What the Texas Rangers Must Do at the Deadline To Make the Playoffs

There are so many options, but so little time.

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The Texas Rangers are mostly middling in every major statistical category, including the standings. Entering Monday, the Rangers find themselves just one game over .500, but at the top of the American League West by 0.5 games. In a division littered with poor performance and a league that models mediocrity, Texas has a huge opportunity to turn an average team into a historic one.

The trade deadline is approaching, which gives the Rangers one final opportunity to boost the roster for the final two months of the campaign. If Texas is going to improve anywhere, it must be the starting rotation. The Rangers have the 18th-best starter ERA in baseball, but it's 10th in the American League.

Headlined by an aging Jacob deGrom, the other four regulars each own an ERA well above 4.00. With Jack Leiter on the mend, Cal Quantrill has joined the rotation to some success. He owns a 4.29 ERA over his five starts, which is heavily inflated from his most recent outing.

Looking at the pitching market, there are a couple acquirable names that could be good fits.

The Texas Rangers Have Their Pick of the Litter of Starting Pitchers

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Brady Singer got off to a rough start this season but has bounced back well for the Cincinnati Reds. The veteran righty has a 2.33 ERA through three starts this month, and has gone seven innings or more in back-to-back starts. He's in the last year of his deal with the Reds, but is as reliable as anyone on the market.

Singer has made 29+ starts every year since 2023, and hasn't pitched in less than 27 since his Sophomore season of 2021. He was owed nearly $13 million at the season's start, and for a rental, the Reds may just want to offload his contract at a low prospect price.

Foster Griffin is another trade candidate, although it's hard to believe it. The 2014 first-round pick is enjoying his first full MLB season and showing why he could have been promoted sooner. He owns a 2.68 ERA and 11-2 record through 20 starts this season. The Washington Nationals are consistently floating around the .500 mark, which could cause them to hold Griffin for the rest of the season.

This would be another rental, but it could be slightly more expensive than Singer. He signed a one-year, $5.5 million contract at the season's start, but has just one year of service time at almost 31 years old. There are lots of unknowns about his trade value, but if the Rangers can grab him at the right price, he's worth it.

Casey Mize is another rental who can make an impact at a major level. He's struggled with injuries most of his career, but made 28 starts last season and hasn't missed time since his early May injured-list stint. Mize hasn't gone deep in games often, but will consistently give six strong innings of work.

For a team that will presumably dump expiring assets in bulk by this deadline, Texas can take advantage of the potentially desperate Detroit Tigers.