Five Rangers Bullpen Targets to Watch as MLB Trade Deadline Approaches

The Texas Rangers are now buyers at the trade deadline. Their homestand made that clear.

After going 8-1 at Globe Life Field, the Rangers (56-50) are just four games out of the lead in the American League West and tied for the final AL wild card berth.

The offense has finally stopped scuffling. The starting pitching has been, at times, elite. The bullpen, remade after last season, has been rock solid.

And, yet, one can never have enough.

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The Rangers are unlikely to add starting pitching at the deadline. That’s one area where they appear set. The bullpen will miss Chris Martin for several weeks due to a calf injury. Four relievers have appeared in 40 or more games. Texas could also use a closer, but it’s unlikely the Rangers will get that aggressive (though one makes sense).

Texas also wants to stay under the competitive balance tax threshold. This year it’s estimated at $241 million. The Rangers, per Fangraphs’ Roster Resource, are about $6 million under the CBT’s first threshold. It’s going to be tight.

The Rangers need pitching depth as they hit the home stretch. Texas has given president of baseball operations Chris Young every reason to believe it can make a run. Not it’s up to him to make the right moves.

Here are five bullpen arms to watch up until the deadline.

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RHP Jake Bird, Colorado

Add relievers Victor Vodnik and Seth Halvorsen to this list as it pertains to the Rockies. But most insiders believe Bird is the most likely to be moved.

He’s about as high-leverage a reliever as one is bound to find in Colorado and his delivery is Hoby Milner-esque, just from the right side. It’s a perfect fit you want to run them out back-to-back and just mess with hitters. He comes with team control for three seasons, so he requires a commitment. The cost this season is under $1 million for the final two months.

He is 4-1 with a 4.05 ERA in 44 games, with 62 strikeouts and 21 walks in 53.1 innings.

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RHP Ryan Helsley, St. Louis

The Rangers and Cardinals did business at the 2023 trade deadline, and it worked out for Texas. Why not again?

Helsley won’t cost as much as one might think. The Rangers would only pick up the final two months of his $8.2 million salary and he’s a free agent after the year. That should keep Texas under the competitive balance tax threshold, and it should only cost them a couple of prospects.

He is 3-1 with a 3.00 ERA in 36 games. He has 21 saves in 26 chances, with 41 strikeouts and 41 walks in 36 innings.

RHP Dennis Santana, Pittsburgh

Santana is lighting in a bottle right now. Actually, make that cheap lightning. Texas would pick up less than $1 million on his deal, a player the Pirates picked up off a waiver claim. The Pirates would get a controllable prospect.

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If one likes Santana’s long-term trajectory, he’s under team control in 2026. It nudges the price up just a bit. But he brings 98 mph heat, whether it’s a four-seamer or a splitter. The Rangers know him too. He pitched for them in 2022.

Santana is 3-2 with a 1.42 ERA in 44 games, with five saves in six chances and 12 holds. He has 36 strikeouts and 10 walks in 44.1 innings.

LHP Danny Coulombe, Minnesota

The Rangers already have a rubber-armed lefty in Milner. But Coulombe’s performance this year is simply too incredible to ignore. Armed with a fastball that averages 90 mph, he is striking out hitters one-quarter of the time. Plus, he barely walks anyone.

He’s also dirt cheap. Texas would pick up about $1 million of his remaining salary. He would likely cost the Rangers one prospect.

Coulombe is 1-0 with a 1.16 ERA in 40 games, with eight holds and two saves in two chances. He has 39 strikeouts and nine walks in 31 innings.

RHP Robert Suarez, San Diego

Suarez is one of the best closers in baseball and, financially, the Rangers can make this work. They’ll owe him approximately $4 million on his $10 million after a deal and he has opt-outs after the season.

Even if he stays, he’s only owed $16 million over two seasons. That works out to Tyler Mahle’s current deal, which comes off the books after the season.

The righty leads baseball in saves. He would give the Rangers’ bullpen security on the back end. He would also not be cheap, and Young would have to deal with Padres GM A.J. Preller, a former Rangers staffer who loves to be aggressive. And aren’t the Padres still in this thing?

It’s likely a pipe dream. But if the Rangers wanted to make an aggressive move, this would be the one.

Suarez is 2-4 with a 3.38 ERA in 45 games, with 30 saves in 33 chances. He has 45 strikeouts and 12 walks in 42.2 innings.

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