Rangers trade Martin as Minor keeps drawing interest. Will red-hot Mazara stay or go?
General manager Jon Daniels headed to work Monday morning with a few potential leads on deals ahead of the Wednesday trade deadline, though nothing was guaranteed to happen.
Monday ended without anything happening.
It appeared that would be the case Tuesday as well, but the Texas Rangers finally crossed the finish line on a deal.
The Rangers sent Arlington native Chris Martin to the Atlanta Braves for left-hander Kolby Allard, the Braves’ first-round pick in 2015 who was pitching at Triple A Gwinnett.
Martin is 0-2 with four saves and a 3.08 ERA this season. He is third in the American League with a 0.95 walks per nine innings.
Allard is 7-5 with a 4.17 ERA in 20 starts/110 innings at Gwinnett. The 21-year-old, who made his MLB debut last season, has been optioned to Triple A Nashville.
“We’re excited to welcome Kolby Allard to Texas,” Daniels said in a statement. “He’s a young starter who already has significant experience at the upper levels. His reputation as a competitor is well known, and we look forward to watching him compete as a Ranger for a long time to come.”
The trade came after a day of radio silence from most sources and others who said that nothing much was brewing. That could be good news for All-Star left-hander Mike Minor, who would prefer to stay with the Rangers.
Minor, though, has been targeted by many teams, and a deal could develop Wednesday in the final moments before the 3 p.m. deadline. Lance Lynn, Hunter Pence and Danny Santana have also been targeted by contending clubs.
One player who isn’t getting as much attention is right fielder Nomar Mazara, who went 2 for 5 to extend his hitting streak to six games Tuesday as the Rangers fell to the Seattle Mariners 8-5 in the opener of a two-game series.
Mazara has shown the Rangers signs of improvement since they expressly told him that he needed to improve after 3 1/2 seasons of failing to meet expectations. He was urged to work on his preparation and to seek counsel of the hitting coaches to unlock the potential many believe he has had since they signed him as a 16-year-old in 2011.
He admitted Tuesday that he was lost at one point earlier this season as he tried to chase hits rather than drive the ball.
“When you have people expect a lot more of you, that’s good because it keeps you more motivated to make yourself work even harder,” Mazara said. “When you have people around that want you to be better and produce at the top level, that means a lot.”
Mazara opened Tuesday with his slugging percentage (.453) and OPS (.768) at career-high levels. Neither, though, would meet the expectations heaped upon him to open the season.
He was well on his way to a career year in 2018 before he was derailed by a thumb injury, but the hope was this would be the season. It hasn’t been so far.
When the Rangers needed a roster spot for Pence on June 16, he was one of three players considered for Nashville. Willie Calhoun was optioned, but a message was sent to Mazara.
His swing needed to be better. He need to be better prepared. The results didn’t have to come immediately, but manager Chris Woodward wanted to see Mazara looking better offensively.
Mazara said that he has quieted his hands and upper body, and is using his lower half to get his swing in the proper sequence.
“I told him the other day, even his swings and misses, everything looks better,” Woodward said. “I feel like he’s in a better place. Anytime someone tells you you need to be better, you don’t always get the results right away. His swings have been way better. He’s challenging pitches almost every at-bat.”
The Rangers considered trading Mazara in the off-season but didn’t get the value they were seeking, and they might be unable to get a team to bet on his upside even though he has two years of club control remaining.
If his recent surge is an indication that he is on his way to meeting his potential, the Rangers might want to hold him and find another way to break up their logjam of left-handed-hitting corner outfielders.
Mazara is ready to show them how much more he can do.
“I want more,” Mazara said. “If I can be more consistent, I think I’m going to put up those numbers everyone thinks I can do.”
Said Woodward: “I love Nomar. He’s a very bright kid. He’s obviously got a ton of talent. We have a 24-year-old kid that is very talented, and hopefully we can get his maximum out of him.”
This story was originally published July 30, 2019 at 8:29 PM.
