The Texas Rangers are the hottest team in baseball, winning eight of their last ten. Only five games back of the first-place Houston Astros in the AL West, there is still plenty of time left for the 2023 World Series champs to make a run. That leads up straight into the July 31 MLB trade deadline.
Once viewed as probable sellers, the Rangers are suddenly in position to stockpile arms and push deep into the autumnal months. Meanwhile, the St. Louis Cardinals appear ready to hit eject and sell the farm as John Mozeliak prepares to cede control of the front office to Chaim Bloom. There isn't a single team with more core pieces involved in trade rumors right now.
Perhaps there is a deal to be struck here — one that allows Texas to take the next step while replenishing St. Louis' depleted farm system. If there's one need for the Rangers, it's rotation and bullpen depth. The offense is starting to round into form after a brutal start to the campaign. If the Rangers can reinforce the bullpen and add depth to the rotation, the American League might just have a new contender.
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Rangers add two high-impact pitchers in hypothetical blockbuster trade with Cardinals
The Rangers hit this out of the park, adding two immediate high-leverage arms in Sonny Gray and Ryan Helsley. Neither has performed up to their usual high standards in 2025, but Gray was the AL Cy Young runner-up in 2023 with Minnesota. Helsley, when he's clicking, is on the shortlist of best relievers in MLB.
Texas doesn't really have a full-time closer right now; Helsley can take command of those save opportunities and anchor the Rangers' late-relief efforts. He touches triple digits with his fastball and boasts a chase rate in the 94th percentile, in no small part due to a hard-bending slider. At his best, Helsley only needs two pitches to eviscerate most hitters.
Gray has struggled relative to expectations this season. He has a 4.33 ERA and 1.19 WHIP through 21 starts and 116.1 innings. That said, the track record is strong enough for Texas to proceed with optimism, even as Gray ages into his late 30s. He's under contract next season at a mildly uncomfortable $25 million price tag, but Gray joining the mix with Jacob deGrom, Patrick Corbin and flaming-hot Nathan Eovaldi gives Texas one of the deepest rotations in MLB.
Cardinals restock farm system and free up cash in projected Rangers deal
For St. Louis, this is a move clearly oriented toward the future. Gray is 35 and starkly on the decline. Helsley, 31, is an expiring contract. It may be wishful thinking to get this much in return for two aging stars with less-than-ideal contract situations, but the combination of Gray and Helsley meaningfully moves the needle for Texas' postseason odds. There is name value there and Texas has the financial resources to re-sign Helsley when the time comes.
Gray notably has a no-trade clause, but a chance to compete for a World Series on a deep Texas squad — one that went the distance a couple years ago — should be enough to pique his interest. It's not hard to decipher the short-term direction of the Cardinals roster.
In exchange for two cornerstone arms, the Cardinals get three promising prospects.
Emiliano Teodo is a 24-year-old righty from the Dominican Republic who can push 102 MPH with his fastball. There's a world in which he becomes the perfect long-term successor to Helsley's closing role in the Cardinals bullpen.
Abimelec Ortiz is a 23-year-old first baseman who led the minors in slugging in 2023. He packs tremendous power and the potential for positional versatility with his chops in the outfield, although St. Louis might prefer to think of him as a Willson Contreras replacement when that partnership eventually ends.
Seong-Jun Kim, the Korean 18-year-old Texas signed with leftover international money after their failed Rōki Sasaki pursuit, is probably the most intriguing of the bunch. He has solid defensive chops and contact skills as a shortstop, but he's also a legitimate pitching prospect with a solid four-pitch arsenal at his command. Odds are he won't pitch and hit once he gets to MLB, but Kim will get to explore his options in the minors and there is a slim chance of outlier, two-way production.