Who doesn’t love trades near Christmas?

On Sunday evening, the Texas Rangers traded first baseman Nathaniel Lowe to the Washington Nationals in exchange for left-handed reliever Robert Garcia.
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Left-handed reliever Robert Garcia is headed from the Nationals to the Rangers in the Nathaniel Lowe trade, sources tell ESPN.
&mdash; Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1870964123787317689?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 22, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Lowe was selected in the 16th round of the 2016 draft by the Tampa Bay Rays, making his debut with the team in 2019. After just 245 plate appearances of “meh” results with the Rays, they traded him to the Rangers in Dec. 2020 for a package of prospects, including Osleivis Basabe.
In 2022, Lowe had a career year with the Rangers as he slashed .302/.358/.492 with 27 home runs in 645 plate appearances, giving him a 143 wRC+ and a 3.1 fWAR. In 2023, he helped the Rangers win their first World Series in franchise history.
Most recently, Lowe slashed .265/.361/.401 with 16 home runs in 565 plate appearances with the Rangers in 2024, finishing the year with a 121 wRC+ and a 2.8 fWAR. As a whole, Lowe slashed .274/.359/.432 with 78 home runs in 2,576 plate appearances for a 123 wRC+ in his Rangers tenure.
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In return, the Rangers received left-handed reliever Robert Garcia from the Nationals. Last season, Garcia finished the season with a 4.22 ERA and a 2.38 FIP in 59.2 innings pitched, with a 29.9 K% and a 6.4 BB%. In 2023 with the Miami Marlins and the Nationals, he had a 3.66 ERA and a 3.54 FIP in 32 innings pitched with a 26 K% and a 9.4 BB%.
Recently, the Nationals signed Michael Soroka to a one-year, $9 million deal. Although his numbers on the surface level weren’t great, once the Chicago White Sox moved the Canadian to the bullpen, he finished the season off well.
Similarly, the Rangers recently acquired first baseman Jake Burger from the Nationals. Obviously, they could’ve used him or Lowe as the designated hitter, but they traded from a surplus to acquire a pretty interesting reliever.
It’s also worth noting that Dallas Morning News’ Evan Grant alluded to “the function of the trade” and “to keep Joc Pederson’s name in mind”. It wouldn’t be surprising if Pederson ends up as the Rangers’ designated hitter next season.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Here&#39;s the beginnings of story on Lowe trade. Gonna get deeper into the function of this trade shortly, but two words to keep in mind: Joc. Pederson.<a href="https://t.co/h8a2zrQxe9">https://t.co/h8a2zrQxe9</a>
&mdash; Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) <a href="https://twitter.com/Evan_P_Grant/status/1870972761193201966?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 22, 2024</a></blockquote>
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With all that being said, depending on the moves that the Rangers make the rest of the off-season, they could well be a contender once again after winning the World Series in 2023.
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As always, you can follow me on Bluesky @ryleydelaney.bsky.social.
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Who doesn’t love trades near Christmas?



On Sunday evening, the Texas Rangers traded first baseman Nathaniel Lowe to the Washington Nationals in exchange for left-handed reliever Robert Garcia.

https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1870964123787317689

&nbsp;

Lowe was selected in the 16th round of the 2016 draft by the Tampa Bay Rays, making his debut with the team in 2019. After just 245 plate appearances of “meh” results with the Rays, they traded him to the Rangers in Dec. 2020 for a package of prospects, including Osleivis Basabe.

In 2022, Lowe had a career year with the Rangers as he slashed .302/.358/.492 with 27 home runs in 645 plate appearances, giving him a 143 wRC+ and a 3.1 fWAR. In 2023, he helped the Rangers win their first World Series in franchise history.

Most recently, Lowe slashed .265/.361/.401 with 16 home runs in 565 plate appearances with the Rangers in 2024, finishing the year with a 121 wRC+ and a 2.8 fWAR. As a whole, Lowe slashed .274/.359/.432 with 78 home runs in 2,576 plate appearances for a 123 wRC+ in his Rangers tenure.
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In return, the Rangers received left-handed reliever Robert Garcia from the Nationals. Last season, Garcia finished the season with a 4.22 ERA and a 2.38 FIP in 59.2 innings pitched, with a 29.9 K% and a 6.4 BB%. In 2023 with the Miami Marlins and the Nationals, he had a 3.66 ERA and a 3.54 FIP in 32 innings pitched with a 26 K% and a 9.4 BB%.

Recently, the Nationals signed Michael Soroka to a one-year, $9 million deal. Although his numbers on the surface level weren’t great, once the Chicago White Sox moved the Canadian to the bullpen, he finished the season off well.

Similarly, the Rangers recently acquired first baseman Jake Burger from the Nationals. Obviously, they could’ve used him or Lowe as the designated hitter, but they traded from a surplus to acquire a pretty interesting reliever.

It’s also worth noting that Dallas Morning News’ Evan Grant alluded to “the function of the trade” and “to keep Joc Pederson’s name in mind”. It wouldn’t be surprising if Pederson ends up as the Rangers’ designated hitter next season.

https://twitter.com/Evan_P_Grant/status/1870972761193201966

With all that being said, depending on the moves that the Rangers make the rest of the off-season, they could well be a contender once again after winning the World Series in 2023.

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As always, you can follow me on Bluesky @ryleydelaney.bsky.social.

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