1 controversial trade the Rangers should make before the 2026 deadline and 1 they must avoid

The Texas Rangers are just days away from the trade deadline and have had plenty of time to identify the areas they need to upgrade. Chris Young, Ross Fenstermaker, and company have also had enough time to think about which current players on the roster they will be willing to part with to acquire their targets.

We are submitting a couple of controversial deals: one that the front office should definitely pursue, and one that it should avoid at all costs.

The deal that we believe makes sense for the Rangers is certain to have a large portion of the fanbase up in arms as it involves one of the most popular players to come through Arlington in several seasons.

The Rangers should trade Alejandro Osuna and Cameron Cauley for middle reliever Huascar Brazoban

Before you get worked up into a tizzy over dealing promising youngsters like Alejandro Osuna and Cameron Cauley away, remember, you have to give talent to get talent. The Rangers aren't going to be able to dangle a couple of ho-hum Double-A players out there and get proven major league commodities in return.

The Rangers have a surplus of up-and-coming outfielders in Osuna and Cauley, who are the last players on the Rangers' bench and only play in platoon situations or when regular left fielder Wyatt Langford moves into the DH spot.

Osuna is a slap hitter and defensive liability with terrible advanced metrics, and Cauley is a career .260 minor-league hitter who doesn't have a clear-cut position moving forward. The Mets are looking to accumulate young prospects, maximize young talent, and overhaul their roster for future seasons. Osuna and Cauley fit the bill.

If the Rangers are serious about making a run at the postseason in 2026, they simply must upgrade their right-handed reliever options. Huascar Brazoban is a 5-year MLB veteran with a 2.76 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and a 1:1 K/BB rate over 49 innings pitched.

As difficult as it would be to part with fan-favorite Osuna and the speedy, versatile Cauley, this team cannot be considered a legitimate contender for a playoff spot, running out a combination of young hurlers like Peyton Gray, Ben Peoples, Gavin Collyer, and Cole Winn in high-leverage situations down the stretch in crunch time. They need an experienced 6th and 7th-inning guy to be a more well-rounded team and get the ball to Jakob Junis and Jacob Latz.

The Rangers need to resist the temptation to sell low on Corey Seager

On the other hand, there is one trade that Young may want to pull the trigger on that he absolutely shouldn't.

Teams will undoubtedly be asking about Corey Seager's availability. Guys like Yankees GM Brian Cashman have been trying to pry Seager from Texas for the last several seasons. Now that he's slumping and having injury problems, the price for the five-time All-Star and two-time World Series MVP is at an all-time low. Savvy GMs like Cashman and others will look to exploit that and offer bottom dollar for the star shortstop.

Young should be prepared to hang up the phone the moment potential suitors like the Yankees begin to talk about Anthony Volpe and/or prospects in exchange for Seager. They need to be offering proven All-Star-level talent in spite of the fact that Seager is having the worst year of his career.

Volpe is a career .224 hitter with a career .662 OPS over 3-plus seasons in the Bronx. He might look attractive as a controllable 25-year-old who can come in and play SS right away, but the Rangers have better options with more 2026 upside in Nicky Lopez and Ezequiel Duran. Volpe is also dealing with a nagging left shoulder injury that has hampered his overall performance. His 2026 slash is .247/.341/.322. He has 1 home run and 8 total extra-base hits in 146 at-bats. It's not like he is giving you more power than Zeke and Nicky. This is no bueno.

Seager may be a disappointment so far this season, but he still has the potential to be much more impactful than pretty much any player the Rangers could acquire at the trade deadline. He needs to get his back issues taken care of and get his swing in order, but if he does that, he can provide much more value than any of the available bats in a weak offensive market.

There are certainly reasons to want to trade Seager, but Texas is in a tough position if it wants appropriate value in return due to his bloated contract. If the Rangers truly intend to contend, there's no way they'll be better positioned to make a run without Seager than with him.

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