Rangers Target AL Playoffs, Swing To Buyers At MLB Trade Deadline

The Texas Rangers are shifting gears at the MLB trade deadline, moving from potential sellers to aggressive buyers as they push for a playoff spot in the American League.

Once hovering around .500 and flirting with the idea of trading key players, the Rangers have caught fire in July, winning 13 of their last 20 games and climbing above .500 with a chance to make the MLB Playoffs.

This recent surge has put Texas just five games behind the Houston Astros in the AL West division and only one game behind the Seattle Mariners for the final wild card spot in the league.

These improved playoff chances have seemingly prompted the front office, led by General Manager Chris Young, to pivot toward strengthening the roster rather than selling off assets.

MLB insider Buster Olney provided a recent breakdown of the upcoming trade deadline and stated that rival executives believe the Rangers are “aggressively looking to upgrade their bullpen” before the Thursday trade deadline.

“If you were to line up all the MLB president of baseball operations and general managers on a spectrum from most competitive to least, the peers of Rangers GM Chris Young would probably pick him to be the most competitive — which is why other teams assume that with Texas surging in the standings of late, the Rangers will be adding before the deadline,” he added.

These potential deadline moves come less than a week after the Rangers released Luke Jackson, the team’s closing pitcher for much of the season, leaving a notable gap in the bullpen’s late-inning depth.

Texas’s strong starting rotation, led by Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi, ranks among the best in baseball, boosting confidence in the team’s ability to compete. 

Meanwhile, the Rangers’ offense has begun to come alive after a slow start to the season, fueling optimism that acquisitions in the bullpen could push the team over the top and into the postseason.

Young previously discussed plans for the trade deadline and said that the weeks leading up to the deadline would be a major factor in whether the team takes an aggressive stance.

Since those comments, the Rangers have inched even closer to the playoff picture, further supporting the notion that Texas could pursue a major roster addition.