Potential Difference-Making Rangers Trade Target Being Made Available by Braves

The Texas Rangers are starting to see their offense perform better as of late.

That is encouraging based on them still being in the playoff picture despite the lineup drastically underperforming compared to expectations.

If their hitters can turn the corner, then there's a chance the Rangers could get hot and go on a 2023-like run with many of the same group of players on the roster.

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When it comes to the trade deadline, nobody needs to convince president of baseball operations Chris Young to be aggressive. So the fact that Texas is playing much better before the All-Star break could result in the organization rethinking their strategy prior to July 31 when it looked like they might sell.

Understanding that one more bat might be needed to get this team to the next level, many analysts have tried to find the right potential fit for the Rangers, with current Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna being floated as a possible trade target.

Coming into the season, the thought of the Braves trading away such an important part of their lineup would have been laughable. But they are trending towards being sellers after putting together a disastrous first half of the year.

And according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the idea of landing Ozuna could be closer to a reality than previously thought.

"Atlanta are making DH Marcell Ozuna, reliever Raisel Iglesias and a few others available at the deadline ...," he reported.

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It hasn't been a great year for the slugger.

Entering Sunday, he had a slash line of .239/.364/.396 with 13 homers and 42 RBI through 89 games, a steep drop off compared to what he's done the previous two seasons with 40 home runs and 100 RBI in 2023 and 39 home runs and 104 RBI in 2024.

Still, adding that type of hitter would be a huge upgrade for Texas.

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Joc Pederson has been a massive disappointment this season in the designated hitter role, and with him on the shelf for the foreseeable future, the Rangers could use someone like Ozuna on an everyday basis.

Since Ozuna is also a rental, Texas shouldn't have to give up much to acquire him, even if he's been such a great hitter during his tenure in Atlanta.

This will be something to keep an eye on.

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