Just a few weeks ago, the Texas Rangers were the biggest question mark of the upcoming MLB Trade Deadline.

Entering a nine-game homestand, the Rangers knew that their trade deadline fate likely hinged upon how they performed against the Tigers, A’s, and Braves.

Texas passed the test with flying colors, putting up an 8-1 record in those ten games and catapulting itself from one game under .500 at 48-49 to a season high five games above it at 55-50.

Coming into play on Monday, the Rangers are tied with their division rival Seattle Mariners for the final Wild Card spot and sit just four games behind the now-struggling Astros for first place in the division.

With that run and their immense climb up the standings, the Rangers have taken themselves from a deadline question mark to sure-fire buyers looking to upgrade their team that still has all its goals well within reach.

Let’s break down what the Rangers trade deadline could look like and what areas of need they will be targeting.

For starters, let’s establish that it’s a seller’s market.

Before we dive into the areas of need for the Rangers, it’s important to establish that the sellers will hold the keys to the market.

Whether it’s because of the extra Wild Card spot added in 2022, the landscape of this year’s market, or a little bit of both, there aren’t too many defined sellers.

That handful of teams will have leverage to play the contending teams, including the Rangers, against each other to try and field the best offers.

With that being said, Texas won’t need to tap into what is often the most expensive market during the deadline, and that is starting pitching.

The Rangers needs this deadline can certainly be filled without going too deep into the already not-so-deep farm system.

Bullpen – The Rangers impending hunt for a bullpen arm at the trade deadline is interesting considering the success that the pen has had this season.

Entering play on Monday, the Rangers bullpen ranks third in baseball with a 3.25 ERA and fifth in WHIP at a 1.21 mark.

With that being said, the Rangers don’t need 2-3 arms to fill out innings coming out of the pen as it seemed they did in 2023.

Texas will likely look for more of a defined closer at the deadline, something that they really have not had this season.

However, the Rangers won’t be alone in that hunt. Seemingly, every contender goes after at least one bullpen arm.

Despite that, Texas likely sees a closer as its biggest need, and if it decides to make a big splash, it will probably be there.

A Right-Handed Bat – Throughout the Rangers offensive struggles during much of the season, a key theme has been the inability to hit left-handed pitching.

Recently, we’ve seen a much better approach from Texas against southpaws, but it’s still an area of potential growth.

With Jake Burger still a few weeks away from returning to game action, the Rangers could look to add another right-handed bat.

Depending on the extent of the move, the Rangers may need to move some money around in order to make a deal work.

However, Texas may not exactly shoot for the top of the market when it comes to another hitter. If the trigger is pulled on this type of deal, it very well could be a middle-of-the-market guy, but as we’ve seen countless times before, sometimes those guys make a difference in playoff series.

Overall, there’s nothing you wish for more as a baseball fan than for your team to be in the thick of the race around the deadline, and that is exactly the position the Rangers have put themselves in.

We’ve seen in recent years that Rangers POBO Chris Young has no problem being aggressive if it means giving the team a better chance to win, and the 2025 Trade Deadline should be no different.