2 affordable trades we can't believe the Rangers and Chris Young didn't make

The Texas Rangers had a rather disappointing trade deadline. For a moment, it seemed that president of baseball operations Chris Young would blow it all up by trading the team's biggest stars. The Rangers even asked right-handed starting pitcher Jacob deGrom if he'd be willing to waive his no-trade clause. DeGrom said no, and the Rangers kept their team intact for the most part.

Texas made two notable deals ahead of the deadline. First, the Rangers acquired catcher Logan O'Hoppe and right-handed reliever Chase Silseth from the Los Angeles Angels for 19-year-old infield prospect Angel Arredondo. Then, the Rangers traded utilityman Josh Smith and pitching prospect Josh Stephanto to the Toronto Blue Jays for left-handed reliever Adam Macko.

Basically, the Rangers improved their bullpen slightly and added catching depth. But the club didn't make any big splashes. Now that the trade deadline is done, let's take a look at a couple of deals that Young should've made before Monday evening.

Two trades Rangers' Chris Young should've made at trade deadline

LHP Caleb Ferguson from Cincinnati Reds for $250K in international bonus pool space

The Reds traded Fegurson to the St. Louis Cardinals for $250K in international bonus pool space on Monday.

The Rangers should've made this deal. Since the Cardinals and Reds are division rivals, Texas likely would've just had to match the $250K to make a trade happen.

Ferguson, 30, has posted a 3.76 ERA with a 1.44 WHIP and 23 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings across 27 appearances this year. He has eight years of big league experience with a career 3.67 ERA over 353 1/3 innings.

Silseth still appears to be a better addition to the bullpen, even though he has struggled so far, than Ferguson would've been. Still, the Rangers should've added Ferguson in addition to Silseth. Macko has potential as well, but he is currently in Triple-A.

RHP Kirby Yates from Los Angeles Angels for mid-tier pitching prospect

Texas should've added another prospect in the O'Hoppe/Silseth deal to convince the Angels to include Yates.

The Angels traded Yates to the Pittsburgh Pirates for right-handed pitching prospect Kyle Robinson. Robinson isn't even among the Angels' top-30 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline, suggesting that the Rangers could've acquired the veteran reliever without having to give up much.

Yates, an All-Star for the Rangers in 2024, has a 3.81 ERA with a 1.13 WHIP and 36 strikeouts over 28 1/3 innings in 2026. Yates would've been a nice addition to the Rangers' bullpen, which ranks 21st in ERA (4.31).

The veteran right-hander also brings closer experience to the table, so while his best days are behind him, he could have served as valuable insurance should Jacob Latz go down. Alas, the Rangers didn't see fit to reunite with Yates despite his affordable price tag.

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