Texas Rangers Trade Deadline Preview

3 of 6

These next four days leading up to the trade deadline will help determine what the ceiling of the Texas Rangers is for 2023. It is Chris Young's first trade deadline as a buyer and his first one without Jon Daniels. He has to try and navigate these trades and not give up so much that it will be a detriment to the Rangers competitive window long term, while also giving this team every chance to win the World Series. It is a scary tightrope for a first-time GM. If Young can navigate the tightrope and get to the other side successfully he could be setting up Texas for a potential World Series run. Before we get to the deadline let's set the stage. I want to identify the buyers Texas is competing with, the sellers who Texas is picking from, positions of need, and players that Texas is likely targeting. This will help be a guide for fans to look back on as we go through the next few days leading up to the 5 pm central time deadline on August 1st.

Trade Deadline Buyers

2023 is definitely a sellers' market. That means there is more buyers than sellers and so the prices to acquire pieces from teams that are selling is likely to be higher than in a normal season. The expanded playoff is certainly playing a large part in the sellers' market. There are more teams that are considering going for it rather than selling because of the extra wild cards. These are the top teams that Texas is competing with.

Houston Astros

Los Angeles Angels

Tampa Bay Rays

New York Yankees

Los Angeles Dodgers

San Francisco Giants

Arizona Diamondbacks

Miami Marlins

Philadelphia Phillies

Minnesota Twins

Cleveland Guardians

There are of course other teams like Boston, Milwaukee, and Atlanta that could make moves but at this point, they have not been mentioned as teams that are heavily involved in the trade market. That all could change before the deadline. All of these teams have one thing in common with Texas: they are looking for starting pitchers and relievers. Texas is competing with each of these teams in these trade discussions.

Next: The teams that are in control of this trade deadline

Trade Deadline Sellers

This list is not as long as the buyers' list. It is reflective of the state of baseball this season when there seems to be more parity caused by the expanded playoffs. Not all of these teams have pieces that teams want or need. That is why they are among the worst teams in the league. The list of sellers is as follows.

Oakland A's

Chicago White Sox

Detroit Tigers

Kansas City Royals

Colorado Rockies

St. Louis Cardinals

Pittsburgh Pirates

Washington Nationals

This list could grow longer by Monday. Teams like the Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, New York Mets, and Chicago Cubs have not fully committed to buy or sell. The market could shift into a buyers' market by Monday, especially if San Diego and New York fully commit to sell. They each have several tradeable assets that teams would line up to try and get. If those four teams start selling the market will start to move and we will get a lot more action before the deadline.

Next: The areas of need for the Texas Rangers

Texas Rangers' positions of need

The Rangers entered spring training this season boasting of their starting pitching depth. They went nine deep in starting pitching. Now that we are into July and entering into August that starting pitching depth has been whittled down from nine to just six and even that six is tenuous at best. They need at least one more quality starting pitcher.

The bullpen has been an issue all season long. They have lost so many games that they were leading late. They made one move to bring in Aroldis Chapman and he has helped stabilize the 8th and 9th innings with Will Smith. They probably still need one maybe two more veteran arms to put in the bullpen. That would remove some of these rookies from having to pitch in high-stress situations. It would also give Bochy more arms that he can trust will do their job. The weakness in the pen is really those 6th and 7th innings. They are having issues getting the ball from the starter to both Chapman and Smith to close out games.

Finally, they need to go get a bat that can play outfield and DH. It was announced yesterday that catcher Jonah Heim was going on the 10-day IL with a wrist strain and that he would be reevaluated in two weeks. It is unknown if he will be able to play again this season. This injury will eventually require surgery, but if he can tolerate the pain then he will try and play through it the rest of the way. If he cannot, he will undergo surgery. This probably falls as the last priority, but replacing Heim's offensive production is a need for this team.

Next: The top players Texas is hoping to get

Texas Rangers Targets at the Trade Deadline

Texas has been mentioned with nearly every significant trade target at this point. They are actively engaging in trade talks with several teams as we get closer to the deadline. There are a few specific names that they have been linked to over the last several days.

Justin Verlander

Verlander is the best right-handed pitcher of this generation and at age 40 is still going strong. He pitches for the New York Mets and is in the first year of a potential three-year contract. Texas was linked to Verlander and even called the "frontrunners" to land Verlander by Mark Feinsand just recently. Andy Martino of SNY in New York said that Rangers' scouts have been watching Verlanders' last two starts. Evan Grant has mentioned how Texas is willing to go into the luxury tax to take on Verlanders' contract. Texas is involved and wants Verlander.

