The Texas Rangers are still in the mix in the AL West, and that alone puts them in position to act like buyers at the trade deadline. If they decide to add, the clearest place to help this roster is the rotation.
That’s where Jeff Passan of ESPN sees Baltimore Orioles left-hander Trevor Rogers fitting in. Passan labeled Rogers the Rangers’ “Best match” at the 2026 MLB trade deadline, pointing to both the fit and the price tag.
“Best match: Trevor Rogers, LHSP, Baltimore Orioles,” Passan writes. “Unless they collapse, an arm like Rogers would suit them well. Because he's slated to hit free agency this winter, Rogers won't cost as much as controllable starting pitching.”
For Texas, the appeal is obvious. Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, and MacKenzie Gore give the Rangers a strong top group, but another starter would deepen the staff in a meaningful way. And with a thin farm system, a cheaper rental arm makes more sense than paying up for a longer-term piece.
That’s part of why names like Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Joe Ryan, and Reid Detmers don’t line up as cleanly. All of them would help, but they’re multi-year options and likely to come at a steeper cost.
Rogers, by contrast, is on a different track. His overall numbers this season aren’t pretty, with a 4.70 ERA, but the recent stretch has looked much better.
Since the start of June, he has posted a 1.77 ERA in 35.2 innings with 27 strikeouts over six starts. That’s a sharp turnaround from the 6.84 ERA he carried through his first 10 starts.
If Baltimore sells, Texas should be in the conversation. Rogers would not be an expensive add, and he profiles as the kind of back-end starter that can fit neatly behind the Rangers’ current core. A group of deGrom, Eovaldi, Gore, and Rogers would give Texas a rotation built for October.
In Other News...
Rangers First Round Report Card Raises Big Questions Before Draft Day
The Rangers first-round track record from the last five drafts is starting to look like a snapshot of where the organization stands heading into another draft cycle: some picks have already moved on, some are climbing, and one of the most gifted young hitters in the system still feels like a work in progress. Gavin Fein is now in the Washington Nationals organization, Malcolm Moore has taken a clear step forward after his recent move to Double-A, and Wyatt Langford remains the most prominent reminder that talent and development do not always move in a straight line.
For Texas, the bigger issue is not just who has produced so far, but which of these first-round bets still has a chance to become a real cornerstone. Moores rise has given the front office something tangible to point to, while Langfords ceiling still keeps the conversation from getting too pessimistic. Even so, the grades leave the Rangers with a familiar draft-day question hanging over them: have they found enough impact at the top of the board, or are they still waiting on the best part of this class to arrive? [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Could Put A Surprising Deadline Piece In Play
With the Rangers tied with the Mariners atop the AL West, the focus around Arlington is already shifting toward what the front office might do before the Aug. 3 deadline. One name that has surfaced in that conversation is Josh Smith, whose ability to move around the diamond gives Texas a useful piece even in a year when the club is still very much in the race.
Smiths value is complicated by a season that has not matched his usual production, which is part of why he has become a possible trade chip rather than an obvious building block. He is also under club control through 2028, so the Rangers do not have to move him, but that kind of flexibility can make a player useful in deadline talks if Texas decides it needs to address another area before the market closes. [Read more 🡒]
One Rangers Pitching Prospect Just Changed The System Conversation
Jesus Lafalaise gave Hickory exactly the kind of start that gets attention inside a system, even on a night when the box score was mixed elsewhere. The right-hander worked five innings, allowed just one run on a solo homer, and piled up nine strikeouts against one walk, the sort of outing that can make a prospect look a little more central to the organizations pitching conversation.
Elsewhere, the returns and rough patches were harder to sort through. David Davalillo was back in full-season action for Hub City and was tagged for five runs in 2.1 innings, including a homer, while Dalton Pence held Frisco in the game with 5.1 innings and only a solo shot allowed. Round Rocks Joe Ross, meanwhile, had a much shorter night, giving up three runs in 0.1 innings, which only sharpened the contrast between the arms trending up and the ones still trying to settle in. [Read more 🡒]