among Ranger starters.

Heaney would presumably be the other potential replacement candidate, though he's fared better than Pérez with a 4.62 ERA, 5.20 FIP and 1.35 WHIP. He's also struck out more than one batter per inning (103 K in 101.1 frames).

Payroll

Cot's Contracts listed the Rangers with a projected 40-man competitive balance tax payroll of $219,786,157 in 2023 prior to the Scherzer move.

As Passan noted, the Rangers will cover $22.5 million of the remaining money in Scherzer's contract, while the Mets are on the hook for $35 million plus.

It's unclear how the money breakdown will look for 2023 and 2024 specifically, although Spotrac posited that the Mets will pay the money owed for the rest of this season.

Max Scherzer is owed $14.6M for the rest of 2023. It's to be assumed here that the #Mets are retaining all of that.

If Scherzer exercises his $43.3M player option for 2024, the #Rangers will only owe him $22.5M of it, with NYM paying the balance.

— Spotrac (@spotrac) July 30, 2023

That means the Rangers would be due to pay $22.5 million to Scherzer in 2024. At the moment, the Rangers have $158,917,000 committed to the 2024 40-man competitive balance tax payroll, so adding Scherzer's $22.5 million to the mix makes that figure $181,417,000.

However, that number is bound to rise. Eight players on the 2023 roster are impending free agents, and a host of others are arbitration-eligible without a current contract figure for 2024, so the Rangers need to make more moves to round out next year's team.

For now, though, Scherzer is aboard for 2023 as the Rangers look to hold off the Houston Astros for the AL West en route to searching for their first-ever World Series title.

As the Texas Rangers push to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016, the team is looking into all options.

Will Sammon of The Athletic reported that the New York Mets have received interest from the Rangers and the Houston Astros about the availability of three-time Cy Young winner Justin Verlander at the deadline. In the Rangers' case, this interest is mostly base level.

"One industry source classified Texas' interest in Verlander more as due diligence as the team explores the market overall," Sammon wrote. "Another league source suggested that nothing as of Friday afternoon had reached a deep level."

Verlander is 5-5 with a 3.24 ERA thus far in 2023.

While Verlander's statistics are undoubtedly solid for a 40-year-old starting pitcher, they are slightly down from a 2022 campaign that saw him go 18-4 with a 1.75 ERA and take home a Cy Young Award and his ninth All-Star nod. He still has elite production in his arsenal this deep into his career, and would be a great addition at the deadline.

The doubts about him being on the move come with the fact that he has a no-trade clause in his contract with the Mets, which he signed before the 2023 season. Plus, he has expressed a desire to win with New York despite the team's struggles this season.

Still, the Mets could receive a solid haul for Verlander, who has one year remaining on his deal with an option for 2025 on the table as well. Texas could provide that package, as they have the ninth-ranked farm system in MLB.

Just eight months after signing Justin Verlander, the New York Mets could be moving closer to trading the reigning American League Cy Young winner.

Per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, there's a belief within MLB the Mets could deal Verlander in the coming days and the Texas Rangers are considered the "likely" front-runner to land him.

Verlander has a complete control over his potential destination thanks to a no-trade clause in his contract.

Feinsand noted the Rangers pursued Verlander as a free agent last offseason, but he wasn't interested in the club at that time.

"Maybe that's changed with their performance," one executive told Feinsand.

The Rangers have lost four of their last six games, but that followed a six-game winning streak right out of the All-Star break. Their 60-43 record ranks third in the AL behind the Baltimore Orioles (62-40) and Tampa Bay Rays (62-43).

Texas' starting pitching has been a pleasant surprise this season. The unit ranks fifth in MLB with a 3.84 ERA. Nathan Eovaldi is a Cy Young contender with an AL-best 2.69 ERA in 123.2 innings.

The pressure could be mounting on the Rangers front office to make a big splash at the trade deadline. As well as they have been playing, they are only two games ahead of the Houston Astros in the AL West race.

Feinsand cited the Astros and Cincinnati Reds as other potential landing spots for Verlander. The 40-year-old obviously knows Houston very well after spending the past six seasons with the club, winning two World Series titles in 2017 and 2022.

One executive speaking to Feinsand cited the Reds' farm system as being good enough to entice the Mets, and general manager Nick Krall "might be just wild enough to do it."

Verlander has shrugged off a slow start with the Mets and is having another solid season. His ERA is down to 3.24 with 76 strikeouts in 89 innings over 15 starts.