If you're in the hunt for the postseason, you're shopping for pitchers. And the Texas Rangers, who are very much in the playoff hunt, have their eye on Philadelphia Phillies hot shot Vince Velasquez.
But is this deal realistic? According to Ken Rosenthal, "unlikely."
Rosenthal writes the Rangers are “all over” the right-hander, "scouting him and doing extensive background work."
Velasquez, 24, is 8-2 with a 3.32 ERA and 108 strikeouts. He's allowed 36 earned runs in 97 2/3 innings and has a 1.30 WHIP.
Jon Morosi of MLB.com reported earlier this week via Twitter that the asking price for Velasquez would be high. In the case of the Rangers, this likely means giving up either Joey Gallo or Jurickson Profar in exchange for Velasquez. The Rangers gave up Travis Demeritte, their 2013 first-round pick, when they acquired pitchers Lucas Harrell and Dario Alvarez from the Atlanta Braves earlier this week.
Velasquez is singed to a one-year, $516,000 deal. He's eligible for arbitration in 2019 and slated to be a free agent in 2022.
