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Rangers to designate opening day closer Sam Dyson for assignment

It’s been a whirlwind two months for Texas Rangers reliever Sam Dyson. In April, he was named the team’s closer. By May, he had been demoted from the role. As June begins, he may find himself with another club.

The Rangers will designate Dyson for assignment, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. The move may signal the end of his time in the organization.

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It’s quite the precipitous fall for the reliever. From 2014 to 2016, Dyson was among one of the better late-inning options. Over 187 2/3 innings, he posted a 2.45 ERA. That figure ranked within the top-20 among qualified relievers during that period.

Things have fallen apart this year, though. Over 16 2/3 innings, he has a 10.80 ERA. He’s giving up 31 hits and 12 walks. He’s struck out seven batters.

As his bloated ERA suggests, Dyson hasn’t really had an extended stretch of success in 2017. The season began on a terrible note, as Dyson allowed three runs and picked up the loss on opening day. Just two days later, he allowed five runs in just a third of an inning and was charged with his first blown save.

It's been a rough year for Rangers pitcher Sam Dyson. (AP Photo)
It’s been a rough year for Rangers pitcher Sam Dyson. (AP Photo)

Dyson would blow his next two save opportunities, and was eventually demoted from the role. Dyson did pitch better in May. After three straight scoreless appearances in the middle of the month, Dyson had a season-low 9.42 ERA.

That streak wouldn’t last. Dyson allowed four earned runs without picking up an out in his next appearance. A week later, he was tagged for three runs, one earned, in an inning against the Tampa Bay Rays. He was charged with the loss, dropping to 1-6 on the year.

That may be the last game Dyson pitches within the organization. With Dyson designated for assignment, the team will have seven days to trade him. It looks as though they’ll attempt to make that happen.

If they can’t find a deal, Dyson would be placed on waivers. If a club claims him, the Rangers would lose Dyson for nothing.

That probably won’t be the case. As Rosenthal reported, more than one team showed interest in trading for the struggling reliever. While it’s tough to defend Dyson’s performance this year, many of those clubs probably see a guy who is still capable of being effective. It could take one mechanical tweak or a simple change of scenery to get him back on track.

If a team believes it can do that, claiming Dyson is an obvious move. He’s under team control through 2020, and is making a little over $3 million this year. That may rise in arbitration, but it’s worth the risk if a team thinks Dyson can turn it around.

While Dyson should draw plenty of interest, don’t expect every team to get involved in the bidding. That is, unless the Toronto Blue Jays can get past Dyson’s involvement in the most infamous bat flip of all-time.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik