The Rangers have officially acquired right-handed starter Yovani Gallardo and cash considerations from the Brewers, according to a major league source with knowledge of the situation. According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports, the Brewers will receive infielder Luis Sardinas, reliever Corey Knebel, and right-hander Marcos Diplan in the deal, which was first reported as close by Jon Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
Rangers acquire Yovani Gallardo from Brewers for three prospects
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Gallardo joins Yu Darvish and Derek Holland atop a Rangers rotation that will also include names like Colby Lewis, Ross Detwiler, Nick Tepesch, and rehabbing lefties Martin Perez and Matt Harrison. The 28-year-old Gallardo has posted a lifetime 3.69 ERA (109 ERA+) in eight seasons with Milwaukee, and has pitched more than 180 innings in each of his last six campaigns. He was not thought to be on the trading block this winter, but the Brewers likely are trying to capitalize on his value now instead of potentially losing him for nothing in free agency next winter.
As Morosi points out, the Rangers would seem to have a good chance at re-signing Gallardo next offseason due to his connections to the Texas area. Gallardo went to high school in Fort Worth after being born in Mexico.
Sardinas, 21, has the ability to play second base, shortstop or third base and made his major league debut in 2014. He hit .261/.303/.313 with eight RBI in 43 major league games, and was recently ranked by Baseball America as the seventh-best prospect in the Rangers’ system. Sardinas was made available due to the Rangers’ glut of infielders, and is known as a glove-first infielder who is likely to provide depth for the Brewers in the near future and could take over at third base once Aramis Ramirez retires.
Knebel, 23, was acquired from the Tigers in the Joakim Soria deal over the winter after making his major league debut with Detroit earlier in the season. He is a reliever who was the Tigers’ first-round pick in 2013 (39th overall), and posted a combined 2.18 ERA in 34 appearances with Double-A Erie, Triple-A Toledo, and Triple-A Round Rock last season. MLB.com recently ranked Knebel as the eighth-best prospect in the Rangers’ system, though some concerns about the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow may have lowered his stock a bit.
Diplan, 18, is a Dominican right-hander who posted a 7-2 record and 1.54 ERA in 13 starts for the Rangers’ Dominican summer league affiliate last season. He came in as the Rangers’ 20th-best prospect, according to MLB.com, and is praised for his quick delivery and promising secondary pitches.
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