What Texas Rangers Will, Won't Do At Trade Deadline

The Texas Rangers are gearing up to be buyers as the final days of the 2023 trade deadline approach.

The Texas Rangers have a week until the end of the trade deadline on Aug. 1. The Rangers look like a buyer at the trade deadline and have already started amassing talent after trading for reliever Aroldis Chapman at the end of June.

What will the Rangers do? Well, as much reporting and speculation as there is out there, that’s anyone’s guess. But I believe they will be active. Based on covering the team all season, here are three things I believe the Rangers will do and won’t do by the deadline.

What Rangers Will, Don't Do at Deadline

Here are three things that I think the Texas Rangers will and won't do at the trade deadline.

The Rangers Will ...

Trade for at least two more relievers: This is a given, as the bullpen still needs reinforcements. Chapman has been terrific since he arrived, but the Rangers need at least one more capable set-up man, if not two. In Sunday’s win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, you could see how manager Bruce Bochy would like to set the Rangers up to win. He’ll need a couple of more arms to make that happen. 

The Rangers Won't ...

Trade Ezequiel Duran. That door closed the second shortstop Corey Seager was moved to the injured list on Saturday. The Rangers now need Duran at shortstop to fill in much the way he did in April and May when Seager was out. I don’t think the Rangers wanted to deal Duran before Seager was hurt, but I feel certain they were getting serious inquiries. In the case of a deal for a top-shelf player like Shohei Ohtani, I feel confident Duran would have been part of that deal. Not anymore. The Rangers’ short-term need at shortstop makes him untouchable.

The Rangers Will ...

Trade at least four prospects. If you’re a gambler (of which I am not), I’ll set the over-under at 4.5. It may be in one deal, it may be in multiple deals. But the Rangers, I believe, won’t shy away from giving up some of their farm system to make a push now. I think teams are interested in just about anything in the Rangers’ Top 30 per MLB.com. But of primary interest to other teams will be infielders Justin Foscue, Luisangel Acuña, Thomas Saggese and Sebastian Walcott, outfielders Evan Carter, Dustin Harris and Aaron Zavala, and pitchers Owen White, Jack Leiter, Brock Porter, Cody Bradford and Tekoah Roby.

I’m not saying the Rangers will trade all of those players. But I think that’s the pool of the most likely players teams will be interested in. Right now, I think the only player on that list that is nearly untouchable is Carter, as he’ll compete for a job in the Majors next year. Everyone else could be had — if the price is right.

The Rangers Won't ...

Trade Owen White unless it’s absolutely necessary. If Carter is as close to untouchable as one can get, then White is next on the list. He’s already made his MLB debut and he may start for the Rangers before the deadline. That could be seen as a showcase, but I also think the Rangers believe he’s ready to contribute. The performances of Andrew Heaney and Martín Pérez have made it necessary for the Rangers to take looks at other starters internally, though I’m nearly certain the Rangers will get at least one veteran starter in trade.

That may cost them White, but I believe they’ll unload other pitchers before sending White somewhere else. To me the only player that makes sense to move White for is a package for Ohtani. 

The Rangers Will ...

Trade Leody Taveras. With Duran now untouchable due to Seager’s injury, teams will turn their attention to the next logical, young everyday player that could be had, and that’s Taveras. He’s 24, a strong hitter, above-average defender and has great speed on the bases. If Taveras was on another team, he’d be in the top part of the order. Two or three years from now I think he can be an ideal No. 2 hitter. He’s also more than a season away from arbitration.

Many of these trade partners are going to want at least one MLB-ready player in the deal. With Duran out of the picture, and Josh Smith not developing as the Rangers had hoped, Taveras is the logical target for those teams. If the deal is right, he could be dealt. The Rangers have the outfield depth to withstand losing him.

The Rangers Won't ...

Acquire Shohei Ohtani. Most of the deals floating around out there aren’t giving the Angels enough. They know they’re losing a Top 10 hitter and pitcher. In most deals where it’s that type of hitter or pitcher, that usually requires at least three players, sometimes four. But Ohtani can do both. The Angels are looking for a mortgage payment, and it better have two MLB-ready players, at least two pitchers and at least two or three longer-term prospects (say 1-2 years down the line).

I think that’s too much for the Rangers. Let someone else pay the bill and then circle back in November when you can offer Ohtani a team with a playoff window of at least six years in which he’s the final piece. I firmly believe the Rangers will make a play for him. Trading the farm to get him now only weakens their long-term position.

I’ll even go this far — I don’t think the Angels are going to deal him period. I just don’t believe that Angels owner Arte Moreno has the stomach for being the guy that traded away Babe Ruth, if you know what I mean.

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You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard

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