Texas Rangers: Who They May Be Going After

Who are the Texas Rangers interested in trading for and how would it help a team that is struggling to get out of their month long slump?

The Texas Rangers finally won a series this past weekend for the first tie since June. The two games that they won had some shaky moments but they were still able to pull them out. This series win does not mean that the Rangers should not look to upgrade their roster before the trade deadline.

With the recent moves of Prince Fielder and Shin-Soo Choo to the DL, does this mean the Texas Rangers need to add a bat via trade? The Starting pitching has been the root of most of the Texas Rangers struggles the past month so should it be pitching that they add and if so then starting or a bullpen piece?

The rumors that have been around the longest is that the Texas Rangers were kicking the tires on a couple of the Tampa Bay Rays starting pitchers. Chris Archer looks to be untouchable so that leaves Jake Odorizzi and Matt Moore who would only round out the rotation and most likely provide only part time starting pitching relief. It sounds like the Rays want a heavy return for these guys and that package would have to include Jurickson Profar who is the most versatile player the Texas Rangers have right now.

More from Nolan Writin'

• Framework for a potential Max Fried trade to the Texas Rangers
• Early 2023 MLB mock draft has Texas Rangers selecting an Ohtani-lite
• 3 Texas Rangers outfield trade targets not named Bryan Reynolds
• Did Jacob deGrom really mean what he said at his Texas Rangers press conference?
• Where do Texas Rangers prospects Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker stand after the DeGrom signing?

Realistically Jurickson Profar is the one player that the Texas Rangers probably don’t want to trade because of the recent DL moves and the fact that he can play just about every spot on the field, minus pitcher and catcher. The other top trade prospect would be Joey Gallo who has not been called up to the majors yet and that’s probably to make sure he doesn’t drive down his trade value.

With the July 31st trade deadline approaching, there have been other pitchers that have been linked to the Texas Rangers. Chicago White Sox Chris Sale is an ace but he has had some disagreements with the front office recently in the form of cutting up some “uncomfortable” throwback jerseys so they couldn’t be worn.

It would appear that Sale is still untouchable and is a cornerstone for the Sox but they do look to be shopping another pitcher Jose Quintana. Quintana looks to be a good pitcher on a bad team who has pitched over 200 innings the last 3 years and is on pace to do so this year as well.

This possible trade target could be the best option for the Texas Rangers because the Sox have a young 1st basemen prospect that would probably take Joey Gallo off of the trade plate. Quintana looks to have potential and is durable which would be a nice change for the Rangers who have 2 starting pitchers on the DL right now.

The Texas Rangers are also linked to trying to reunite with pitcher Edison Volquez who signed with the Rangers at age 18, he is 33 now but still is pitching well. He has been a pitcher that has the potential to win around 10 games a year but he is a little long in the tooth and may not be a top target for the Rangers going forward.

Finally the most recent and possibly the most alluring trade target would be Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani. At age 26 he is 5-0 this year and has an ERA of 2.50, he could be target that the Texas Rangers would like to keep into the future.

He is a bit untested being in the league only 3 years, but for the right package he looks to be in the zone to help the Texas Rangers hold off the Houston Astros for the remainder of the season.

The Rangers are after a deal that provides relief to the starting pitching staff that would in turn help out the rest of the team. A reliever would help as well but if the bullpen was to be rested and healthy then they are able to be effective. A player under team control for the next few years would be prefered since the rental trades in the past have not benefited the Rangers in either the Ryan Dempster or the Matt Garza Trade.

Next: Texas Rangers: Maybe Right Series Right Time

Do you think that the Texas Rangers need to add a bat, a reliever, or a starter? Or do you think that they don’t need to trade for anyone and just hold on until players get healthy?