The Texas Rangers are the reigning World Series champions, thanks in large part to a front office that made aggressive moves in recent years. With the MLB trade deadline approaching, Texas could be on the other side of things as sellers.
Texas knew it would have a rough start to the 2024 MLB season. Coming off a long playoff run, the Rangers injured list to open the season included Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle. By June, even more key contributors had been added to the IL.
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- Texas Rangers stats (ESPN): 376 runs scored (17th in MLB), .240 batting average (18th in MLB), .378 slugging (21st in MLB), 33 quality starts (215th in MLB), 4.02 ERA (17th in MLB)
Entering MLB games today, Texas is 7 games back of the Seattle Mariners in the AL West and even further back in the American League’s wild-card race. Just a year removed from the Rangers trading for Max Scherzer, they are now expected to be sellers this summer.
MLB general managers who spoke to Bob Nightengale of USA Today said they expect the Rangers trade candidates this summer to be Max Scherzer, Michael Lorenzen, Andrew Heaney, David Robertson and Kirby Yates. This is all barring a sudden turnaround by Texas at any point in July.
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Scherzer will be the hardest to move. Turning 40 years old on July 27, Scherzer has a full no-trade clause allowing him to block a deal to any team he chooses. While he could theoretically approve a trade to a World Series contender, he’s expressed no public desire to play elsewhere.
The inclusion of Heaney and Lorenzen in the trade market would be Texas taking advantage of a thin pitching market. Heaney (3.80 ERA, 1.24 WHIP) and Lorenzen (3.21 ERA, 1.18 WHIP) have both been very effective starters this season. With clubs like the Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros in the market for starting pitching, Texas could be well-positioned as a seller in the weeks to come.