While the Texas Rangers focused most of their efforts on improving their pitching staff at the MLB Trade Deadline, they did acquire a catcher through a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Austin Hedges, a ninth-year player who spent time with San Diego and Cleveland before joining Pittsburgh, is on his way to Texas in exchange for international bonus pool money.
Rangers All-Star catcher Jonah Heim was placed on the injured list with a wrist injury on Friday, and Hedges adds depth to the current group.
“The move for Austin was somewhat related to Jonah’s injury,” Executive Vice President and General Manager Chris Young explained to the media on Tuesday. “Certainly, with Sam [Huff] and Mitch [Garver] on [the] roster, we feel like we want to carry three catchers. I’m not going to call it an insurance policy, but it’s a rotation between the three to cover while Jonah’s out.”
Heim was having the best season of his young career and earned his first Al-Star selection as the starting catcher for the American League. While his injury was a setback for a team that has exceeded expectations this season, the team believes it now has the depth at the position to compete in his absence, and he will be able to return this season.
“We’re very optimistic we’ll have Jonah back at some point,” Young added. “I can’t tell you when that will be, but we recognize that Sam is young, we’re going to be playing meaningful games, and Mitch has been banged up at times. We felt that getting Austin was a way to provide more protection at a meaningful position as we play down the stretch.”
Each of the three catching options has his own strengths. Huff has proven himself as a power hitter with 107 home runs at the minor-league level but has little big-league experience. Garver has the most MLB experience of the three and has the flexibility to remain in the lineup as a designated hitter.
While Hedges’ numbers do not stand out offensively, he could immediately impact the pitching staff as a defensive catcher and a veteran with playoff experience.
“Our catching coach Bobby Wilson does a great job with these guys, and Austin will make us even better there,” Young said. “It’s not the sole reason we targeted Austin. He’s an experienced veteran who’s been in playoff environments, knows what it takes, and he will add a level of leadership and comfort to the pitching staff that will hopefully serve them well.”
That pitching staff now includes several newcomers, including starters Jordan Montgomery and Max Scherzer.
Scherzer is slated to make his team debut on Thursday afternoon against the Chicago White Sox, and Montgomery is scheduled to face the Miami Marlins on Friday.
“When you have first place on the line, and you have an organization that’s trying to win, and it’s right in front of us right now [with] where we’re at in the season, there’s definitely a jolt,” Scherzer told the media. “I like pitching in these situations. I like having the ball in this type of atmosphere. I don’t get phased by it; I actually want to rise up to it.”
The Rangers (61-46) hold a half-game lead over the Houston Astros in the American League West with 55 games remaining and will continue the season against the White Sox (43-65) at 7:05 p.m. CT on Wednesday.
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EXTRA BASES
— The Rangers also traded right-handed pitcher Spencer Howard to the New York Yankees for cash.
— The team also promoted 2023 first-round draft pick Wyatt Langford to High-A Hickory.
— Texas announced jersey numbers for its new pitchers. Scherzer will wear 31, Montgomery will wear 52, and Stratton will wear 35. Additionally, pitchers Cody Bradford and Yerry Rodriguez have been optioned to Triple-A.
— Astros pitcher Framber Valdez threw the third no-hitter of the 2023 season and 16th in team history against the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday.
— The Astros also traded for Justin Verlander at Tuesday’s Trade Deadline.
— The Baltimore Orioles acquired starting pitcher Jack Flaherty from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for three minor league prospects.
— Detroit Tigers pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez was not traded after using his no-trade clause to decline a trade to the Dodgers.