Rangers deal for Harrell, Alvarez from Braves

ARLINGTON — The Rangers hit two needs in one trade on Wednesday when they acquired right-handed starter Lucas Harrell and left-handed reliever Dario Alvarez from the Braves for Minor League infielder Travis Demeritte.

The Rangers may not be done in their search for starting pitching, as they continue to scout the Rays and other teams with available starters before Monday’s Trade Deadline.

“We’re still having additional conversations,” general manager Jon Daniels said. “We’ll see where they go but [pitching] is still our focus.”

The Rangers could also address other areas of the club, as they have been linked to Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy.

“I wouldn’t rule anything out,” Daniels said. “But pitching is our priority.”

Harrell is expected to replace Nick Martinez in the rotation and start on Sunday against the Royals, although the Rangers want to see him throw his bullpen session on Friday.

Alvarez is expected to be in the bullpen, giving the Rangers another left-handed option to go with Jake Diekman and Alex Claudio. Both players are expected to be added to the 25-man roster when they arrive on Thursday or Friday.

“You look at both pitchers we acquired, they can help our ballclub, fill a role and add depth,” Daniels said. “With Lucas, he is a guy who is throwing the ball well. He has been around a little bit, had some experience and he has been on a little bit of a roll.”

Harrell has made five starts for the Braves and was 2-2 with a 3.38 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. Prior to that, he was 5-2 with a 3.06 ERA in 11 starts and four relief appearances at Triple-A.

He pitched in Korea in 2015, going 10-11 with a 4.93 ERA in 30 starts and three relief …

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