Ranger fans may not want to hear it, but it's time to sell high on Jacob deGrom

Sometimes, remembering that baseball is a business and players are like shares of company stock to be bought and sold is difficult. Fans become attached to home town players - especially those who produce at a high rate and dazzle us with their ability. But Princeton graduate and head president of baseball operations Chris Young must never lose sight of this.

The Rangers got a brilliant 7 innings from Jacob deGrom on Saturday and rode it to a 5-0 win in D.C. The staff ace has never looked sharper with his slider down in the zone and a riding fastball that stayed between 97-99 miles per hour. He did what true aces do, and single-handedly put an end to a 4-game losing streak.

Jacob deGrom would have gone further had it not been for Marcus Semien's big double

He could have gone longer, needing just 81 pitches of two-hit baseball to mow through a good Washington offense stacked with left-handed bats. But Bochy made the smart move and pulled deGrom, not wanting to put any extra strain on the pitcher, who now sports a spiffy 6-2 record and appears headed for an all-star appearance.

Had the Rangers not padded the lead on the suddenly red-hot Marcus Semien's line dive two-run double into the left-center field gap that rolled all the way to the wall, deGrom would have stayed in for the bottom of the 8th. Once the Rangers got out to a 5-0 lead, Bochy opted to get Luke Jackson and Chris Martin some work, and they combined for the shutout.

The way deGrom was grooving, he likely would have finished off the Nats while staying under 100 pitches. He was completely dominant and now has a 2.12 ERA and .92 WHIP in 76.1 innings.

Now is the time to deal deGrom for some offensive pieces for the Texas Rangers

Ranger fans may not want to admit it, but deGrom's value hasn't been this high since he was winning back-to-back Cy Youngs with the New York Mets, and it's high time to put a "For Sale" sign around deGrom's neck.

Chris Young and the rest of the Rangers' brass must consider what kind of a haul they could get for the dynamic pitcher as the team approaches mid-June, sitting at 30-35.

It's no secret what the team needs ranking at or near the bottom of all of baseball in many offensive categories, including runs scored, slugging, batting average, and hitting with RISP. A 65-game sample size is more than enough to demonstrate that this lineup is what it is: anemic.

deGrom has proven that he is completely healthy, and other teams know that they won't be taking the same risk the Rangers did when they signed him in 2023. It's time to see if buyers would be willing to deal either some proven veteran bats or some highly ranked prospects to help the struggling offense in exchange for an ace-level pitcher who currently has complete control of his deadly arsenal of pitches.