What should the Texas Rangers do at the trade deadline in August?

The answer to this question is more complicated in 2022 than it was in 2021 for the Texas Rangers.

With an additional playoff spot in each league this season, the field has opened up a good amount, especially with so few dominant teams and a lot of middling ones. That has kept Texas squarely in the mix to this point, impressive considering we probably declared their season to be over at this point last year.

Also unlike 2021, there is no Joey Gallo to trade at this summer’s deadline for Ezequiel Duran, Josh Smith, Trevor Hauver and Glenn Otto. Or Kyle Gibson and Ian Kennedy to Philly for Spencer Howard and two other pitchers. There is a Kole Calhoun, though. And some spare bullpen parts I suppose. Notice how I’m not including ace Martin Perez? That’s because the Rangers should probably keep him if they want to stay afloat!

So what should the Texas Rangers do at the trade deadline this August 2? Let’s break it down.

Texas Rangers 2022 trade deadline strategy

The case to buy

As mentioned above, the Rangers find themselves firmly in the mix for one of the AL Wild Cards in mid-June, and that’s not nothing! Whether they stay there is another question, but there’s no doubt Texas has been playing better baseball lately since their sluggish start.

If the Rangers are going to buy, though (and Jon Daniels has shown his aggressiveness in years where he thinks his team has a chance), they should only target controllable assets. We’re talking about Luis Castillo of the Reds or Frankie Montas of the A’s, for example.

Getting Castillo or Montas would be expensive, but the Rangers have a very deep collection of minor league talent, making a deal plausible. And inserting one of those names into a rotation behind Martin Perez and with Dane Dunning and Glenn Otto pitching well enough? That could keep things interesting for Texas down the stretch.

Texas Rangers 2022 trade deadline strategy

The case to stand pat

This is likely the best course of action for the Texas Rangers at this summer’s trade deadline.

Any improvements made to the roster, particularly major ones such as Castillo or Montas, will cost a pretty penny to a farm that has taken years to build up. Daniels and Chris Young should save their prospects for someone more lucrative, like they almost did for Matt Olson last off-season.

On the flip side, selling comes with next to no benefit, either. The Rangers could still find themselves in the mix for one of the AL playoff spots later in the summer, and selling would only derail that chase. And for marginal assets, at best.

Texas should remain where they are. They’ve taken a step forward as compared to 2021, but they’re not ready for the playoffs just yet. This is exactly what we thought the 2022 Rangers would look like.

And it’s best to just keep things as they are, while gearing up for 2023.