Texas Rangers Add Pitching Insurance in Blockbuster Trade Proposal With Yankees

The Texas Rangers and New York Yankees could be a good match for a trade ahead of the season.

Aug 11, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Marcus Stroman (0) walks off the field after being relieved during the sixth inning against the Texas Rangers at Yankee Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers have been one of the busiest teams in baseball during this offseason.

After winning the World Series in 2023, they fell woefully short of expectations in 2024, leading to general manager Chris Young looking to shake things up this winter. His goal was to make upgrades to avoid another letdown.

To this point, the moves that have been made should have the Rangers in position to compete for the American League West title.

Their bullpen has been revamped, as reinforcements were needed with Kirby Yates, David Robertson and Andrew Chafin all hitting free agency. But, none of their acquisitions have much late-game experience, so bringing back Robertson would make a lot of sense.

In the lineup, the team was looking for some more pop. They addressed that need by trading for Jake Burger in a deal with the Miami Marlins and signing Joc Pederson in free agency.

Both provide a lot of home run potential and deepen what was already a strong lineup.

If the Rangers receive better luck in the injury department this year, they should once again be contenders in the American League.

While some of their key contributors in the lineup battled ailments in 2024, where they truly need that luck is on the pitching mound.

Texas is relying on Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle to return to form in 2025 after combining to make six starts last season. Youngsters Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter could round out the rotation behind the two veterans and Nathan Eovaldi. Cody Bradford should be in the mix as well.

It certainly wouldn’t hurt to add some insurance to the roster, which they could do in a trade with the New York Yankees.

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report has proposed an intriguing deal that would help both teams address weaknesses on their respective rosters.

Marcus Stroman, prospect Rafael Flores and cash would head to the Rangers in exchange for infielder Josh Smith.

If fans of either team are having some deja vu, it is because they made a deal involving Smith once already. Back in 2022, he was traded, along with Ezequiel Duran, to Texas in exchange for Joey Gallo.

Rarely do teams get a chance to essentially hit redo on a deal that didn’t pan out, but the Yankees could have a chance to do it here.

Smith was excellent in 2024, stepping into a starting role when Josh Jung was injured. Now that Jung is healthy and expected to take over at the hot corner again, Smith could become expendable.

No one would fault Texas for holding onto him as he presents excellent value as a versatile bench piece that can fill several holes. But, if they can add an established starting pitcher to the mix, really the only hole they haven’t addressed this winter, it would be hard to pass up.

Given that this is a salary dump for New York and Smith is a valuable player, the Rangers would get back a highly touted offensive prospect and cash to cover what could be $36.5 million in salary for Stroman.

Should he throw 140 innings in 2025, as it would trigger an $18 million player option in 2026 on top of the $18.5 million he is set to make this upcoming season.