Milwaukee Brewers ace Yovani Gallardo might not be a Wisconsinite much longer – the club is reportedly nearing a deal to send the Mexican right-hander to the Texas Rangers.
#Rangers on verge of trading for #Brewers’ Yovani Gallardo, sources tell me and @jonmorosi.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 18, 2015
Gallardo turns 29 in February, and has been a Brewer since they drafted him in the second round of the 2004 MLB Draft. In 2014, Gallado pitched to a 3.51 ERA in 192 1/3 innings, striking out 146 and walking 54. While his strikeout rate of 6.8 batters per nine innings was a career low, his walk rate of 2.5 batters per nine was also a career low, helping mitigate the damage done by his dropping strikeout total. Gallardo has been a model of durability during his time as a Brewer, making 30 starts and throwing 180 innings in every season since 2009. He’s in the final year of a six year, $42.5 million contract signed in April of 2010, and will make $13 million this season.
On the surface, he’d be a solid fit with a Rangers team that suffered through plenty of rotation injuries in 2014. No Texas starter made 30 starts a year ago, and Colby Lewis was the only one to make at least 25. 15 different players made starts for the club, including also-rans Scott Baker and Joe Saudners, who each made eight.
In 2015, Yu Darvish and Colby Lewis will both return, along with Nick Tepesch and Derek Holland (who missed nearly the entire season following offseason knee surgery). New acquisition Ross Detwiler is also expected to fill a spot in the starting five. Matt Harrison’s health is a question mark because of spinal fusion surgery that took place last June, and Martin Perez likely won’t be a factor until June because of Tommy John surgery last May.
Needless to say, that even for just a year, Gallardo would be a worthy addition to the Texas rotation. The cost likely won’t be too absurd, given the fact that he would be a one-year rental making $13 million. Trading Gallardo would also open up some opportunities for the Brewers, and could set them loose in the James Shields derby.
