Playoff Push or MLB Trade Deadline Seller? Making the Call on Baseball's Middle Class | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

Current Record: 35-40, 7.5 GB in AL West, 5.5 GB for third wild card

FanGraphs Playoff Odds: 13.3%

Team Needs, if Buying: OF/DH

Players Available, if Selling: RHP Kirby Yates (UFA), RHP Jose Leclerc (UFA), RHP José Ureña (UFA), RHP Max Scherzer (UFA), LHP Andrew Heaney (UFA), RHP Michael Lorenzen (UFA), OF Travis Jankowski (UFA), OF Robbie Grossman (UFA), RHP David Robertson ($7M mutual option in 2025)

Projection: Slight Sellers

In theory, the Rangers are going to upgrade simply by getting healthy.

Max Scherzer and Josh Jung are almost back—the former for what will be his 2024 debut, the latter looking to play in his fifth game of the season. Jacob deGrom, Tyler Mahle, Evan Carter and Cody Bradford might all return before the trade deadline, too.

That's quite a haul of 'incoming' talent for a team that isn't too far gone from the playoff picture, and it makes one wonder if they'll even feel a need to acquire any new pieces this summer.

Here's another big factor to consider: luxury tax.

The Rangers slightly exceeded the Competitive Balance Tax (CBT) threshold last season—paying a $1.8 million fine for doing so—and they are on pace to land in a similar spot this year.

However, it's possible that just by offloading Andrew Heaney's roughly $4.3M prorated salary for the last two months of the season, they could avoid becoming a CBT offender in consecutive seasons—which results in getting taxed at a higher rate, and opening the door to an even higher rate if it then happens for a third straight year.

With three (better) starting pitchers on the mend, why not do that, if another team is happy to pick up what's left on Heaney's tab?

Of note: If the reigning World Series champions bottom out and become a seller, Kirby Yates has been one of the best closers this season, entering Saturday with a sub-1.00 ERA. Between him and a hopefully healthy Scherzer, the Rangers would have two very intriguing rentals to put on the trade block.

But it's shaping up to be a pretty inactive deadline for Texas.