The Texas Rangers are once again hunting for bullpen help, but this deadline search comes with a very specific kind of handcuff.
Bullpen depth is a priority for Texas ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney. The Rangers have built their relief corps on the cheap for the past four years and gotten solid results out of it, and this season’s group has followed that pattern. Jacob Latz is the home-grown closer, several rookies have pitched well, and free agents Jakob Junis and Tyler Alexander have become essential pieces if Texas is going to stay in the playoff mix.
The problem is that the Rangers do not want to take on much payroll in any move they make. Per Olney, the only way that changes is if another club agrees to cover part of the salary in a deal, similar to the Max Scherzer trade in 2023.
That matters because Texas is already operating with some room, but not an endless amount. Spotrac has the Rangers at a projected tax payroll of $207.7 million, which leaves more than $36 million before they hit the first competitive balance tax threshold of $244 million.
The club has paid the CBT in each of the last three seasons, helped in part by the deadline moves it has made. President of baseball operations Chris Young also had to cut payroll this offseason, and he did leave enough space for additions.
Still, if Olney’s reporting holds, money remains a real obstacle.
That makes the market tricky. San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller has been mentioned as a possible trade candidate.
His salary is modest at $4 million, and he has three more years of arbitration left. But the cost to get him would be enormous, enough to potentially damage the Rangers’ talent pipeline for years.
Luke Weaver of the New York Mets is also surfacing as a target for a club that is going nowhere. The issue there is the contract: he is on a two-year, $22 million deal that runs through next year. Texas would need New York to absorb some of that money, and unlike three years ago, the Mets are not as willing to do that.
So the Rangers may end up shopping in a much cheaper lane. Baltimore right-hander Yennier Cano is making $1.6 million and is under team control through 2029.
A reunion with former All-Star closer Kirby Yates is another possibility; he is making $5 million with the Angels this season. Former Rangers reliever Brock Burke has turned in a strong year for Cincinnati while making just $2.33 million, and Miami’s Anthony Bender is in the same general range at $2.71 million.
That is the group Texas appears to be working from, per Olney. The names could change, but the Rangers do not seem likely to chase the top of the market. Given their recent success in building bullpens, they may not need to.
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