As the MLB Trade Deadline approached, the Texas Rangers bolstered their bullpen by acquiring left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin.
Chafin, who has been with the Detroit Tigers in 2024, boasts a 3-2 record with a save and a 3.16 ERA over 37 innings. This season, he has struck out 50 batters and issued 16 walks. Notably, left-handed hitters are batting just .180 against him, with no home runs and 26 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings. Right-handed batters, however, have fared better, hitting .293 with two home runs.
In exchange for Chafin, the Rangers are sending minor league right-handed pitchers Chase Lee and Joseph Montalvo to the Tigers. Lee, nearing his 26th birthday on August 13, has posted a 1.69 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 10 2/3 innings with Triple-A Round Rock. He was drafted in the sixth round in 2021.
To accommodate Chafin on their 40-man roster, the Rangers designated right-handed reliever Jonathan Hernandez for assignment.
Chafin was originally selected 43rd overall in the 2011 MLB Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He made his MLB debut in 2014 and spent six seasons with the Diamondbacks before being traded to the Chicago Cubs on August 31, 2020.
Montalvo, who turned 22 in May, has a 4-2 record with a 2.44 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 13 starts (59 innings) for High-A Hickory this season. He was a 20th-round pick in 2021.
The Rangers have struggled with left-handed relief this season, with Jacob Latz posting a 2-3 record and a 3.63 ERA along with a 1.49 WHIP in 39 2/3 innings over 44 appearances.
