ESPN’s Buster Olney reported Friday afternoon that the Texas Rangers were among the teams in discussions with the Tampa Bay Rays about Isaac Paredes and Yandy Díaz.
Díaz made the All-Star team in 2023 as a first baseman and Paredes was an All-Star third baseman this summer.
This comes just after The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported the Rangers were looking for a bat and had called about Díaz. The Rays have also declared themselves as sellers, shipping outfielder Randy Arozarena to the Mariners and pitcher Zac Eflin to the Orioles, so Tampa Bay is open for business.
Both Díaz and Paredes play positions that the Rangers are well-stocked at, so both would be in line fill in as DH or play in the field as needed. The Rangers rank dead last in the MLB in OPS out of the DH slot in their lineup, so any extra bat would be welcome.
Díaz narrowly won the AL batting title over Corey Seager in 2023 with a .330 batting average, but his numbers are down a bit this season. His .726 OPS is down from his career .805 mark and his .932 2023 mark, but would still present a considerable upgrade for the Rangers.
Paredes is having a better season, currently with a .797 OPS and 129 OPS+, but would present a bit more of a positional logjam with Josh Smith and Josh Jung manning third base.
Paredes has also cooled off considerably as the season has worn on. His .867 OPS in March/April and .915 OPS in May has dipped to .713 in June and .640 in July. Paredes is batting just .136 in July.
Both players are on affordable contracts beyond this season as well. Díaz is signed through 2025 for a total of $18 million with a $12 million team option for 2026, while Paredes is under contract through the 2027 season.
The Rangers have made it known they are buyers at the deadline after catching fire in July just ahead of the deadline as rumors of being sellers swirled. But urgency remains high after Friday’s walk-off loss to the Blue Jays, as the first-place Astros and second-place Mariners both won. Texas trails Houston by 3.5 games and Seattle by 2.5 games heading into Saturday.
Find more Rangers coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Click or tap here to sign up for our Rangers newsletter.