Texas Rangers trade rumors: Edinson Volquez, Kansas City righthander and originally a Texas Rangers farmhand, is someone who the Rangers are "eyeing," according to Evan Grant.

The Rangers saw Volquez up close and personal today, with Volquez going six innings against the Rangers today, allowing one run and lowering his ERA on the year to 4.56. Volquez, 33, is in the second year of a 2 year, $20M deal that has a mutual option for 2017 that includes a $3M buyout. If the Rangers were to acquire Volquez and decline the option, they'd essentially be paying him roughly $6-7M for two months of service, plus any playoffs that the Rangers may be involved in.

Volquez came into today with a 0.4 bWAR on the year, after putting up a 2.5 bWAR in 2015, though his peripherals aren't dramatically different...his FIP has jumped from 3.82 to 4.14, primarily due to a slight increase in his home run rate, but coming into today his ERA had gone from 3.55 last year to 4.72 this year. Perusing his stats, its interesting to note that after allowing just 17 of 40 runners on third with less than two out last year, Volquez had (coming into today) allowed 23 of 28 runners to score in that situation this year. If he were matching last year's rate of keeping runners at third with less than two out from scoring, he'd have an ERA similar to last year. I don't know that that means anything, or bodes well or poorly for him going forward, but I thought it was interesting.

In any case, the Rangers have scratched Nick Martinez, who was supposed to pitch for Round Rock tonight, so that he's available to go Tuesday if need be. The Rangers also have Kyle Lohse as a possibility for Tuesday, and it isn't quite clear yet if Martinez is just going to go if Lohse has to pitch tomorrow out of the pen, or if Martinez might actually get the nod instead of Lohse even if Lohse isn't needed, or if Lohse could be a roster casualty if the Rangers need to clear a 40 man roster space via a trade and the new pitcher won't arrive before Tuesday and thus Martinez might need to cover that start while they wait for the new pitcher to report later in the week.

Volquez would be a bland, generic, uninspiring addition of the Ryan Dempster variety, likely costing a prospect or two that doesn't excite many people, and who would be asked to help hold down the fort while the Rangers wait for the return of Derek Holland and Colby Lewis. The Rangers are still apparently checking with the Tampa Bay starters, and on Andrew Cashner, and on the ChiSox starters, and really, anyone else who is theoretically a major league caliber starter...oh, and most relief pitchers as well, although Aroldis Chapman apparently won't be coming to Texas, as reports seem to indicate he's heading to Chicago for Cubs prospect Gleybar Torres.

In any case, the hunt continues, and the Rangers continue kicking over every possible rock looking for rotation help, and Nick Martinez and Kyle Lohse have to sort of hang around and wonder if they're going to be pitching for Texas on Tuesday or if they'll even be in the majors and not knowing what is going on.

In any case...one week until the trade deadline.