A recent report indicates that the Texas Rangers are likely to be active in the trade market before Thursday’s deadline, spurred by a hot streak and a desire to give manager Bruce Bochy one last shot at a World Series title.
After struggling around the .500 mark for much of the season, the Rangers are now just a half-game out of the final Wild Card spot and only four games behind the Houston Astros in the AL West. This surge has been fueled by winning eight of their last 10 games, including six straight wins before a Monday loss to the Los Angeles Angels.
With the trade deadline looming, speculation is rising over what moves the Rangers might make. Just a couple of weeks ago, they seemed likely to be sellers, but on Tuesday, New York Post MLB insider Joel Sherman suggested they could make a push to strengthen their roster, particularly to give Bochy the best possible team in his final year managing.
Bruce Bochy record (Career): 2,227-2,236
“Even as they were not able to play consistently well, word was circulating the game that their head of baseball operations, Chris Young, wanted to go for it, in part because this is the final season of manager Bruce Bochy’s contract and, at 70, there is a belief this could be the last year of a Cooperstown-bound career,” Sherman wrote.
“Young wanted to make sure he honored that by trying his best to give Bochy a chance to go out well. He confirmed this in a text exchange. ‘I have great admiration and respect for Boch and want to do our best to give him a chance to win again.’”
The Texas Rangers skipper has been a part of four World Series wins and has the sixth most victories as a manager in MLB history.
To further add to the idea that this is Bochy’s final season, Sherman added that former Miami Marlins manager and current Rangers special assistant, Skip Schumaker, is “widely viewed as most likely to succeed Bochy.”
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