Former MLB Exec Names Two Stars He'd Like To See Rangers Acquire Ahead of Deadline

Coming into the 2025 MLB regular season, many people thought the strength of the Texas Rangers would be their offense.

After acquiring Jake Burger in a trade with the Miami Marlins and signing designated hitter Joc Pederson in free agency, the team had arguably the best lineup in baseball 1-through-9.

That power-hitting duo was joining the lines of Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, Wyatt Langford, Adolis Garcia, Jonah Heim, Josh Jung, Josh Smith and Evan Carter to create a very deep and talented lineup.

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Alas, things have not panned out to this point for the Rangers offense.

Their production has been inconsistent, ranking near the bottom of the MLB in several categories.

Instead, it has been their pitching staff, where all the biggest questions lay coming into the campaign, that has been helping keep the team afloat with dominant performances.

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Despite the offensive ineptitude, Texas has a positive run differential on the season, hinting that they are performing better than their 45-47 record entering play on July 9 would indicate.

Alas, a team is what their record says they are, and right now, the Rangers are on the outside looking in of the playoff race, but are only 3.5 games behind their American League West rivals, the Seattle Mariners, for the final wild card spot.

If they are going to be buyers ahead of the deadline, Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required) would love to see them aggressively pursue offensive upgrades, naming two stars he would like for them to target.

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“I’d like to see the Rangers try to trade for Jarren Duran and Josh Naylor to try to spark their offense in the second half to take advantage of their strong pitching staff, which entered Tuesday first in MLB in ERA, second in WHIP and third in batting average against,” the former MLB executive wrote.

Duran would address what has been a glaring hole for the entire year in center field, giving the team a long-term answer there.

While he hasn’t produced at the same level as his 2024 breakout campaign, he is a solid bet to be a 4+ bWAR player yearly.

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However, the cost for him would be quite high since he is under team control through 2028. Even with their incredible crop of young outfielders, Duran is someone the Red Sox could easily build around.

Naylor would be a much more attainable target for Texas becuase he is on an expiring contract, set to hit free agency after the season.

With the Arizona Diamondbacks beginning to fall out of the playoff race in the National League, the slugging first baseman is someone who is going to be a popular name on the trade market.

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