If you're heading out to Globe Life Park in Arlington on Thursday night for the finale of the Yankees series, you're planning on seeing Yovani Gallardo take the mound for the Rangers.
If he does, it'll most likely be his final appearance in a Rangers uniform with the MLB non-waiver trade deadline set for 3 p.m. CDT on Friday. It's also a possibility you won't see Gallardo on Thursday and he's already pitched his final game for his hometown series.
Gallardo is the most likely Rangers big-leaguer — well, this side of Matt Harrison — to be traded at the deadline. He's a free agent this winter and would be a nice addition to the middle of a contender's rotation.
He's struggled in his last two starts — failing to record an out in the fifth inning in each of them — but he's still appealing due to his veteran presence and his postseason experience and at this point, it's a near certainty he'll be moved.
The only stumbling block would be if the return doesn't match up to the compensatory draft pick the Rangers would receive when Gallardo signed with another team this winter as a free agent. They wouldn't receive compensation if he's traded this year.
Several teams have shown interest, and several of those have already made moves, seemingly taking them out of the running, such as the Royals (Johnny Cueto) and the Dodgers (Mat Latos and possibly David Price).
The most recent team to show interest in Gallardo is Toronto, which has been reported by the Star-Telegram's Jeff Wilson to be in talks Thursday morning with the Rangers, who are likely seeking a right-handed bat or possibly catching prospect Max Pentecost.
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At this point, if I'm betting money I'd say Gallardo has already made his final appearance as a Ranger, and it was fun while it lasted, but he's not in the future plans so they might as well get something for him.
