The Texas Rangers have been mentioned as a possible landing spot for two outfield trade targets, but the appeal is not even close to equal.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel listed Taylor Ward and Mickey Moniak among the “best fits” for Texas ahead of the trade deadline. One of those names makes a lot of sense for president of baseball operations Chris Young. The other comes with far more baggage.
Ward’s power has dipped sharply this season. He entered Wednesday with a .335 slugging percentage, well below his .428 career mark, and had just five home runs after hitting 36 in 2025.
Even so, he has still been productive overall, batting .251/.379/.351 with a 115 wRC+ as of Wednesday morning. His 16.5% walk rate stands out, and his track record suggests the extra-base hits could come back.
Moniak, by contrast, is the more dangerous bet for Texas despite the eye-catching numbers he has posted this year. Through 58 games entering Wednesday, he was hitting .282/.335/.600 with 15 home runs and 37 RBI, production any lineup would welcome on the surface.
But the split tells a different story. At Coors Field, where the Rockies play and offense tends to explode, Moniak has been a monster, slashing .314/.359/.720 with 12 home runs, eight doubles, two triples and 24 RBI in 33 games entering Wednesday. On the road, he has looked much more ordinary, hitting .234/.298/.416 with three home runs, three doubles, one triple and 13 RBI in 25 games.
The strikeout numbers sharpen the concern even more. Moniak has struck out 21.1% of the time at home, but that rate jumps to 31.0% on the road. He also has trouble against left-handed pitching, batting .216/.256/.378 with a 60 wRC+ in 39 plate appearances against southpaws this season as of Wednesday morning.
That matters for Texas, which already has regular starters Joc Pederson and Evan Carter struggling to hit left-handers. Adding another left-handed bat with similar issues would not help much.
The Rangers need offense. They ranked 25th in runs scored with 743 in MLB after Tuesday’s games.
Ward looks like a potential boost. Moniak looks like a much riskier swing.
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 🡒]