The Texas Rangers have been serious players at the MLB trade deadline since Jon Daniels became the club's general manager, and this year will be no different. Let's take a look at a possible Rangers target for the July 31 deadline.
Target: Alex Rios, OF, Chicago White Sox
The Rangers have been tied to Rios before, and with the White Sox's struggles this year, they seem to be prime sellers who are looking to off-load with just about anyone not named Chris Sale.
A lot of the talk surrounding the Rangers involves them going after starting pitching, and that's understandable given Nick Tepesch's and Justin Grimm's recent struggles, but with Alexi Ogando and Colby Lewis set to return relatively soon, there are reinforcements coming there.
The offense is a different story and the lineup could use some more pop to go along with Nelson Cruz and Adrian Beltre. Lance Berkman hasn't cut it and Mitch Moreland has been on-again-off-again.
Rios could be a nice solution here, and he wouldn't just be a rental.
The White Sox veteran is hitting .268 with 11 home runs and 37 RBIs and is having a nice, solid season a year after hitting over .300 with a career-high 25 homers. He's a solid outfielder who can play all three positions, but would most likely fit in left field for David Murphy, assuming Jurickson Profar's outfield experiment doesn't suffice in the front office's eyes. He could also fit in right field if Nelson Cruz is suspended amidst the Biogenesis allegations.
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Rios is signed through next season with a club option for 2015. He's making $12.5 million this season, is set to make the same in 2014 and then, if traded, would command a club option of $14 million in 2015 with a $1 million buyout. It's a pretty hefty price to pay for Rios' production, but it is someone who the Rangers have been interested in and could add to a sometimes lackluster lineup.
