Cal Quantrill may have already altered the Rangers’ thinking as the trade deadline approaches.
A lot of the noise around Texas has centered on the same issue: the club needs help at the back of the rotation if it wants to be taken seriously in the postseason race. ESPN’s Jeff Passan even had the Rangers linked to Baltimore Orioles left-hander Trevor Rogers, a move aimed at covering the hole left by Jack Leiter’s injury and Kumar Rocker’s inconsistency.
But Quantrill’s last three starts have changed the conversation. The Rangers picked him up off the free-agent scrap heap on March 11 for $1 million, and after a rough 2025 with the Braves and Marlins - a 6.04 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and -0.7 bWAR - he has suddenly looked like a useful answer.
Over three starts in place of Leiter, Quantrill has posted a 2.40 ERA, leaning on weak contact and letting the defense work behind him. Across 46.1 innings this season, he owns a 3.11 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. After 15 innings of quality starting work, he has made a real case to stick as a fourth or fifth starter.
That matters because it could give Chris Young and the Rangers more freedom to attack other needs before the August 3 deadline. Instead of spending heavily on rotation help, they could turn their attention to a right-handed reliever or a true upgrade behind the plate for the disappointing Danny Jansen - maybe even defensively challenged fan-favorite Kyle Higashioka. As the source put it, “We all love Higgy, but he hasn't been good behind the dish or at it with a bat in his hands so far this season.”
If Quantrill keeps this up, the Rangers would have more room to maneuver. That opens the door to names like catcher Dalton Rushing or closer Ryan Helsley, who could fit as a right-handed closer opposite Jacob Latz or as a high-leverage setup arm in the seventh and eighth innings.
The bigger picture is still clear: Texas has a steep drop-off after Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi. MacKenzie Gore’s grip on the third spot looks shaky after his worst start of the season, a 13-1 loss to the lowly Angels, and Leiter and Rocker have combined for 0.5 bWAR.
For now, though, Quantrill has given the Rangers something they badly needed - a possible internal fix at a time when they were expected to shop for one. Whether Chris Young and the front office buy into that over the next few weeks will shape how they attack the deadline.
In Other News...
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Langfords bat has given the Rangers a young cornerstone in the outfield, the sort of long-term piece that can stabilize a lineup while the club sorts out everything else around him. The catch is that Texas has not yet formally engaged him on a contract extension, which leaves another layer of urgency on top of the trade talk already swirling. For a team trying to decide whether to push forward or pull back, getting the Langford part wrong would be the kind of mistake that lingers long after the deadline passes. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Just Made Their Riskiest Day 1 Value Bet Yet
The Rangers used their third-round pick on Brody Bumila, a left-handed pitcher from Bishop Feehan High School whose talent clearly outweighed the usual draft-day caution. Even with the uncertainty attached to his arm, Texas saw enough upside to make the 89th overall selection and bet on the kind of arm that can change a pitching staff if everything comes together.
Bumila had been committed to the University of Texas, but his path now shifts to pro ball instead of campus life. The risk is obvious, and so is the appeal for a Rangers front office that was willing to lean into it, hoping the upside eventually justifies a very unconventional day-one value play. [Read more 🡒]