Ben Franklin, who knew a little about building from scratch, once counseled that there are three things extremely hard: diamonds, steel and to know one's self. It was his take on a line from Plato, who heard it in Socrates' sixth-period history class. Ever since, philosophers have debated the meaning of "know thyself," though it seems fairly clear.

Shame on Jon Daniels if he doesn't know his team at the trade deadline, and if he doesn't start his best rebuild since sending Mark Teixeira to Atlanta.+

Only a couple of weeks ago, Daniels might have seemed as conflicted as the rest of us. Asked on July 12 if it made sense to trade Mike Minor, he said, "Probably not." Even after he qualified it by saying nothing could be ruled out, it seemed like a rare concession by Daniels, who's normally as forthcoming as your teenager at midnight.

Then came a two-week stretch in which the Rangers couldn't beat an egg. Suddenly the first half seemed like a mirage. This changed everything.

Or did it?

Because this week on 105.3 The Fan's Ben and Skin Show [KRLD-FM], Daniels said, yeah, standings are somewhat relevant, but "big picture, I think we had an idea of where we were, where we are, what we want to accomplish ... "

Big picture, Daniels can't like what he sees. Forget recent losses and a fade from the wild-card chase. Look at this team's future. Other than Joey Gallo, now shut down until at least September, who among the kids is having a banner season? What happened to the core of Gallo, Nomar Mazara and Roogie Odor? They were supposed to be cornerstones. But with the exception of Gallo, they weren't much of a factor as the Rangers overachieved in the first half.

Crazy as it seems, especially for a franchise challenged since birth, pitching has been the Rangers' strong suit. Check out Wins Above Replacement, or WAR. Mike Minor leads the Rangers at 5.8, according to baseball-reference.com. Lance Lynn is second at 5.0, followed by Gallo at 3.1, then Adrian Sampson and Danny Santana at 1.8.

Think where the offense would be if not for Gallo, Santana, Shin-Soo Choo, Elvis Andrus and Hunter Pence.

And how many of the players in the paragraph above will still be Rangers this time next week? Next year? The year after that?

Back in May, when your intrepid reporter wrote that the Rangers probably should keep their ace after spending most of the last three decades searching for one, it was still reasonable to assume that Mazara and Odor would help Gallo form a solid foundation. Only the assumption no longer seems so reasonable.

The Rangers have a lot of holes these days, and who's filling them? Of MLB's top 100 prospects, the Rangers have three: third baseman Josh Jung (60), catcher Sam Huff (79) and pitcher Hans Crouse (83). The Astros have two players in the top 20 alone. The Rangers' best prospects are at the lower levels. Which is what everyone says about their best prospects. Call me when a player has a big year at Double-A.

Better yet, let's wait until they get a taste of the big leagues before we get carried away by farm system rankings.

Of course, that's why it's been so difficult coming to the conclusion that it's time for Minor to go. He's a proven commodity. Been one of the best in baseball over the last calendar year. Stands to reason that, barring injury, he could continue to pitch this well over the next two, three years. Maybe more.

The problem is the Rangers are stuck in neutral, at best, and will remain so for at least a couple years even in a best-case scenario. Minor can't do anything about that.

Unless Daniels uses him to highlight a deal that might jump-start a rebuild like his '07 blockbuster.

The Rangers were pretty average back then, as you may recall. From 2005 through '07, they won 79, 80 and 75 games. Teixeira, who was signed through the '08 season, had recently turned down a $140 million contract offer from the Rangers. Tex was great, and he was great for the Braves, Angels and Yankees. But the Rangers wouldn't have gone to back-to-back World Series in 2010 and '11 without Elvis, Neftali Feliz and Matt Harrison, the core of Daniels' deal with the Braves.

No player that Daniels has traded since Teixeira - not Yu Darvish, not Cole Hamels, no one - had the potential for return that Minor possesses. He's pitching at a high level, and he's under contract through next season on a team-friendly deal.

And then there's this: Minor might be the most attractive trade target on the market, which is always good for your leverage.

A perfect storm is brewing at the deadline for Daniels and the Rangers. The general manager knows it, too. He just has to get it right. No pressure, Jon. Just the future of the franchise.