How the Rangers can make good on Jacob deGrom's proclamation and win in 2026

Well, the 2026 trade deadline has come and gone, and Texas Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young certainly didn't operate with aggression. The Rangers walk away with a pair of new arms, Chase Silseth from the right side and Adam Macko from the left, looking to fill roles in the bullpen, plus another catcher, who has posted the second-worst fWAR at the position (minimum 250 plate appearances) with a -0.9 mark. Strange times.

It certainly felt as if the Rangers had no clear plan or vision on how to attack their last shot to add talent (or prepare for the future). Part of that had to do with a crushing losing streak and losing ground against a key division rival heading into the proceedings, but another part of that had to do with the team essentially being handcuffed, for better or worse, to its star players.

Jacob deGrom, who made it clear that he would invoke his no-trade clause if approached, is a prime example. The veteran stars having limited markets, bloated salaries, and no-trade protections made selling difficult. The potential that Ray Davis wouldn't authorize additional spending could have been an impediment to buying. What we're left with is this awkward middle ground.

But why did deGrom threaten to invoke his no-trade clause? What's his ultimate goal? And how does it affect Texas? He wants to win here, in Arlington, as a member of the Rangers.

"I want to be here,” deGrom told the media. “I believe in this group. Obviously, the last road trip didn’t go well, but I believe in this group, and I believe we can win. I signed here to help this team win a World Series. You know, in '23, the team was able to do that, and I want to be a part of that in the future.”

So, how do the Rangers make that happen? We've got a few ideas they should follow in order to improve their chances without the ability to make any major additions.

Five steps the Rangers must follow to make Jacob deGrom's winning dreams a reality

1. Get healthy and stay healthy

This has been a major bugaboo this season. Corey Seager has been on the IL three times. Wyatt Langford has missed time. So, too, has Evan Carter. On the pitching side, Jack Leiter, Jakob Junis, and Robert Garcia have all hit the IL. Meanwhile, Jordan Montgomery and Cody Bradford are both recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Recently, the offense had been heating up until Josh Jung went down. The third baseman has been Texas's most consistent hitter this season. They need him back, and soon.

2. Corey Seager needs to be Corey Seager

Seager is hitting just .190/.299/.375 in the games he's played this season. That's good for a .674 OPS, nearly 200 points lower than the .871 career mark he entered 2026 with. The star shortstop returning to form and staying healthy is far more impactful than anything the Rangers could have acquired at the trade deadline.

3. Have Evan Carter continue his surge

Carter was a catalyst in 2023, and the Rangers won the World Series. It's not hard to see the connection. Since then, he's been a defensive whiz with a giant hole in his bat. He's been much better of late, though.

Since June 6, Carter is hitting .270/.375/.371. You'd like to see more power, but otherwise it's a very strong performance that has produced a 119 wRC+ over those 107 plate appearances. His speed is game-changing when he gets on base, and that's just what he's been doing. He says he's healthy and understands his swing better. Now, he needs to keep that going through the end of the year.

4. Scour the waiver wire for upgrades

Texas has been pretty good at this, with Nicky Lopez and Elias Diaz becoming key cogs after being plucked from the scrap heap. Waivers are the only method left to add players, and it will get more active as teams do their final roster shuffling down the stretch. Chris Young needs to continue keeping a keen eye out, with relievers and a right-handed hitting outfielder being among the top things he can bring in to level up the club.

5. Jacob deGrom needs to pitch like an ace

If you want to win big, Jacob, it might all come down to how you perform. deGrom has been up-and-down at times this season. He's still striking out batters at an elite 28.8% rate, while walking hitters very infrequently at 6.2%. But he also has a relatively pedestrian 3.96 ERA.

The two-time Cy Young winner can't have blowups in critical games, like his August 1 performance against the Astros that saw him allow five earned runs over 3 1/3 innings. Looking like he did last year, when he posted a 2.97 ERA, is the minimum needed. It might be unfair to put this on the 38-year-old's shoulders, but if he wants to make a deep playoff run and come home with a ring, it's what needs to happen.

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