Texas Rangers outfielders (from left) Evan Carter, Alejandro Osuna and Ezequiel Duran jump around as they celebrate their win over the Detroit Tigers at Globe Life Field in Arlington, July 2, 2026.
Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News
The Texas Rangers Stock Exchange may be closed for the holiday weekend, but rest assured, when it did close, all indexes were at a 52-week high. In the meantime, for the avid investor, there are always other opportunities to explore. That’s especially true now, since the Rangers saved their money at the beginning of the year and have the windfall of being in first place.
It’s time to parlay that savings and the strong first-half report into a more aggressive play: The very volatile Mid-Season Trade Market. And you might say the opening bell rang Friday, which marked exactly one month until the Aug. 3 deadline.
The Rangers should not be fooled by a strong five-week stretch in which they’ve been the hottest stock in the AL. There are still flaws to fix. They also have limited trade capital to make blockbuster deals. The counter to that is that owner Ray Davis saved a ton of money with payroll cutbacks this winter; the Rangers need to be willing to invest some of those savings into taking on more money. With that in mind, here’s our early look at potential trade targets to address those needs:
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Right-handed leverage arm: The Rangers need another late-innings arm to pair with Jakob Junis ahead of Jacob Latz. It must be their highest priority. Junis can struggle at times to recover, making him iffy to go back-to-back days. Maybe rehabbing Chris Martin could be that guy, but given his injury track record, it doesn’t scream “reliability.”
Think, instead, Boston’s Garrett Whitlock, who would offer the Rangers the kind of swing-and-miss stuff they lack in the bullpen. He has the top chase rate among all relievers and his 5.33 strikeout-to-walk rate is the kind of thing that makes Rangers’ officials giddy. Whitlock, 30, will have about $3.5 million guaranteed left on his contract at the end of June and would come with a club option for 2027. It would probably require taking on all the salary and offering the best package of prospects the Rangers could muster. Would hard-throwing Izack Tiger, just now returning from injury, do it?
Others to consider here include Luke Weaver of the New York Mets, who has a similar statistical profile to Whitlock but also would come with about $15 million in financial obligation through 2027. Other possibilities with less financial commitment: Arizona’s Paul Sewald or either Baltimore’s Yennier Cano or Rico Garcia.
San Francisco Giants center fielder Harrison Bader (9) against the Arizona Diamondbacks during an MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Wednesday, May 27, 2026.
Santiago Mejia/S.F. Chronicle
Right-handed hitting outfielder: Wyatt Langford has been to the IL twice. Evan Carter has been once. Carter doesn’t play against left-handed pitching. The Rangers could use a reinforcement out here, particularly somebody who can play center field against some left-handed pitching. There was interest in Lane Thomas before he signed a too-rich-for-the-Rangers-blood $5.25 million deal with Kansas City. The money left around the deadline, though, would be more like $1.6 million. Thomas has a career .835 OPS against lefties but has trailed off that sharply the last two years.
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Another name to consider: San Francisco’s Harrison Bader, who has history with Skip Schumaker from time together in St. Louis. Bader has a .762 career OPS against lefties but has been out for a month with foot issues. He might get back just after the All-Star break, and the Giants will certainly be looking to dump guys cheaply, especially if trade partners are willing to take on money. Bader would come with about $13 million in financial commitments through 2027.
Put Luis Robert Jr. of the Mets in that category, as well. He’s been out since April with a back issue but has begun a rehab assignment. But do the Rangers want to take a chance on another guy with back problems?
Lower-cost alternatives: Detroit’s Matt Vierling, Toronto’s Myles Straw and Cody Freeman’s older brother, Tyler, currently with Colorado.
Luis Arraez: He’s his own category because we’re not sure there is a perfect fit for him. But the offensive skill set, which includes a dramatic jump in slugging this season, is undeniable. Also: He’s got a strong relationship with Schumaker and members of his staff from time together in Miami.
The Rangers are overjoyed with the energy and production they are getting from the Ezequiel Duran-Nicky Lopez-Justin Foscue trio at second. Arraez is an offensive upgrade, but there is some mojo that might be best left alone at the moment. If Corey Seager’s back issue is going to continue to be a problem, maybe it opens up a more viable path to move guys around and fit Arraez in.
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Arraez will have about $4 million left in his deal come the deadline. There are lots of reasons to be attracted to him, but there also has to be a practical fit. A lot could change in a month’s time, particularly with guys who don’t have long track records to fall back on, but there are challenges to making him fit.
Kansas City Royals pitcher Daniel Lynch IV throws during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Charlie Riedel/Associated Press
Lefty reliever: At the season’s outset, the Rangers had four lefties they could deploy ahead of the ninth inning – Jake Latz, Tyler Alexander, Robert Garcia and Jalen Beeks. With Latz closing and Garcia and Beeks hurt, that number has been quartered. Robby Ahlstrom has been impressive for a rookie, but that goes back to the track record issue. It’s not a must-have, but the Rangers could use somebody with a bit more experience as insurance.
They might have an internal option from either Jordan Montgomery (if he’s not ultimately needed in the rotation) or Cody Bradford, providing both of their rehabs continue smoothly. But Kansas City’s Daniel Lynch IV might be a short- and longer-term play. He’s only making $1 million this year and is arbitration eligible in 2027 and might be controllable through 2028, depending on the new CBA. He’s also holding lefties to a .153 batting average this year and righties to a .686 OPS.
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The reunion arena: Potential reunions are always a comfortable place to land on deadline talks. The team knows the player. The player knows the team. If Seager’s back is going to make him unreliable the rest of the year, the Rangers might want to add to their army of plucky utility guys.
With that we present reunion candidate Isiah Kiner-Falefa, a Ranger from 2018-21 who can play all the infield positions. Kiner-Falefa had some outfield experience, which could be valuable, too, but hasn’t played there since 2024. Might come down to this: Do the Rangers rely on slightly more versatile rookie Cam Cauley or consider an IKF reunion tour. Kiner-Falefa, who has reverse splits this year, has an .804 OPS against righties with Boston and will have about $2 million left in his deal come the deadline. The Red Sox might basically give him away. Could the Rangers afford to look a gift IKF in the mouth?