The Texas Rangers spent the first three months of the season leaning on the same starting rotation. That setup is over now, and the deadline picture has changed with it.
Jack Leiter’s injury pushed Cal Quantrill into the rotation, and the Rangers were hoping that move would buy time until Leiter returned or until Jordan Montgomery or Cody Bradford could step in. That cushion has disappeared. Quantrill turned in his worst outing of the season last Friday in Atlanta, then came back with a better showing against the Chicago White Sox, though that appearance lasted only three innings behind an opener.
Texas still has questions beyond Quantrill, too. Marco Gonzales, who was called up earlier this week, might be able to start for the club, but nothing is settled there yet.
Montgomery and Bradford are not ready. Jose Corniell just landed on the IL.
Winston Santos has only one big league appearance on his résumé. Emiliano Teodo is now a reliever.
That leaves the Rangers with a thin pitching pipeline and a clear need that goes beyond the bullpen. They need relievers, yes, but they also need a starter.
It puts Texas in a familiar spot after last year’s deadline deal for Merrill Kelly. That move cost the Rangers three Top 30 pitching prospects, and this year they don’t have as much prospect capital to spend if that’s the route they choose. If they’re willing to deal Major Leaguers instead, more possibilities open up.
One thing looks certain: Texas is not going to jump into the Tarik Skubal derby. The price would be too steep for a pitcher the Rangers would then lose in free agency. But there are other paths if the front office wants to make a move.
The Rangers do not need an ace. They need a dependable arm. The Los Angeles Angels have two names that fit that description in Reid Detmers and Jose Soriano, and Texas has already seen both enough this season to have a good read on which one makes more sense.
If the Toronto Blue Jays keep fading, Shane Bieber could become more available. He’s healthy now, pitching better, and not under contract for 2027. Even so, Texas would have to be careful not to repeat the kind of prospect drain it took on with the Kelly trade.
There are also lower-cost options who could still give the Rangers useful innings, including the New York Mets’ Freddy Peralta and the Kansas City Royals’ Michael Wacha.
The bottom line is simple: Texas needs help in the rotation. A modest, low-risk move could stabilize the staff down the stretch and keep the Rangers in position to chase an AL West title.
In Other News...
Rangers Fans Have Every Right To Question Rafael Palmeiro's Snub
Rafael Palmeiros career in Texas still invites a complicated kind of conversation. He put together the kind of production that usually makes a player easy to celebrate, and his place in the larger Hall of Fame debate has long been shaped by a failed drug test that derailed his Cooperstown case. Even so, the Rangers have never added him to their own Hall of Fame, which has only sharpened the sense that his legacy in Arlington has never been judged purely on numbers.
T.R. Sullivans book on Palmeiro helps explain why the discussion never really stays on the field. The former first basemans reputation inside the organization has lingered as part of the story, along with the way some of his relationships were viewed during his Rangers years. For fans, that leaves a familiar frustration: a player with a major on-field rsum, and a team honor roll that still has not found a place for him. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Suddenly Facing A Bigger Danny Jansen Problem Than Expected
Danny Jansens return to throwing is at least a small step forward for a Rangers club that has been short on catching help for most of the summer. He has been on the injured list since early June, and the injury has already turned into more than a simple wait-and-see situation, especially with his offense sliding before he went down and the team trying to piece together the position around him.
The bigger concern is what comes next, because the Rangers are still operating without much margin behind the plate and every day of uncertainty matters with the trade deadline approaching. Jansen is weighing his next move after a long shutdown, and the clubs ability to navigate the coming stretch could help shape how aggressively it has to look for outside help if the catching situation keeps tightening. [Read more 🡒]