It was hardly a huge surprise that the Texas Rangers were interested in acquiring a bit more talent as they make their push towards the playoffs in September. But Richard Durrett of ESPN Dallas/Fort Worth has broken down why exactly the transaction took place. Below are excerpts from his reasoning.
First of all, they gave up a player that they designated for assignment to get him. And the Mets are essentially paying Francoeur’s salary (the Rangers are only paying the prorated minimum of his salary). So they didn’t give up a bunch to get him.
The Rangers have tried to get some right-handed hitting for a while now in an effort to get better against left-handed pitching. They are 3-8 in the last 11 games against left-handed starters. As a team, the Rangers are hitting .264 against lefties, which is fifth in the AL. But playoff contenders Minnesota and New York are ahead of them. Texas faced five straight left-handed starters to end the last homestand and went 2-3. Oakland threw three straight lefties against the Rangers and Texas won just one of those games.
Francoeur is eligible for the postseason and he should join the team on Wednesday here in Kansas City. He’s no automatic for the playoffs, either. The Rangers have a month to evaluate him and decide whether he would go on that 25-man roster when the time comes in late September to decide.