DALLAS (105.3 The Fan) - The trade deadline is less than two weeks away and the Rangers have lost seven games in a row to fall 6 1/2 games behind the Oakland A's for the American League's second wild card spot.
Rangers general manager Jon Daniels joined the Ben and Skin Show on 105.3 The Fan Monday to discuss the latest with the club in regards to the deadline. Here are some of the highlights:
On Ronald Guzman's struggles: "We've given him a run here. He's been very good defensively. He's a clear plus over there. I think he's helped our pitching staff and our defense. He's struggled pretty badly over the last few weeks offensively. He's working on some things. There's not an unlimited period of time but right now we're still giving him a chance to work through that."
On trading Mike Minor and Lance Lynn: These are tough calls. I talked to the players about it. I talked to our staff about it. You got guys who are performing at a high level that are filling a need that we need now and are going to need going forward. We need more pitching not less, ultimately. If we ultimately get to a place where we're going to consider moving any of our big league pitchers it's going to be because it clearly makes sense to do so, and I think the return will speak for itself.
Does moving into a new ballpark impact the team's plans for free agency: "It's a topic of conversation. I talked to Ray Davis about that a week or so ago to get his thoughts. You know, opening up a new facility, which is going to be tremendous, but you don't want people coming out to the ballpark only because of the novelty of the park. Ultimately, people come see the team on the field. They come see a winning product.
"2017 was kind of mixed. We were in it but not full-fledged the whole year. Last year sucked. This year, (it's been) a really fun first half and we've hit a tough skid here. So, we definitely want to turn that around next year and that will be a part of our emphasis over the winter.
On if the team's play down the stretch changes how they approach free agency:
"If it's the right fit we'll certainly go out there like we did with Minor last year and Lance (Lynn) this year. And we're not opposed to venturing into deeper water with some of the better free agents that could theoretically become available. But it'll be based on what we think is best for the team and not any reaction to any sort of stretch whether it's positive or negative.
