With the trade deadline drawing closer, Jeff Passan is taking a broad look at the league’s contenders and matching each one with a deadline target that fits a specific need. For the Rangers, he sees the same issue that’s been hanging over the rotation: back-end help.
Texas has already watched Jack Leiter land on the IL, and Kumar Rocker has been up and down through the first half. Passan’s answer is Baltimore Orioles left-hander Trevor Rogers, a veteran arm who would give the Rangers another option behind Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, and MacKenzie Gore. And based on the way Gore has looked lately, he could even move ahead of Rogers in the pecking order as the club’s third starter.
At first glance, Rogers’ season line doesn’t jump off the page. He’s 6-7 with a 4.48 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP, which is the kind of profile that can make a front office hesitate before paying up. But the deeper dive tells a different story, and that’s where the appeal starts to show.
Since the calendar turned from May to June, Rogers has been on a tear. He’s posted a 1.73 ERA over that stretch and knocked his overall ERA down by a full run-and-a-half.
He has allowed three runs or fewer in each of his last seven starts, and he hasn’t surrendered more than three earned runs in any outing since late May. On top of that, he’s throwing harder than he has at any point in his five-year career, even touching 97 mph in one of his recent appearances.
Rogers also brings more than just a hot streak. Last season, he went 9-3 with a 1.81 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP across 109 innings, and he finished with a single-season bWAR of 5.4. That’s the kind of track record that makes him look less like a flier and more like a pitcher who can stabilize a rotation when things get shaky.
There’s also a timing element here for Texas. Jordan Montgomery is ramping up in the minors and is expected to debut right after the All-Star break, which would add another left-handed option. If Leiter and Rocker keep struggling, or if Montgomery needs time to settle in against big-league hitters, Rogers would give Skip Schumaker and Jordan Tiegs another dependable southpaw to lean on.
And if the Rangers don’t get the response they need from within? That’s where the fit gets even clearer. The organization doesn’t have reinforcements waiting in the farm system, and if Cody Bradford can’t return on schedule and pitch effectively, Rogers would offer a reliable left-handed arm with momentum on his side.
Passan’s take isn’t the final word, but in this case it lines up cleanly with what Texas needs. The Rangers are trying to hold their ground in the postseason race, and Rogers looks like the kind of move that could help them do it.
In Other News...
Rangers May Be Near A Bullpen Decision Fans Feared All Year
Chris Martin entered the year as one of the more established arms in the Rangers bullpen, the kind of veteran presence teams usually lean on when games tighten in the middle innings. Instead, his season has been defined by uneven results and a role that has become harder to justify as Texas keeps searching for steadier relief options.
The dilemma is familiar for a club trying to stay afloat in the bullpen: keep banking on the track record, or make a hard move and accept the loss of one of the few relievers with real October experience. Martins recent form has pushed that conversation to the front, and the Rangers may be nearing a decision they have tried to avoid for most of the year. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Face A Bullpen Problem That Could Swing The AL West
The Rangers reached the All-Star break in a familiar but fragile spot, sitting atop the AL West at 49-47 after winning four of their last five series. The record has kept them in the race, but the path there has not been smooth, especially in a bullpen that has had to absorb injuries and shifting roles while still trying to protect late leads.
Jacob Latz has helped steady the back end, but the relief group has not been consistent enough to make the second half feel settled. Texas has enough momentum to stay in the conversation, yet the bullpen remains the clearest pressure point on a roster that wants to turn a division lead into something more lasting. [Read more 🡒]