The July 31 MLB non-waiver trade deadline came and went without many fireworks, but it turns out that the wheeling and dealing was far from over, as the Texas Rangers acquired outfielder Alex Rios and $1 million from the Chicago White Sox on Friday for a player to be named later, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
The White Sox confirmed the deal on Twitter and added that the player to be named later could become cash considerations instead.
T.R. Sullivan of MLBlogs.com reports that the player to be named later will be shortstop Leury Garcia, although that hasn’t been confirmed by either side.
This trade is a significant one for the Rangers as they are currently in a virtual tie with the Oakland Athletics for both the AL West lead and the American League’s second wild card spot. Their playoff hopes seemingly took a big hit when All-Star outfielder Nelson Cruz was suspended for the remainder of the regular season for his involvement with a Miami Biogenesis lab, but the Rangers have found a player who can fill Cruz’s shoes to some degree.
While Rios doesn’t possess the same power that Cruz does—Cruz had 27 home runs before being suspended—Rios is an all-round player who can hit for average and power, while providing speed on the base paths as well.
This deal became a possibility on Thursday when the White Sox waived Rios and the Rangers claimed him, according to Dayn Perry of CBSSports.com. Waiving high-priced players is a common practice for struggling teams after the non-waiver trade deadline, as they are permitted to trade waived players like they would prior to the deadline provided they clear waivers.
Rios did not clear, so the White Sox had the option to either work out a deal with the Rangers or pull him back. Apparently, the White Sox felt as though getting his $12.5 million contract off the books for next season was the best move for them, so they ultimately decided to strike a deal.
With a .277 average, 12 home runs, 55 RBI and 26 stolen bases on the year, Rios will give Texas a much-needed right-handed bat to fill out its lineup moving forward.
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