Rangers Make Late Splash, Land Catcher and Pitcher Before 2026 Trade Deadline
The Texas Rangers have made their first splash deal before next week’s MLB Trade Deadline, and they covered two positions that needed desperate help. Skip Schumaker acquired two players who can make an immediate impact on his team, catcher Logan O’Hoppe and right-handed pitcher Chase Silseth. In exchange for the duo, the Rangers sent 19-year-old infielder Angel Arredondo, who was playing for the Hickory Crawdads, the minor-league affiliate for the Rangers. In 2026, O’Hoppe has made 68 starts at catcher for the Angels this season, batting .209 with four home runs and 23 RBI. In the age of ABS challenges, he’s in the top five of the most successful challenges, having 52 calls made in his favor. He’s hitting .273 against left-handed pitchers, making him the third-best among American League catchers with at least 50 at-bats. He’s an immediate upgrade at the position, as Danny Jansen has had a subpar year riddled with inconsistent play and injuries. With this move, he has now been placed on the 60-day IL and can most likely be on his way out of Arlington.
Silseth will make an immediate impact in the bullpen for sure, as he’ll come in with a 3-2 record and an impressive 2.72 ERA over 47 relief appearances with the Angels this year. Originally selected in the 11th round of the 2021 MLB Draft by the Angels, he’s averaging 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings and has only given up three home runs this season. Over his last seven appearances, Silseth hasn’t allowed an earned run over 6.2 innings pitched. In nearly 40 innings pitched, he’s only given up 12 runs, making him a difficult righty to face. With a pitching rotation that’s short-handed and facing adversity with every passing day, Silseth gives the relief Jacob Latz and Jacob Junis need, as they’ve been Schumaker’s go-to arms recently, with Tyler Alexander and Cal Quantrill having to take some starts for the team. Also, with Kumar Rocker hopefully finding his stride after a decent recent outing, and Jack Leiter still injured, the New Mexico native can find himself comfortably in the bullpen rotation on his first day with his new squad.
It’s an unfortunate end for Arredondo, as the young infielder was making strides with the Crawdads. In 85 games, he’s got a .243 average on the year, with 72 hits, 50 runs, and 44 RBI. He’s not too much of a slugger, though, as he’s only got eight home runs on the season. The Mexico native has a lot to learn, especially his discipline in the batter's box, as in 296 at-bats, he’s struck out 65 times. With the Angels, he’ll have veterans to look up to, with players like Zach Neto and Adam Frazier shaping the Angels infield. It’ll be interesting how far he’ll go with the team, but it’ll be even more interesting to see how O’Hoppe and Silseth can help their new Texas squad, and if this is a sign for more moves to come from the front office.
