The Rangers made a statement at the trade deadline. They were going for it. They were all in. They were going to be major buyers. After all, they were just 2.5 games out of first and could smell a division title coming.
So, they opened their wallet and emptied their prospect tank, landing the most prized arm at the break. While the Dodgers made splashy headlines with Terik Skubal, the Padres landed Casey Mize and Robby Ray, and the Guardians got Foster Griffin, the Rangers stunned the baseball world by prying Chase Silseth from the Angels.
Every team wanted Silseth, the Rangers got him. He paid dividends almost immediately. In his first game against Houston, he entered in the eighth inning with the Astros trailing 5-4. He loaded the bases with a triple, a walk, and a hit batter, and masterfully pitched his way out, holding the Rangers one-run deficit to just one run.
It was his next outing with his new team that showed how the Rangers outmaneuvered everyone in baseball. With the Rangers leading 2-0, they called on their Cy Young nopeful new arm. Silseth got three Giants out that inning, giving up only two runs in the process and earning his first blown save as a Ranger, in just his second appearance.
But it was in last night’s critical game against Sacramento that Silseth showed why the Rangers acquired him. Having just scored three runs in the top of the six to tie the game, Texas summoned Silseth out of the bullpen to nail down the tie. For two entire Athletics batters, it worked. Then, the third Athletics batter deposited a Silseth deep over the right field wall, putting the Rangers behind 4-3 in a game they would eventually lose 8-3, and earning Chase Silseth his first loss as a Ranger, in just his seventh appearance for Texas.
While the offense, defense, and rotation have disappeared since the All-Star break, it was comforting to know the Rangers bullpen has also cratered, with the second-highest team ERA in the second half.
This is exactly what they acquired Chase Silseth for. Sometimes, the words are almost too unbelievable to type. Chase Silseth is a Ranger.
Can we fans be this lucky?
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