MLB Trade Deadline Rumors: 5 trades Brewers should make

1. Yu Darvish, SP, Texas Rangers

It’s been an up-and-down season for the Texas Rangers. The two-time defending AL West champions won’t three-peat, but despite a 48-51 record, the Rangers are just 3.5 games behind the Kansas City Royals for the second Wild Card spot in the American League.

Such proximity to a third straight postseason berth would usually mean a team with the wealth of farm system resources and money Texas has as its disposal would be busy trying to acquire star players at the trade deadline. However, on Tuesday, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN reported that the Texas Rangers are ready to trade Yu Darvish.

Because he will be a free agent at the end of the season, Darvish has long been rumored as a potential trade deadline target. The Rangers slow start to the season increased the odds those rumors would come to fruition, and Crasnick’s report this week, among others, confirmed that one of the top pitchers in baseball is available for the right offer.

In 21 starts this season, Darvish is 6-8 with a 3.44 ERA and 3.84 FIP. He has 143 strikeouts in 133.1 innings, and though his strikeout rate (26.4 percent) is down compared to his first four years in the league, it’s still high for a major league starter.

Next: MLB Trade Deadline: 5 trades Rays should make

Though he is a rental, Darvish won’t come cheaply. However, the Brewers (under a different general manager) have sprung for a blockbuster trade deadline deal in the past. It’s too early to say if Darvish could have the impact C.C. Sabathia did in Milwaukee (Sabathia went 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA in 17 starts, including seven complete games and three shutouts), but it’s worth a try.