Willie Calhoun wants Rangers to be traded after reduction to Triple-A

The Rangers chose a defensive player Willie Calhoun to Triple-A today, as part of the team’s effort to reduce the number of players to 26 players before Monday’s roster reduction deadline. Calhoun’s demotion was seen as something of a surprise, and he seemed to see the move as the last straw.

“(I) I will go to Triple A and put myself in a position to trade. I don’t want to be tradedCalhoun said levi weaver athlete. “I want to be traded…I don’t know if I will play another match as a Rangers outfit. And let them know that. “

Calhoun, once a top 100 prospect, was the key piece in the three-man package that the Texans received from the Dodgers vs. yo darwish On Deadline Trade 2017. It looked as though Calhoun was well on his way to becoming a fixture in the Rangers lineup when he hit .269/.323/.524 with 21 home games over 337 PA in 2019, but injuries since then have played out. a role in his lack of production. Calhoun suffered a broken jaw after being hit in the face by a Julio Urias Fastball during spring 2020 training, then missed three months of the 2021 season after sustaining a broken forearm when Chris Bobick Hit him with another heart.

Since the start of the 2020 campaign, Calhoun has only made .223/.288/.339 more than 445 board appearances. That includes a .556 OPS on a 53 PA this season, and Rangers have seen enough to believe that Calhoun was consumable on the active roster. It’s clear Calhoun’s problems with the organization have been building for a while, with Weaver telling that “I wanted out of last year, a year and a half. I feel like I need to change the scene.“

However, Calhoun also wasn’t happy with how Rangers hit the old and new coaches (Tim Heyers and assistant coach Seth Conner were hired during the sabbatical) to change his swing technique. “I disagree with some influential philosophies of the New MenCalhoun said. “I don’t process this (information) well. I’m not 6-4, 230 pounds; I can’t get the popup to work. I don’t have that power. “

Rangers Manager Chris Woodward He told reporters on Sunday that the team wanted Calhoun “To work a little more vertically with a swing“But Calhoun said that this goes against his idealistic approach as”Line drive, my man’s husband“It was during his time in the Dodgers farm system.

There isn’t a lot of leverage on Calhoun’s side to force the trade, with Texans still dominating his services through the 2024 season. There was some speculation over whether Rangers would offer him a contract last winter, and both sides avoided arbitration in Calhoun’s first ARB qualifying year from During the approval of a salary of $ 1.3 million for the 2022 season.

When Chris Young was asked about Calhoun’s desire to trade, he simply said:We’re looking forward to making Willy go. The game is all about performance. If he goes out and performs at a high level, there will be a chance for him.“

This statement does not rule out the possibility of a trade, of course, because Calhoun’s next “opportunity” may already come with another team. If the Rangers are ready to move on, they naturally want to have some kind of decent comeback, and as Calhoun pointed out, doing a shred at Triple-A will help him rebuild his inventory for any team interested in getting the 27-year-old.