2 trades Rangers must make to upset Mariners in AL West

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2 trades Rangers must make to upset Mariners in AL West

Garrett Kerman, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Tue, Jun 30, 2026 ·

3 min read

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The Texas Rangers find themselves in a familiar spot, close enough to first place to believe, but not quite talented enough to separate from the pack. Sitting just a half-game behind the Seattle Mariners in a tightly bunched AL West, Texas enters July with a 64.8% playoff probability but real questions about whether the roster, as currently constructed, can make a sustained run. With the August 3 trade deadline approaching fast, GM Chris Young faces a critical window to upgrade the club before it's too late.

The Mariners, meanwhile, are not standing still. Seattle has righted the ship after an uneven start, boasting the AL's second-best run differential and a top-seven ranking in both hitting and pitching by park-adjusted numbers. Simply hoping the Mariners stumble won't cut it, the Rangers need to be aggressive. Here are two trades Texas must make to overtake Seattle and claim the AL West.

Acquire a Back-End Bullpen Hammer

The Rangers' most glaring weakness has been evident since the offseason. ESPN projected Texas's bullpen as the worst in baseball heading into 2026, and that concern has not fully evaporated. Texas converted only 37 of 66 save opportunities last season, a 56% rate that ranked among the lowest in the majors, and while additions like Chris Martin and Carter Baumler have added depth, the Rangers lack an elite, high-leverage closer who can slam the door in October-style games.

Enter Aroldis Chapman of the Boston Red Sox . The ageless left-hander, now 38, has been nothing short of extraordinary in 2026, posting a microscopic 0.44 ERA with all 14 save opportunities converted in his first 21 appearances. Chapman is a rental — his mutual option for 2027 is expected to be declined, which makes a deal more financially palatable for Texas.

Importantly, Chapman is no stranger to high-stakes trades, having won the World Series in both 2016 with the Cubs and 2023 with the Rangers after in-season deals. Young knows exactly what Chapman brings to a clubhouse in October, and the Red Sox, trending toward a sell mode with a 10.7% playoff probability, are motivated to move him.

Target a Mid-Rotation Arm to Stabilize the Backend

The Rangers' rotation has legitimate upside at the top, Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi are proven front-line arms when healthy, but the backend remains a question mark. Kumar Rocker went 4-5 with a 5.74 ERA in 14 starts last season before a Triple-A demotion, and while Jack Leiter showed improvement in 2025 (10-10, 3.86 ERA), the depth drops off sharply behind him. That fragility becomes dangerous in a playoff race against a Mariners rotation built around elite arms like George Kirby .

The answer is Joe Ryan of the Minnesota Twins . The right-hander has been exceptional in 2026, posting a 3.17 ERA in 15 starts while ranking in the 96th percentile in walk percentage and the 85th percentile in strikeout percentage. With only one year of club control remaining after this season, Minnesota is widely expected to move Ryan at the deadline, and at a reasonable $6.2 million salary, he fits comfortably within Texas's payroll structure.

Ryan gives the Rangers a durable, reliable innings-eater who would immediately stabilize the rotation behind deGrom and Eovaldi, precisely what a division-chasing team needs when margins are razor-thin. The AL West race is genuinely wide open. The Rangers are right there, and half a game is nothing in July. But talent alone won't close that gap. An elite closer and a proven mid-rotation arm would give Texas the two pieces needed to not just compete with the Mariners, but surpass them.

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