The Texas Rangers may spend the hours before the MLB trade deadline trying to decide whether to push in chips or start cashing them out, and Sunday’s game against the Houston Astros could be the thing that tips the scale.
A win could keep the front office focused on holding the roster together, maybe even adding. A loss could open the door to a selloff that reaches well beyond the usual rental pieces. A league source briefed on the club’s thinking said they are not ruling anything out.
That uncertainty makes sense given where the Rangers sit. They entered Sunday just a half-game behind in the American League wild-card chase and 1 1/2 games back in the AL West, with playoff odds hovering near 45 percent. They also are still waiting on injured starters Jordan Montgomery, Cody Bradford and Jack Leiter to return.
But the recent trend line is ugly. Texas has dropped two straight to the Astros, four in a row overall and five of its last seven.
Since the All-Star break, the Rangers have lost four of their last five series. On top of that, owner Ray Davis has already trimmed payroll by nearly $40 million from last season to this one, and with a lockout looming, he could decide to cut even deeper.
If the Rangers do swing into sell mode, the names at the center of the conversation would be the expensive ones. Shortstop Corey Seager is one possibility. So are right-handers Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi, a pair of veterans with major money still on their deals.
Seager’s situation is complicated by his contract and his status. Once the season ends, he will gain the right to veto any trade as a player with 10 years of major-league service, five consecutive with the same club.
His deal also allows him to block trades to eight teams, most of which likely would have little interest in him anyway, according to people briefed on the provision. He is owed the rest of his $31 million salary for 2026, plus $155 million over the next five years, and he has landed on the injured list six times over the past two seasons.
DeGrom has a full no-trade clause, though it’s not impossible he could waive it if it meant landing with a contender closer to his Florida home - maybe the Atlanta Braves. Eovaldi also has full no-trade protection.
The more realistic trade chips may be the players on expiring deals. Designated hitter Joc Pederson, who has been Texas’ best offensive performer, fits that bill.
So does reliever Jakob Junis. As for untouchables, the source material points to only one: left fielder Wyatt Langford, the rising star.
That’s the backdrop heading into a game that could carry far more weight than a single win or loss usually does. For the Rangers, Sunday in Houston might not just shape the series. It might shape the deadline.
In Other News...
Rangers Just Sent A Clear Message About Their Trade Deadline Plans
After months of injuries and illness interrupted his season, Josh Smith is moving off the Rangers roster, and the club is making a very specific kind of move as the trade deadline approaches. Texas is sending Smith and pitching prospect Josh Stephan to Toronto in exchange for left-hander Adam Macko, a deal that adds a bullpen arm while subtracting a player who had been part of the 2023 World Series club and won last years American League Silver Slugger as a utility man.
Smith had already been optioned to Triple-A Round Rock, so the writing was on the wall for a player whose value had been built on versatility and steady production. Macko has worked in relief for the Blue Jays this season, going 2-0 with a 4.91 ERA in 22 games, and the trade gives Texas another left-handed option as it continues shaping the roster for the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Trade Deadline Shift Could Mean More Than A Salary Dump
The trade deadline picture in Texas has changed quickly enough to make the rest of the month feel unsettled. The Rangers have moved from a buyers posture to one that looks more like a sellers, with the front office weighing moves that could trim salary while also taking advantage of whatever value the roster still holds. Even with the season still unfolding, the conversations around the club now sound less like a team pushing in and more like one preparing to reframe its next step.
Nathan Eovaldi, MacKenzie Gore and Jacob Latz are among the names surfacing in those discussions, a sign that the Rangers are at least listening broadly as they gauge the market. The expectation, though, is that the younger core under team control, including Wyatt Langford, Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter, remains far more likely to stay put, which leaves plenty of room for the kind of deadline maneuvering that could reshape the roster without fully stripping it down. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Bullpen Shakeup Puts One Veteran In A Brutal Spot
The Rangers bullpen has been in constant motion lately, and the latest move leaves veteran right-hander Chris Martin in a tough spot. Texas activated him from the injured list and then designated him for assignment, a sign of how quickly his season has gone off track amid shoulder issues and uneven performance.
Now the club has only a short window to find a trade partner, with the afternoon deadline looming before Martin likely clears waivers and can choose free agency. The timing underscores how unsettled the bullpen picture remains in Texas, especially with the front office still weighing outside interest in other relievers after the recent losses. [Read more 🡒]