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 sell

Quite simply, the case for the Texas Rangers to sell this August isn’t nearly as compelling as it was last year when, let’s be real, it was the only legitimate option for the organization during a rebuild.

But let’s remember that this is still a rebuild to an extent, as the stated goal to return to contention is 2023. However, the case to sell only makes sense if Texas were to really fall off around the All-Star break, and with the talent on their roster, that seems unlikely. This is a team capable of playing roughly .500 baseball.

Let’s say a doomsday scenario occurs, though, and the Rangers fall off their current pace drastically. Who could they sell? Kole Calhoun, perhaps? Maybe a Brett Martin or John King? Dennis Santana or Spencer Patton? Joe Barlow?

The asset cupboard is pretty bare, so at best, the Texas Rangers could receive some low-level talent in exchange for what they’d be willing to ship off to other teams. And with aforementioned depth already in the organization, combined with a pace to finish around .500 come season’s end, selling seems pointless.

That leaves us with…