Rangers linked to Orioles' 4.70 ERA All-Star lefty as 'best' trade deadline target

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The Texas Rangers are hanging around in the AL West division race, and very well might end up as trade deadline buyers this season.

If they do buy, adding another starter to their current group would make a lot of sense. As good as Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, and MacKenzie Gore are, one more starting pitcher would make a big difference for this ballclub.

With such a need in mind, Jeff Passan of ESPN named Baltimore Orioles 4.70 ERA All-Star left-hander Trevor Rogers as the Rangers' "Best match" at the 2026 MLB trade deadline.

Rangers 'best match' at trade deadline is Orioles' Trevor Rogers

"Best match: Trevor Rogers, LHSP, Baltimore Orioles," Passan writes. "Unless they collapse, an arm like Rogers would suit them well. Because he's slated to hit free agency this winter, Rogers won't cost as much as controllable starting pitching."

While someone like Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Joe Ryan, or Reid Detmers would make for a great starting pitching trade target, they're all multi-year options and likely to cost too much.

Considering the Rangers' lackluster farm system, it would make sense for the team to add a cheaper starting pitcher this summer, and that's exactly what Rogers would be.

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The left-handed Orioles starter has a 4.70 ERA this season, which isn't great. But he's been a lot better lately, and could be a good option this summer for Texas.

Since the start of June, Rogers has had a 1.77 ERA in 35.2 innings with 27 strikeouts across six starts. Compared to his 6.84 ERA in his first 10 starts this season, Rogers is finally turning the corner.

If the Orioles are sellers, the Rangers should be very interested in Rogers. He shouldn't cost too much in the trade market, and he'd be a perfect back-end starting pitcher to add this summer to the team's already solid rotation.

A rotation of deGrom, Eovaldi, Gore, and Rogers would be a postseason-caliber group of starters. Rogers is called the Rangers' "Best match" at this year's trade deadline, and for good reason.