Rangers make move for '24, boost 'pen with lefty Chafin

ST. LOUIS -- The Rangers appear to be going for it.

Ahead of Tuesday’s 5 p.m. CT Trade Deadline, Texas acquired left-hander Andrew Chafin from Detroit in exchange for Minor League right-handed pitchers Chase Lee and Joseph Montalvo.

TRADE DETAILS
Rangers get: LHP Andrew Chafin
Tigers get: RHPs Joseph Montalvo (Rangers' No. 27 prospect), Chase Lee

It’s the Rangers’ third trade of this Deadline season, and second with the Tigers after acquiring catcher Carson Kelly on Sunday. In 37 innings this season, Chafin has posted a 3.16 ERA across 41 relief appearances. He has struck out 50 while walking 16.

The Rangers currently have two lefties in the bullpen -- Jacob Latz and Cody Bradford -- as well as two at Triple-A Round Rock in Brock Burke and the recently acquired Walter Pennington. Chafin will add additional flexibility at the back of the bullpen, with Texas mostly using right-handers Kirby Yates and David Robertson in those situations this season.

“We looked at our team and where we are and what we need moving forward,” said general manager Chris Young. “Certainly Jake Latz has done a great job as a left-handed reliever. We've gotten Cody Bradford back, who's in the bullpen, but having a veteran of Andrew's caliber to be in our bullpen to help shorten games, we feel very good about the bullpen and the ability to shorten games as we go into the last two months of the season here. And then hopefully, we play well enough to get into the postseason.”

Chafin joked last week to reporters in Detroit that as a lefty reliever, he gets nervous around the Trade Deadline every year. This marks the fourth time in the past five years that he has been dealt around the Deadline. The 34-year-old signed with the Tigers last offseason, reuniting with his 2022 club and coaching staff, hoping to bounce back from a miserable ‘23 campaign between Arizona and Milwaukee.

Chafin’s numbers showed improvement, including chase and whiff rates that put him in the top 5 percent of MLB pitchers and an expected ERA in the top 10 percent. He has been tough on left-handed hitters after showing reverse splits his previous two seasons. Chafin posted one save for Detroit, but he was used in many high-leverage situations in a versatile Tigers bullpen that included lefty Tyler Holton.

“He's a guy who has pitched in high leverage situations and he'll continue to do that to help us out to help take a load off some of the other guys like [Jose] Leclerc and [Josh] Sborz,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “He can go an inning-plus and he's excited about coming here. He's going to be here before the game tomorrow. It's nice to have some other options from the left side in the bullpen. That's a nice luxury.”

Chafin also offers some flexibility beyond this season. His $4.25 million contract includes a $6.5 million club option for 2025 or a $500,000 buyout.

Texas has walked a fine line between buying and selling this season, having shipped starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen to the Royals for Pennington on Monday. But the club sits just 3 1/2 games back of the Mariners and Astros in the American League West, with a postseason berth well within reach over the last two months of the season.

“It's a club that we all still believe in,” Bochy said. “We really believe that we're gonna make some noise here and I'm excited where we're at right now.”

“I think it speaks to our confidence level on this roster,” Young added. “We really believe in the group we have.”