MLB Trade Deadline 2017: 5 best spots for Hunter Pence
By John Buhler
Texas Rangers
AL, West
If Pence is dealt before the trade deadline, one team that would be fun to see him land is his hometown Texas Rangers. Pence grew up in Arlington and played the second half of his college baseball career at the University of Texas-Arlington before being drafted in the second round by the Houston Astros in 2004.
The Rangers may be a few games below .500 and in fourth place in the AL West with no shot of catching Houston for the division crown. However, the Rangers are very much in the AL Wild Card race with all of their division rivals, including the Oakland Athletics.
Texas has the arm talent in its rotation to catch fire in August and September. The Rangers could use a position player as savvy as Pence to help them in their quest to get back into the postseason. Texas has won back-to-back AL West titles, but will have to get in as a wild card team this year. Houston is 17 games better than the Rangers in the AL West standings and it isn’t even August yet.
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Motivated by a change of scenery and playing for his hometown team in front of his friends and family could be huge for both Pence and the Rangers this fall. Texas has never won a World Series before. Wouldn’t it be something if the Arlington helps the Rangers win it all for the first time in October? It’s probably not happening, but that would be a cool story nevertheless.