3 Rangers trade deadline needs Chris Young must prioritize, 2 he can safely ignore

With the August 3 trade deadline now just over 10 days away, the Rangers' needs are starting to come into full focus. They need a right-handed reliever who can pitch in high-leverage situations, a reliable starter to buttress the back end of what has been a disappointing starting staff, and a significant upgrade at catcher.

All of those things are available, but which come at the right price for the cash-strapped Rangers? Also, there are two areas that Chris Young should avoid spending on so he can keep all his gunpowder dry for the three must-haves.

The Rangers have 3 very obvious areas of need at the trade deadline, and 2 they can safely leave alone

The names the Rangers should be looking at as a back-end starter include the Orioles' Trevor Rogers, the Reds' Brady Singer, the Royals' Seth Lugo, and possibly the Tigers' Casey Mize. Each of these players is an established veteran who would provide an upgrade over Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter over the short term. They are also all either going to be free agents after this season or close to it, making them attractive to control.

Danny Jansen has vanished with a mysterious right forearm injury suffered two months ago, and Kyle Higashioka's defense has been a real weak spot, and now he's on the IL, too. The ideal trade target is the Athletics' Shea Langeliers. The 2026 All-Star Game starter is one of the best all-around backstops in the game, is affordable, and is under team control through 2028. He may be a bridge too far, but he is worth monitoring at the deadline. Young needs to prioritize this guy. The A's may not want to deal Langeliers within the division, but they are an organization in disarray, so anything is possible. Other catchers to target are Minnesota's Ryan Jeffers and Colorado's Hunter Goodman.

Like everyone else buying at the deadline, the Rangers and Young need to have a long look at the Mets' relievers - particularly Luke Weaver and Huascar Brazoban. Both are steady right-handers who have established bona fides in leverage spots. The Rangers cannot afford to make a run at the postseason with rookies like Peyton Gray, Gavin Collyer, and Ben Peoples trying to keep leads in the 6th and 7th innings.

The areas Young needs to show restraint in are left-handed reliever and adding infield depth. The Rangers have decent options at left-handed relievers in Tyler Alexander, Robby Ahlstrom, and, of course, All-Star closer Jacob Latz. Robert Garcia could also return in early August, and there is the possibility that either Jordan Montgomery or Cory Bradford could transition into a relief role.

With Justin Foscue, Nicky Lopez, and Cameron Cauley all showing that they can be trusted at multiple infield positions, Young doesn't need to allocate precious dollars to signing more depth at second base or shortstop. And that is even assuming that they cannot count on Corey Seager being available this year.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow