Rangers actually have perfect reason to sell at the 2024 trade deadline

After completing an unprecedented run to a World Series title just a season ago, many fans expected the Texas Rangers to be just as exciting in 2024. With a team that most considered to be more complete than the year before, hopes were high in Arlington.

As of this weekend, the Rangers sit at 39-48 — eight games behind both the Mariners in the division and the third AL Wild Card spot. It's safe to say this is not what Texas envisioned. This disappointing season, however, could not have come at a better time.

What Rangers fans should know is that 2024 was not the last year for their window of contention. They have their roster contructed in such a way that they should be competitive through 2026, even if they do not make any additional moves. Chris Young and management have set up this roster so well that in the event of a down year (what we've seen so far), they could simply re-tool and be ready the next season.

Core piece players such as Jonah Heim, Nathaniel Lowe, Josh Jung, Josh Smith, Evan Carter, and Wyatt Langford are not only under team control for at least two more years, but also are going to be in their prime seasons during this time.

At the end of 2026, Heim and Lowe will be 31, right around the time that they will begin to contribute a bit less. Jung and Smith will be 28 with three more years of control. Carter and Langford (hopefully on extensions at this point) will still both be under 26 years old. Not to mention Adolis Garcia, who's contract ends in 2025, will be 33 and beginning to feel the wear and tear. But he should still be productive.

Young is a mastermind who put this together very carefully. He knows what it takes to bring home a championship. One of those things is young players contributing in an impactful manner, and with Wyatt Langford and Evan Carter both graduating from their title of "top prospects" the Rangers' farm system is looking as weak as it has in years. So why not sell some guys, replenish the farm, maintain a healthy status with the MLB roster (don't forget Corey Seager, Marcus Semien and Jacob deGrom), and make the future outlook even better? This season was derailed due to injuries from the start. There wasn't much that could've been done.

Truthfully, it is a definite need for Texas to trade some of their pieces that are not long-term solutions, or else they risk watching them leave for nothing. Then, when the time is right again, they can be equipped in the best manner possible for another World Series run.