4 ways Chris Young can thrill Rangers fans with some trade deadline fireworks

It's the Fourth of July, which means it's America's 250th birthday and also now officially less than one month until the August 3 trade deadline. The Texas Rangers went on a 16-11 run in June and closed out the month and began this one with a 7-1 streak that came with most of their star players absent from the lineup.

At 45-43, the Rangers sit in first place in the AL West. There are a couple of reasons to believe that they can stay there. First, the Rangers have played the most road games (and fewest home games) of any team in the league. Second, they've been one of the most successful teams against over .500 opponents, which bodes well for the winning to continue.

However, things won't stay static. Towards the second half of this month, the trade market will start heating up, and the names will start flying off the board. If Texas doesn't keep up, its rivals will leave the club in the dust. Whether or not Chris Young takes a big swing or two or tries to simply improve around the margins remains to be seen. In honor of fireworks displays around the country today, we're going to take a look at some (realistic) big swings he could take to dazzle us all.

Four stars Chris Young could realistically land the Rangers at the trade deadline

Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton

Byron Buxton has been linked to the Rangers as a possible fit and for good reason. When healthy, the 32-year-old is one of the most dynamic players in the game. Texas needs both a right-handed outfield bat and a bona fide run producer. With a .268/.325/.573 line and 25 dingers, the right-handed Buxton fits both bills.

There are a couple of hurdles, though. First is health. Buxton has played 126 games or more in a single season just twice. He's also been dealing with a right hip injury, though so far, it doesn't look like it will result in an IL stint. Still, combining him with the oft-injured Corey Seager could leave the lineup high-and-dry.

The bigger question is what it would cost to acquire Buxton. Production-wise, he should be expensive, but there are several mitigating factors besides health. The veteran center fielder has a full no-trade clause and a significant contract that sees him owed a hair over $30 million over the next two seasons. The contract isn't exactly onerous, but it's not chump change either. Landing this plane would be tough, but it is in the realm of possibility.

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Casey Mize

All eyes will be on Tarik Skubal at the trade deadline, but another Detroit Tigers starter should be on Chris Young's radar. Texas has seen the urgency to find a boost to the rotation rise amid MacKenzie Gore's inconsistency, Jack Leiter's injury, and uncertainty in what Kumar Rocker can provide night in and night out.

That's where Casey Mize comes in. The 29-year-old has a 2.63 ERA, 2.51 FIP, 26.9% strikeout rate, and a 5.5% walk rate through 12 starts and 65 innings pitched. The 2018 first-overall pick had been a major disappointment up until the past year and a half, and now, as a two-month rental, he might be cheaper to acquire than other, more controllable arms like Reid Detmers or Joe Ryan. The Rangers will still have to pony up, but he might be in line with what their thin farm system can buy.

New York Mets reliever Luke Weaver

Texas's bullpen has some fantastic pieces. Jacob Latz was just named AL reliever of the month for June, and his multi-inning save heroics have been vital to the Rangers' resurgence. Jakob Junis has been very good setting up, Tyler Alexander has been a versatile chess piece, and Peyton Gray has been a pleasant surprise. However, the bullpen has a soft underbelly that could be exploited, and another high-leverage arm would be ideal to protect the unit.

That's where Luke Weaver comes in. The New York Mets are expected to sell what they can at the deadline after firing manager Carlos Mendoza and severely underachieving. Weaver is one of their prime chips given the somewhat movable contract that sees him owed another $12.5 million next season. He's still behind Aroldis Chapman and a few others in the deadline pecking order, but he has a wealth of experience working late in games.

Weaver struggled last season with the Yankees, but has rebounded nicely to post a 2.00 ERA and 2.50 FIP over 34 appearances and 36 innings this season. With past experience as a closer, his price tag will be higher than some other setup men, but that will also have value to Texas as an insurance policy should something happen to Latz.

Boston Red Sox reliever Garrett Whitlock

One area where the Rangers' bullpen struggles is generating strikeouts. To date this season, the unit ranks 24th in baseball with a 20.1% strikeout rate. The pitch-to-contact approach can help with efficiency, but there will be times that balls get hit into spots where defenders aren't positions, leading to death-by-a-thousand-papercuts-type rallies.

To counteract that missing element, Young could target Boston Red Sox reliever Garrett Whitlock. Since the beginning of last season, the 30-year-old righty ranks 21st in the league in strikeout rate at a 30.1% clip. He also avoids the common bugaboo that plagues high-strikeout relief arms as he limits walks and posted a better-than-average 7.4% BB rate over that same span.

Whitlock has a 2.57 ERA and 2.86 FIP on the season, and has plenty of experience working high-leverage innings. He's interesting from a contractual standpoint too, as he has club options of $8.25 million for 2027 and $10.5 million for 2028. Young theoretically could treat him as a rental who would cost just about $2.5 million for the rest of this season, or keep him in the fold long-term at relatively reasonable rates.

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