Buy or Sell: How Should the Texas Rangers Approach the Trade Deadline?

The Case for Standing Pat

This is the boring one right? No fans like to see their team do almost nothing at the trade deadline. However Texas essentially did that last season making just some minor moves with reliever Chris Martin the only significant departure. But even that deal netted them Kolby Allard who now holds a spot in their 2020 rotation at only 23-years old.

With so much of their roster returning next season, Texas could hold off completely from making any additions of note with hopes of being an active competitor this offseason in the free agent market. If you went this route, you would definitely have a better picture of where you were in regards to contention next season and could still decide to hit the rebuild button this offseason if desired. However, you would also lose out on any return for Mike Minor or Shin-Soo Choo who are both on expiring deals and you lose the urgency from contending teams to add a valuable player to their squad for a postseason push.

Texas for the past couple of seasons seems to have held themselves in the category of just a few pieces and a couple of seasons away from contention. However, that time frame continues to get pushed back with each passing season and at some point the Rangers will have to make a decision one way or the other. Teams that just ride the wave and hold out for a big break rarely get that break.