Do the Rangers Need to Make Any Deals before the Deadline?

The Texas Rangers have been one of the best teams in baseball in the first half of the season, and they should be a strong contender for the American League’s spot in the World Series. Manager Ron Washington has his squad playing well in 2012, and they are looking to finally win it all after coming up just short the past two seasons. The question remains, do the Rangers need to consider trading for any other players before the July 31 trade deadline to give themselves the best shot at securing the franchise’s first championship? It would appear that the Rangers’ lineup is set for the rest of the season, and the bullpen is also doing a great job. Though Josh Hamilton cooled off in June after an incredible start to the season, he’s still one of the most dangerous hitters in the AL, and the rest of the lineup has done a good job picking up the slack when needed. The bullpen has been called upon more than Washington would probably prefer, but they have pitched well over the first half of the season. Closer Joe Nathan has been a great addition to the team, and Mike Adams is generally considered one of the best set-up men in the game.

However, injuries to the pitching staff have hurt the Rangers over the last month, as four starters have been placed on the DL since May 25. Left-hander Matt Harrison and right-hander Yu Darvish have done a great job holding down the fort, and the Rangers should be getting Derek Holland, Alexi Ogando, Colby Lewis and Neftali Felix back after the All-Star break. But Texas may want to protect themselves from further injuries to the starting rotation by bringing in another high-caliber pitcher. One pitcher the Rangers may be paying close attention to until the deadline is Milwaukee’s Zach Greinke, the AL Cy Young award winner in 2009 with the Kansas City Royals. Greinke is set to become a free agent after the season, and the Brewers are not sure they will be able to afford to keep him past this season. The Rangers have shown they are not afraid to trade for potential rental players, as they did with Cliff Lee in 2010, so they may feel the same way about Greinke this season. The right-hander is having a great season with Milwaukee, and could come into Texas and further solidify their rotation. A Rangers’ rotation with Greinke at the top could potentially be pretty formidable, especially in the postseason. Other starting pitchers that could potentially be on the trading block include the Cub’s Matt Garza and Ryan Dempster, and Philly’s Cole Hamels.

The trade deadline is still about a month away, and this will give Washington time to evaluate whether his pitchers are going to be able to successfully return from their injuries. If they are not, it should not be a surprise to see Rangers’ management make a move before the end of July in order to give them the best shot at winning in October.

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