Gallardo admits he’s thought about Rangers trading him
Yovani Gallardo is scheduled to make his 21st start of the season Saturday, and he admitted Friday that he has wondered if it will be his last start for the Texas Rangers.
“I’d be lying if I said that I hadn’t,” he said.
Gallardo’s name has surfaced in the rumor mill ahead of the annual July 31 nonwaiver trade deadline, in part because the Rangers have fallen out of contention for the American League West title and have five teams ahead of them in the race for the second wild card.
He’s also a free agent after this season, and the Rangers could attempt to get something for him rather than just lose him to another team in the off-season.
The Rangers could also stick with the Fort Worth resident, make him a qualifying offer after the season, and get a compensatory pick should he sign with another club.
Here’s another possibility: Gallardo isn’t traded and gets a chance to help the Rangers reach the playoffs.
“We are still very confident with the team we have in here,” Gallardo said. “We’re not far behind. If we have a good week or week and a half or a couple good weeks, you can find yourself at the top again.”
If Gallardo is traded for the second time in his career — the first came in January as Milwaukee sent him to his hometown team — he said that he would welcome the opportunity to play for a sure-fire contender.
The Chicago Cubs have some interest in Gallardo, according to a source, and the Los Angeles Dodgers reportedly also have interest. General manager Jon Daniels said that nothing is imminent with Gallardo.
“The main thing is I try not to think about it,” Gallardo said. “It’s out of my control.”
Hamilton returns
Josh Hamilton was greeted with boos during his first visit back to Angel Stadium. He was traded to the Rangers in April after falling out of favor with owner Arte Moreno.
Hamilton met with reporters and explained how it came to be that he wasn’t invited to spring training after having shoulder surgery, a decision that he said signaled the beginning of the end of his time with the Angels.
“I asked about when they want me to show up for spring training,” he said. “They said, ‘Well, we don’t want him to show up in spring. He can rehab in Dallas, he can rehab in Houston, he can rehab in Timbuktu. Just don’t come here.’
“It felt like, when that comment was made, that they were done.”
Hamilton again contended that he asked to speak to former general manager Jerry Dipoto and Moreno following his relapse with drugs to convince them that he was committed to the Angels, but wasn’t allowed to speak directly to them.
Bullpen news
Manager Jeff Banister came armed to his daily media briefing with statistics dating from June 3 that provided support for keeping Tanner Scheppers in his eighth-inning role.
Scheppers lost Monday’s game at Colorado by allowing one run in the ninth inning, and he blew a four-run lead in the eighth inning Wednesday before the Rangers scored twice in the ninth.
He entered Friday having allowed eight earned runs in 4 1/3 innings but had recorded scoreless outings in 14 of 22 appearances.
“The complete body of work from that time, he has pitched very well,” Banister said. “We are an imperfect bullpen. We structure it so that we can fit them to be the best they can be based on who they face.”
Daniels said that right-hander Ross Ohlendorf, whose 30-day rehab window ends Saturday, will likely be reinstated from the disabled list Monday or Tuesday.
Daniels also said that left-hander Derek Holland will be a starting pitcher when he returns in late August. The Rangers talked about using him as a reliever, but never seriously.
Jeff Wilson, 817-390-7760
This story was originally published July 24, 2015 at 10:45 PM with the headline "Gallardo admits he’s thought about Rangers trading him."