There is a couple of issues. First, they would likely want New York to take on some of the remaining contract value. Second, Verlander has a full no-trade clause. The question becomes does he want to come to Texas? I have to imagine that Texas is not going this far down the road with Verlander without the thought that he would say yes to a deal. Mark Feinsand also mentioned how Houston would be interested in a deal. This could be a Lone Star showdown that could go a long way toward determining who wins this division.

Blake Snell and Josh Hader

Texas is playing San Diego this weekend and will get a first-hand look at Blake Snell when he takes the mound on Sunday afternoon. San Diego is one of the most talented teams in the entire league, but yet has not put it together at all. They are one of those teams trying to decide whether to buy or sell for this season. Their record is currently 50-54 and they are nine games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers and are six games behind San Francisco for the last wild card spot. If they can put together a solid two to three stretch they could potentially vault themselves into the race, but there is just 58 games left in the season and by the deadline it will be 56 games. That is not a lot of time.

The Texas Rangers' key front office personnel are there in San Diego to discuss any and all trades that could happen including a trade with the Padres. That trade would likely be for Snell and Hader. Both of these pitchers are free agents at the end of the season. They are each having great seasons and would give this Texas team a shot to go deep into October. That is if the all-in San Diego Padres decide to do an about-face and decide to sell. They are not there yet, but Texas with a series win could push the Padres into the sell category.

Next: NL Central pitchers that are on Texas' radar

Jordan Hicks

Texas has been mentioned as involved with St. Louis to acquire their closer Jordan Hicks. He is a right-handed reliever that throws 100mph and strikes out over 12 batters per 9 innings. He does struggle with his control and he does walk batters, but hitters have a tough time just making contact against Hicks. He is a rental, but he is also from Texas. He grew up in the Houston area. I would think Texas would pursue a contract extension with Hicks if they are able to get something done.

That is if St. Louis does not extend him first. The Cardinals are actively working to sign him to an extension and if that does not work out they will then trade him. They have not been successful so far in extension talks. This could linger into Tuesday as they try and do what they can to keep their talented reliever. If it does not work out expect Texas to pounce on this and bring Hicks back home to Texas.

David Bednar and Mitch Keller

I wrote about Bednar recently and he is a talented reliever, who the Rangers would have under team control for three more seasons. He would likely be the Rangers' closer through 2026. Pittsburgh is taking calls on both Bednar and Keller.

Mitch Keller is the Pirates "ace". He is in just his third full season with the Pirates. He has a sub-4.00 ERA. He has 145 strikeouts to just 40 walks. He is not a free agent for another two seasons after this season. He would be a very valuable get for Texas. The Pirates are not wanting to trade either of these players. They would have to be blown away to consider trading them.

Next: American League pitchers Texas is likely asking about

Eduardo Rodriguez

The Detroit Tigers starter is having a great bounceback season after physical and mental health derailed his season in 2022. Rodriguez does have three more seasons left on his contract, but he also has a built-in opt-out on the contract after this season. If he thinks he might be able to get more on the free agency market at age 31 he likely will opt out, but if he does not then the Rangers would have him through 2026. Rodriguez is putting up good numbers so far. He has a 2.95 ERA, 91 strikeouts to 21 walks. He has some issues with consistency lately, but he also comes with postseason experience having pitched for the Red Sox for several seasons. Texas has apparently sent scouts out to watch his starts as well.

Paul Sewald and Logan Gilbert

The Seattle Mariners are now apparently entertaining trade offers for certain players. One of them being their closer Paul Sewald and there have been rumors around Logan Gilbert. Would Seattle actually trade these players to Texas? Who knows? Texas does have the prospect inventory that could interest the Mariners. Sewald could step in right away and be a late inning reliever and Logan Gilbert would be the Rangers' number-two starter behind Nathan Eovaldi.

Sewald this season already has surpassed his saves total from 2022 with 21. He has a slightly higher ERA, but will definitely surpass his strikeout total from last season as he is striking out 12.6 batters per nine innings. If he is available then Texas will most definitely inquire.

Logan Gilbert is a former Mariners prospect who made his debut back in 2021. He has a 9-5 record with a 3.83 ERA. He threw a complete game shutout against the Giants back on July 4th. He has 121 strikeouts to just 21 walks. He fits the profile of a pitcher that misses bats and does not walk batters that Chris Young likes to bring in. He still has four years of control before he reaches free agency. If Chris Young can pull this off that would be a solid package of players that will help now and in the future. There is serious doubt from some that Seattle would even discuss this trade with Texas.

What will Chris Young end up doing?

Many fans started freaking out on Friday afternoon when Lance Lynn, Joe Kelly, and Kendall Graveman were all traded. As you can see there are still several players on the trade block and still time to get deals done. It will be a true test for Chris Young in his time at GM. This team has overachieved and will be in first place at the deadline. Now it is time for the front office to do their job and give this team the tools they need to finish the job.