The narrative on social media surrounding the Texas Rangers never matched what happened at the trade deadline. They made only one minor deal, trusting that the team can surge as is.
ARLINGTON — A good rule of thumb for life in general is not to believe everything cranked out on social media. That is especially so in the final two days before the annual MLB trade deadline and as things pertained this year to the Texas Rangers.
The deadline passed at 5 p.m. Monday with the Rangers staying largely dormant. Beginning on Sunday morning and continuing into Monday morning, though, the buzz was that the Rangers were going to be deadline sellers because of what happened over the weekend in Houston.
The sale was on, one national expert said. Another said the Rangers were open to moving all players on the team. It all turned out to be an echo chamber of bad information.
The only move the Rangers made Monday was an afternoon trade of infielder Josh Smith and minor-league pitcher Josh Stephan to the Blue Jays for left-hander Adam Macko. The lack of moves wasn’t for a lack of effort, dreary-eyed club officials said.
In the end, the front office collectively agreed that the moves they could have made were better left unmade. That includes, presumably, any deals that were snuffed out under the weight of Jacob deGrom’s full no-trade protection.
The best thing that can happen for the Rangers is for their ailing players to return from the injured list and for their slumping players to get right.
“Now, it’s time to go get it done, and that’s what I’m excited about,” president of baseball operations Chris Young said. “I believe in this team. I believe that the additions that we should have coming off the IL here are as good as any trades that we could have made. Three days ago, four days ago, we were a first-place club. We’re not today. A lot changes in a week. We’re a good week away from being back in first place.”
He’s not wrong. If all of the ifs come together, the Rangers can still win the American League West. They are joined in their thinking by deGrom, who said that he exercised his no-trade clause because he believes the team as is can win in the fourth year of his five-year, $185 million contract.
Neither he nor Young said when deGrom told them he wanted to stay, either before the trading period started or after the Rangers got down the road with another team, rumored to be the Braves, and presented it to him.
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter. He’s here and ready to win ballgames.
“The last road trip didn’t go well, but I believe in this group and I believe we can win,” deGrom said. “So, I signed here to help this team win a World Series. In ’23, the team was able to do that, and I want to be a part of that in the future.”
The Rangers’ turnaround starts with him and Nathan Eovaldi, who also has full no-trade protection. Each came up empty over the weekend against the Astros, where a sweep put the Rangers in a 2 1/2-game hole in the American League West.
He plans to challenge hitters more in upcoming starts, rather than trying to make the perfect pitch every time. He also said that his left hip/glute won’t be an issue Friday in his next start.
“I’m trying to be too fine right now,” he said. “I look back at how I used to pitch, it was, ‘Here it is. Let’s see if you can hit it.’ The walks are killing me. It seems like everybody I walk this year scores. So, go back to just attacking.”
The Rangers saw more of that Sunday from left-hander Jordan Montgomery, who was the sharpest he’s been in any of his six rehab starts. Young said that Montgomery’s next appearance will be in the major leagues.
He’s one of the injured players the Rangers are counting on for contributions over the final two months. The hope is that third baseman Josh Jung (left calf) can return late this week after he resumed baseball activities Monday.
Right-hander Jack Leiter (left ankle surgery) threw live batting practice Monday and could go on a rehab assignment next week, and lefty Cody Bradford (elbow) is nearing a return from the IL after one or two more rehab outings.
The Rangers also anticipate that relievers Jakob Junis (left adductor) and Robert Garcia (shoulder) will return.
Once the injured starters are back, anyone bumped from the rotation would help beef up the bullpen. Bradford might be sent straight to the bullpen, where he could pitch multiple innings or piggyback with another starter.
“Even in the shorter term, we’re progressing well to where there should be very good players helping this team,” Young said.
The Rangers traded for reliever Chase Silseth and catcher Logan O’Hoppe last week. As was the case in that deal, the Smith-Macko swap was made with an eye toward the future. He, Silseth and O’Hoppe are under contractual control for multiple seasons.
The Rangers aren’t sure if Macko will be a starter or reliever next season, but the left-hander will likely be used as a reliever, the role he had in Toronto, for the rest of this season. He was optioned to Triple A last week but can join the Rangers without serving the minimum 10-day stay for optioned players.
Young did not indicate when Macko might join the active roster. But he came at minimal expense, as did Silseth and O’Hoppe, and the Rangers achieved another deadline goal of preserving the farm system after trading several prospects away since 2023.
They were encouraged by the number of players who were of interest to other clubs, indicating that the farm system might be in better shape than industry publications suggest.
“Our job as a front office is not only to try to make the ’26 team as good as possible, but to look out for the future and understand that part of that is preserving your minor-league system and building the depth,” Young said. “Sometimes the best deals are the deals you say no to.”
Jeff Wilson, jwilson@alldlls.com
