Rangers' trade plans hinge on key matchups in final week of June

Here we are, just a handful of games away from the midway mark of the 2025 season, and the Texas Rangers are still not sure if they should be buying or selling in advance of the Trade Deadline on July 31.

The team has been up and down so far and has a 38-41 record to indicate that they are struggling to find an identity. This week will likely portend what will be the steps moving forward for Chris Young and the organization.

The Rangers have the pitching to be buyers, but the streaky offense makes them look like sellers

You can't ask much more of the pitching staff, which has been dominant in the first half of the season. The combination of Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Tyler Mahle is of the caliber that you can make a World Series run with. They, along with relievers like Shawn Armstrong, Hoby Milner, Chris Martin and Robert Garcia, have all contributed to the league's third best team ERA.

At the same time, the offense has underperformed to the point that the team ranks near the bottom in several key offensive categories. If the lineup had hit anywhere near what was expected coming out of Spring Training, there would be no question that the organization would be all-in buyers.

Alas, with horrendous starts by Marcus Semien, Joc Pedersen, Jake Burger and Adolis Garcia, they have not been able to muster enough runs to win games that the pitching staff has given them every opportunity to.

The next seven games will be key to determining which way the Rangers go in 2025

In the final week of June, the Rangers have three games left with the last-place Baltimore Orioles and a huge four-game weekend set with division rival Seattle Mariners.

If, say, the Rangers get hot and win 6 of those 7 games and get to 44-42, it would be hard for Chris Young and the Rangers' front office to justify throwing in the towel and selling.

However, if Texas has another slump with the bats and ends up losing 4 or 5 of the 7 games, then it will be hard to justify not selling.

It is hard to imagine the team being all-in if the Rangers end the month at 40-46 or something close to that. It is, without a doubt, the most meaningful week of the season thus far, and will make the team's plans for the rest of the season much clearer.