Did Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners Outdo Texas Rangers at Trade Deadline?

The Texas Rangers, Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners have designs on an American League West title, and all three clubs made deals before the trade deadline.

Jun 18, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Andrew Chafin (17) in action against the Atlanta Braves in the seventh inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Texas Rangers made a few moves before the trade deadline, but the jury appears out on whether the reigning World Series champions got better.

That’s not the case for the two teams the Rangers are chasing the in the American League West – Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners.

A backup catcher (Carson Kelly) and reliever (Andrew Chafin) were the main Texas pickups. That’s a far cry from last season’s haul that included Max Scherzer, Jordan Montgomery and Aroldis Chapman.

Still, Rangers general manager Chris Young believes the ingredients are there to defend the title despite not making a splashy move in the trade market.

“I truly believe our best baseball is ahead of us these next two months,” Young said Tuesday after the deadline passed. “So I think it’s a big show of confidence in this group, and in their ability, their talent level. I’m excited to see this come together.”

As far as the two teams the Rangers are trying to catch, the prevailing thought is both the Astros and Mariners are better now than before the deadline. The Mariners picked up Randy Arozarena and Justin Turner to strengthen an anemic offense, while Houston acquired Yusei Kikuchi to bolster a thin starting pitching staff.

“This division is very tough,” Young added. “Houston is very good. Seattle is very good. And we certainly have dug ourselves a little bit of a hole here. But nobody’s run away with the division. And we feel confident that these next two months, if we play to the level that we think we can, that we can compete for the division title.”

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