Why The Rangers Should — and Shouldn’t

The Texas Rangers stand at the top of the American League West on a rare Friday off. They had to work hard to get there.

The Rangers just wrapped up a 15-game stretch in which they went 10-5 without a day off and that put them in position to be buyers at the trade deadline. Perhaps restrained, but buyers when a month ago it looked like they might fall into the seller category.

But what might the Rangers want or need? What gets them over the top? Is it Luis Arraez? MLB Network’s Jon Morosi believes they’re the right fit.

“The Rangers have now, with a really good surge in recent days, they’ve pulled even with the Mariners,” Morosi said. “They’re looking for offense. They’ve had some injuries in their lineup. To me, I’ve got Luis Arraez and the Rangers as a possible fit.”

Why Rangers Should Trade for Luis Arraez

.@jonmorosi on Luis Arraez's trade market:

"I would highlight most of all the Texas Rangers..." pic.twitter.com/87o8WdWyux
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 3, 2026

He fits what the Rangers are looking for. He’s a left-handed bat that comes with a high batting average (.326) and is putting together one of the best on-base percentages of his career (.361). That, along with some renewed slug, has puts his OPS (.824) above .800 for just the third time in his career. He also has more walks (19) than strikeouts (13) through 81 games.

He can help the lineup moving. He can hit early in the order or late. He can set the table for the sluggers behind him.

He’s also been fielding at a league average at second base. Guess who he’s been working with? Former Rangers manager and infield guru Ron Washington. He’s already a serviceable first baseman and can play in the outfield in a pinch. He likely can’t share the DH role with Joc Pederson — unless the Rangers trade him, which seems less likely given Pederson’s recent surge.

Arraez is on a one-year deal so he’s a free agent after the season. He can be had cheaper than a hitter with more years of control.

Why Rangers Should Not Trade for Luis Arraez

San Francisco Giants second baseman Luis Arraez points to the sky after scoring a run. — San Francisco Giants second baseman Luis Arraez. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Given the way the lineup has surged the last month, he may be a redundancy. Texas has found several hitters from both sides of the plate that can hit left-handed pitching as well as Arraez (.303 vs. lefties).

Justin Foscue, a right-handed hitter, has been tattooing left-handed pitching since he’s gotten consistent at-bats. He’s become vital in those situations, and the Rangers trust him to hit leadoff against left-handers.

From the left side, both Alejandro Osuna and Nicky Lopez are hitting lefties at well above a .300 average. Lopez is far cheaper than Arraez and can play both middle infield positions at a better-than league average level. The question is whether Lopez can continue that for a full season? Lopez batted .300 in 2021 when he played 151 games. But he hasn’t come close to that sense.

If Corey Seager returns and remains healthy the rest of the season, the Rangers have the depth to handle the infield. If his bat bounced back, then the Rangers have the offense they need. In that scenario, where does Arraez play?

The good news is the Rangers have more time to debate the point. But the longer they wait, the more price could go up on one of baseball’s best contact hitters.

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