Report: Rangers Unlikely to Trade Martín Pérez

It appears Texas will hold on to its lefty ace beyond the upcoming trade deadline.

The Texas Rangers are reportedly unlikely to trade pitcher Martín Pérez at the deadline, per a report in The Dallas Morning News.

Pérez is coming off a victory on Sunday at Oakland, which pushed his season record to 8-2. He gave up one run and four hits in seven innings against the Athletics, while walking three and striking out six in an 11-8 victory. The Rangers bullpen gave up seven runs in the final two innings.

The left-hander has been the Rangers’ most reliable pitcher this season, and with the emergence of Jon Gray since he returned from injury in May, the Rangers have a reliable 1-2 punch at the start of their rotation.

But Gray is with the Rangers on a four-year, $56 million contract. Pérez is pitching on a one-year, $4 million contract. He just made his first All-Star Game appearance and threw a scoreless inning for the American League on Tuesday.

The Rangers have publicly said they’re open to an extension for Pérez, who started his career with Texas and returned to the franchise after three seasons in Boston and Minnesota from 2019-21. The report indicated that negotiations have not started yet and may not start until after the trade deadline.

With the trade deadline looming on Aug. 2, Pérez is the player that, reasonably, would fetch the Rangers the most in a trade if they were so inclined. But with the rest of the rotation young and struggling for consistency, the Rangers appear more inclined to keep Pérez.

But that doesn’t mean that they won’t get offers. It likely means the Rangers won’t make a move unless they receive an offer that is simply too good to ignore.

The Rangers continue their road trip with three games in Seattle starting on Monday night. The Rangers expect to start Glenn Otto on Monday. On Tuesday, the Rangers have projected Dane Dunning as the starter, who is currently on the injured list but is eligible to come off that day. Gray is the expected starter for Wednesday’s finale. The Mariners swept the Rangers in four games at Globe Life Field before the All-Star Break.

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