A former Texas Rangers first baseman in the midst of a rough season is getting a second chance in Boston.
 
Nathaniel Lowe, a member of the Rangers’ 2023 World Series team who was traded to Washington before this season in exchange for reliever Robert Garcia, is finalizing a deal with the Red Sox, according to multiple reports on Sunday night.

Lowe had been designated for assignment by the Nationals earlier this week and granted his outright release on Saturday.

Lowe was in the midst of his worst big league season before the Nationals designated him for assignment. He slashed .216/.292/.373, yielded a career-worst -0.7 WAR according to FanGraphs and was a net negative defender at first base. He averaged 2.7 WAR per season with the Rangers and posted a .762 OPS or better each year.

The Rangers traded Lowe, who settled at arbitration with the Nationals for $10.3 million, to both shed salary and acquire a projectable left-handed arm for a bullpen that had to be rebuilt from scratch. They replaced him at first base with Jake Burger (acquired in a trade with the Miami Marlins) and were able to put leftover money toward designated hitter Joc Pederson in a two-year, $37 million deal in free agency, and a host of relievers.

In Lowe, Boston gets a lefty bat with power upside to help down the stretch of the postseason race. The Red Sox finished the weekend in second place in the AL East with a 68-57 record, five games out of first behind the Toronto Blue Jays and with the Yankees breathing down their neck at 67-57.

Boston is currently the top wild-card team in the American League, tied with the Mariners and six games ahead of the Rangers. Texas is currently 5.5 games out of a playoff spot at 62-63.

DMN Rangers insider Shawn McFarland contributed to this post.

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