2 moves the Rangers will sorely regret not making at the trade deadline

Well, for all the talk and rumors heading into the August 3 MLB trade deadline, the Texas Rangers weren't very active when the rubber hit the road, and their idleness may end up costing them not only this season but in the years to come. And to make things worse, their divisional rivals made improvements as the Rangers sat on their hands.

Specifically, they held on to Corey Seager, which is either being viewed as an ersatz trade-deadline addition or a costly mistake that now marries the organization to the oft-injured shortstop. In addition, they failed to add the right-handed reliever the bullpen desperately needs if they are going to be serious contenders for a wild-card berth or the AL West crown.

The Rangers will be sorry they didn't unload Seager when they could've and they will also suffer from not shoring up a leaky bullpen that is a weakness

Corey Seager is an all-star-caliber shortstop with skins on the wall like being a ROY, 2-time World Series MVP, and 3-time Silver Slugger recipient. We understand that, when he's on, he is the team's most dangerous offensive threat. Not only has he been unavailable for extended periods this season, but when he has played, he has been awful, slashing .188/.296/.376 in just 55 games played.

Seager, throughout his career, has been excellent at the plate when returning from an extended IL stint (of which there have been many). This year, since coming back after missing all of July with "back discomfort," he is still not barreling the ball, and his exit velocity is very similar to what he has done all season. He has 5 strikeouts in 13 at-bats. This is a bad omen for Seager and the team moving forward. His timing still looks a hair off.

Now, Corey Seager has qualified as a 10-5 player, which gives him the right to veto a trade to any team he doesn't want to play for. If Chris Young were to be inclined to rebuild this franchise, he would be subject to Seager's whims and quabbles over where he will go and where he won't. They should have moved on from him at the deadline even though his trade value was not peaking. Now, they are stuck with a guy who can't stay healthy and is owed another $155 million over 5 years.

Seager is just one of many high-priced Rangers veterans who possess no-trade clauses. With nearly all of Texas's biggest stars able to block trades for the foreseeable future, it is they and not Chris Young who dictate the club's future. That's not a great place to be.

The Rangers also should have had all their gunpowder dry and ready to swing a deal to get one of the premier right-handed relievers. They made the deal for Chase Silseth, and it was a good one. Nevertheless, now that Jakob Junis is back on the IL with an uncertain future, they needed to be more aggressive at the deadline, and they flat-out were not.

They had a legitimate shot at landing a top-line middle reliever like the Mets Huascar Brazoban or the Braves Grant Hughes, but either didn't make the deal sweet enough or are trying to sell the fanbase on being happy with what they've got. It isn't enough. After just having their bullpen weakness exposed by the rival Astros during a humiliating sweep, they stood pat with a handful of rookies like Peyton Gray, Ben Peoples, Robby Ahlstrom, and now lefty Adam Macko, who was acquired for Josh Smith in the most underwhelming transaction of the day.

There isn't a single reliever, outside of Jacob Latz, and with Jakob Junis on the shelf for the foreseeable future, who Ranger fans can trust when that bullpen door opens.

These inexperienced hurlers are giving it their best shot, but they don't have the arm talent necessary to be relied upon in high-leverage situations. The organization sat on the sidelines and watched other teams better themselves with deadline deals while they did nothing. They are now 2.5 games back in the AL West and 1.5 games behind the Guardians for the final wild-card spot.

It feels like all the action they took was rearing back to throw in the white towel on this season and beyond. These two moves not made encapsulate that.

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