Texas Rangers trade deadline target profile: Blake Snell

Who the Texas Rangers could offer for Snell

As far as arms go, the prime trade candidate for Texas should be LHP Cody Bradford. He has the potential to earn mid-to-front rotation status and could also offer a great long/middle relief option to the Padres as he develops. Since he made his MLB debut just this season, the Friars would hold control of him for at least the next five seasons. He'd be a tough piece for the Rangers to let go of, but he's also a luxury right now that won't hurt things too much if he was traded. And lastly, MLB.com has Bradford towards the bottom of Texas' top 30 prospects. But of course, Bradford alone would not be enough to get a deal done for Snell, so there needs to be a bit more included.

Another option is infielder Justin Foscue. With Corey Seager, Josh Jung and Marcus Semien controlling the infield for the Rangers for the foreseeable future, Foscue is expendable. While he is a top prospect in the organization, he could be a guy that really sweetens the deal with San Diego, but wouldn't completely deplete the system for Texas.

One more arm worth discussing is RHP Zak Kent. At 25 years old, he's ready for the big leagues. However, he's on the mend from an oblique injury that's kept him out most of the 2023 season. He has the stuff though to perform as either a solid starter or a strong late-innings guy. Heading into this season, relief seemed to be his most likely role.

As a final piece to round things out, the Rangers could toss in either Ian Moller or David García. Both rank pretty lowly at the moment within the Texas farm system, but are also both young catchers that could add some value. Both are underdogs to make an impact at the MLB level, but could thrive with the right coaching. And of course, a change of scenery might do the trick for either as well.

What the odds are and some final thoughts

Dealing for Snell might be a longshot, given the needs of the Padres and the players the Rangers have to offer. That doesn't mean it's not worth General Manager, Chris Young calling up his former team and kicking the tires. You gotta start somewhere, right?

The other thing to consider with this deal, is that the Padres could put together some magic over the next week and a half to close the gap in the wild card race. It should also be noted that Snell, himself recently told reporters he'd rather San Diego enter the deadline as buyers and not sellers.

Considering all this, it puts the Rangers at about a 10% chance of making a deal for Snell. Undoubtedly, after losing Jacob deGrom to injury for the season, and an overall feeling of "you can never have too many arms," Snell is worth going after. These next few days will tell whether it's a possiblity or not.