3 Early Rangers Trade Deadline Targets

With the Rangers officially one month into the regular season, the reigning champs are off to a much slower start than expected. The team is struggling to remain above .500, holding a 15-14 record, and have recently relinquished their first-place spot in the AL West to the Seattle Mariners.

With the team off to a disappointing start and a multitude of players currently placed on the IL for the foreseen future, general manager Chris Young and company are likely looking ahead to the trade deadline or possibly sooner to acquire some players on the market who could help keep the team in contention and perhaps contribute to another playoff run. 

With the team struggling in several areas, Chris Young has options regarding which direction he wants to go and which needs he wants to prioritize to keep the Rangers in contention. Most likely, Young will look into adding another arm into a depleting rotation which has become even more depleted after it was announced earlier this week that starting pitcher Cody Bradford will be sidelined for at least the next month due to a stress fracture found on one of his ribs. 

Young will also probably look into replenishing his bullpen, similar to last season. The bullpen seems to be a thorn in the Rangers' side, and there has been a constant sense of frustration to open the season. 

Below, we will discuss several players the Rangers could be making a run for here in the next few months.

3. Kyle Finnegan

One player who could help stabilize the Rangers bullpen and give them a bonafide closer that the team is still lacking is Kyle Finnegan.

Finnegan is having a great start to the season with the Nationals, as he currently leads in the NL with nine saves and is also carrying a stellar 2.19 ERA and an astounding 0.97 WHIP. Finnegan is now in his fourth year in the league and has flirted with success in the past but has figured things out the season and has quickly become one of the top closers in the MLB.

With Finnegan currently in the final season of his contract in Washington, the Nationals could be willing to ship him away, especially since the team is still rebuilding. Flinnegan could be the answer to the Rangers' underperforming bullpen. It could help stabilize a bullpen that lacks consistent pitchers, primarily due to several members dealing with injuries, including two of the more consistent arms on the Rangers roster, Brock Burke and Josh Sborz.