Texas Rangers rumors: Bullpen should be top of Chris Young's priority list

If Chris Young wants to buy at the Trade Deadline, the Texas Rangers have started off on a good note following the All-Star Break with a series victory agains the American League's best team, the Detroit Tigers.

Some might read this and think that the offense should be number one on the organization's mind and while there is some truth to that, we've seen in every postseason how vital bullpen pieces are to a team's suceess.

Two years when Texas won the World Series, their offense was outstanding but the bullpen, which was a weak spot all year, turned out to be the strongest aspect of the Rangers' postseason run. That's why getting necessary back-end bullpen pieces is an important part of the wish list as July winds down.

Rangers' bullpen isn't bad, but could be a lot better

Entering Sunday, the Rangers' bullpen has a 3.34 ERA, which is third-best in Major League Baseball and the best in the American League. That coincides with not only the best rotation ERA but best staff ERA in the entire league as well.

Led by four relievers with a 3.00 ERA or less (Chris Martin, Hoby Milner, Robert Garcia and Jacob Latz) the bullpen has been one of the most reliable aspects of the Rangers' 2025 season. Those bullpen arms alongside him still have put up solid performances which is the reason why they are seeing success.

That doesn't mean there aren't weak links in the bullpen, whether those are players or just timing, and those are the things needed to be addressed.

For one example, we have gotten shaky performances from Luke Jackson and Jacob Webb all season. While they have also had good outings they are easily not the most reliable arms for Bruce Bochy to turn to late in close games. Next we have a stretch like Texas faced before the All-Star Break of countless extra inning games where bullpen arms like Martin and Milner were so taxed after throwing 3-4 days in a row that games have gotten away from them.

Young knows that is a potential issue that the Rangers could run into down the stretch of the final months of the season and if they want make a postseason run, it is crucial to fill in the weak spots.

Who should on top of the Rangers' wish list?

Unfortuantely Texas sat on their hands way too long and allowed David Robertson to sign a deal with the Phillies on Sunday so the free agent route is all but gone.

Where they should start is by adding controllable relievers via the trade market. Those names include the Cardinals' Ryan Helsley or Steven Matz, the Pirates' David Bednar, Baltimore's Felix Bautista or reuiniting with Emmanuel Clase.

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News seems to believe that Bautista and Bednar would be good options for Texas and are two arms that could bolster the bullpen. Another name added to that list is the Nationals' Kyle Finnegan.

Bednar could be a top option given his controllable status for 2026 as well as Bautista's arbitration eligibility over the next few seasons. That shouldn't stop them from attempting to grab those other names if the price tag drops due to them being rentals for a few months.