For a team trying to stay in the race, the Rangers came out of the August 3 MLB trade deadline looking more like observers than aggressors. Texas had plenty of chatter around it, but when the deadline arrived, the club barely moved - and its rivals in the division did not wait around.
That quiet may end up haunting the Rangers in two very different ways: by keeping Corey Seager in place and by leaving a glaring bullpen hole untouched.
Seager remains the kind of name that can make a front office hesitate. He’s an all-star-caliber shortstop with a résumé that includes ROY, 2-time World Series MVP, and 3-time Silver Slugger recipient.
When he’s right, he’s the most dangerous bat on the roster. But the Rangers are also stuck with the version of Seager they’ve seen far too often this season: unavailable for long stretches, then ineffective when he returns.
In 55 games, he has hit .188/.296/.376.
Even after missing all of July with "back discomfort," Seager still hasn’t looked like the hitter Texas needs him to be. The ball isn’t jumping, the exit velocity is still tracking where it’s been all year, and he’s struck out five times in 13 at-bats since coming back. His timing, by the look of it, is still off.
That matters even more because Seager now has 10-5 rights, which means he can block a trade to any team he doesn’t want to join. If Chris Young ever wanted to steer this roster into a rebuild, Seager’s approval would be part of the equation.
The Rangers passed on that chance at the deadline, and now they’re tied to a player owed another $155 million over 5 years. He’s also one of several high-priced veterans on the roster with no-trade protection, leaving Texas in a spot where the players hold a lot of the leverage.
The other missed opportunity was in the bullpen, where the need for a right-handed reliever was obvious. Texas did make a move for Chase Silseth, and that was a solid pickup.
But with Jakob Junis back on the IL and his future uncertain, the Rangers needed more than one addition. They didn’t get it.
The market was there. Texas had a chance to chase a premium right-handed arm such as the Mets Huascar Brazoban or the Braves Grant Hughes, but the front office either didn’t push hard enough or settled for a message the fan base wasn’t buying. After the Astros exposed the bullpen in a humiliating sweep, the Rangers still didn’t add the kind of proven help that would have changed the mood.
Instead, they’re leaning on a group of rookies and young arms - Peyton Gray, Ben Peoples, Robby Ahlstrom, and now lefty Adam Macko, who came over for Josh Smith in what was the day’s most underwhelming deal. Outside of Jacob Latz, there isn’t much in that bullpen that inspires trust, and with Junis out, the list of dependable options gets even shorter.
The problem isn’t effort. The problem is reliability.
These pitchers are competing, but the Rangers are asking them to cover innings and situations they’re not built to handle yet. Meanwhile, other clubs improved around them while Texas stood still.
Now the Rangers sit 2.5 games back in the AL West and 1.5 games behind the Guardians for the final wild-card spot. The deadline didn’t just pass them by. It left them looking like a team that chose not to swing.
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