The Texas Rangers officially lost starting pitcher Yu Darvish to Tommy John surgery last week and are now searching to add depth to their pitching staff. Over the weekend it was noted they are still talking to the Phillies about Cole Hamels, but they are now in discussions with another NL East team.
Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports that the Miami Marlins and Texas Rangers are "in trade discussions" regarding left-hander Brad Hand. The 25-year-old appeared in 32 games last year (16 starts) and finished 3-8 with a 4.38 ERA and 1.36 WHIP in 111 innings. In those 16 starts he maintained a 4.33 ERA and 1.321 WHIP, which weren't far off from his cumulative numbers.
It's unknown how far along in the discussions the two clubs are, but Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reported over the weekend that they were already in talks. He mentioned that Hand and reliever Mike Dunn could be available in deals, which would be beneficial for the Rangers since they could use either one of these arms in the bullpen alongside Alex Claudio, who is currently their only left-handed reliever.
Spencer also noted "a host of teams" are interested in lefty reliever Andrew McKirahan and it's possible the Rangers are one of them. The Marlins acquired McKirahan in the Rule 5 draft and snagged him from the Chicago Cubs, but Spencer says "it appears he won't in a spot" in Miami's bullpen. As a result, the Marlins would obviously rather trade him and get something in return instead of losing him on waivers.
However, it appears Hand could be the top target for Texas since he has experience both as a starter and reliever, which could help them in a multitude of ways. He's also in a similar situation as McKirahan.
"As for Hand, the left-hander is out of options and can't be sent to the minors without clearing waivers," writes Spencer. "Knowing that he would be claimed, the Marlins might try to squeeze a middle- to high-level prospect from the Rangers -- or anyone else -- for the lefty. As a result of their many offseason trades, the Marlins now feel a need to strengthen their minor-league system, which was weakened over the winter."
After Yovani Gallardo, Derek Holland and Colby Lewis, the starting rotation looks a bit questionable, and the bullpen struggled mightily last season (24th-ranked ERA and 22nd-ranked K/BB ratio), so it's no surprise the Rangers are looking at Hand, who can potentially help them in both departments.
