Would the Texas Rangers be willing to “Lynnd” the Atlanta Braves a helping hand?
The Texas Rangers have fallen on hard times over the last two weeks, going 1-9 in their last 10 games. The Athletics and Astros are pulling away and look to secure the two playoff spots entitled to the AL West this year. Meanwhile, the Rangers are are currently four games back in the wild card race.
With these recent setbacks, it may be in Texas’ best interest to move some of their more valuable pieces, like Lance Lynn. Plus, the Rangers don’t have the best farm system, at least not according to MLB’s rankings, which ranks the Rangers farm 21st in all of baseball.
The Braves happen to be in the market for starting pitching. Those MLB rankings of team’s minor league systems have the Atlanta Braves with the 8th best minor league system in all of baseball.
In short, the Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers could make solid trade partners. With Lance Lynn possibly being available, could these two teams make a splash at this year’s deadline?
Avoiding another “Minor Mistake.”
Remember last year, when Mike Minor struck out 200 men, had a 3.59 ERA, and a 4.1 fWAR? Do you remember that the Texas Rangers finished 78-84 last year, and as previously mentioned, have a thin farm system? Imagine if they had moved Minor at last year’s deadline.
Now Mike Minor currently has a 6.75 ERA and would only be a one month rental. It would be safe to say that the Rangers probably should have moved Minor last year.
Yes, hindsight is 20-20, but here we are a year later in a similar situation for the Texas Rangers. They’re falling out of contention, have a weak farm system, and have a desirable asset that could be moved at this deadline. It helps that Lance Lynn is pitching like a Cy Young candidate in 2020.
It would be understandably difficult to trade away a guy like Lynn when he’s having the season he is having, but Lynn is 33 years old and is only signed through 2021. Does he really fit into the long-term plans in Texas?
The Texas Rangers may want to avoid the mistake they made last year by not moving Minor at a high value, and look to sell high on Lance Lynn.
Why the Atlanta Braves make sense for Lynn.
Before Ian Anderson picked up a win against the Yankees, Max Fried was the only starter to pick up a win for the Braves. While Max has been a Cy Young caliber pitcher this season, the Braves can’t rely on just one (two if Anderson can continue to pitch well) if they want to make a postseason run.
The Braves need starting pitching and Lynn is arguably the best available at this year’s deadline. With the Braves loaded farm and the Rangers still rebuilding for the future, a trade between the two clubs makes a lot of sense.
With the way Lynn is pitching and because starting pitching is in high demand at the deadline, Lynn could be expensive. Will the Braves be willing to pay a high price to acquire Lynn?
Potential Trade Package:
- Braves trade: Bryse Wilson (5th ranked prospect), Tucker Davidson (9th) & Terone Harris (15th).
- Rangers trade: Lance Lynn
Kyle Wright and Kyle Muller could be interchanged with Wilson and Davidson in this trade scenario. However, the prospects are packaged, that’s going to be a pretty steep price for the Braves to pay to acquire Lynn.
Lynn would not just be a one month rental, though. While he would provide the Braves a solid 1-2 punch atop the rotation with Max Fried, Lynn is signed through the 2021 season which makes him more appealing.
However, we have yet to see the Braves give up many of their top prospects in the Anthopolous era. They have been extremely cautious with their prospects because they are not willing to sacrifice their long-term plans for potential short-term success.
Lynn makes a lot of sense for the Atlanta Braves, and if they think they have a shot at a title in 2020 (or 2021), they could be willing to make the big move and acquire Lance Lynn.
It will be interesting to watch the Atlanta Braves at this year deadline and see if they are willing to make a big move in this odd 2020 season.