Rangers’ lackluster season continues

By David Mullen

The All-Star Game, played this year on July 17 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, is the unofficial halfway point of the season. It’s more of a celebration than an intervention. 

It is the time when clubs expected to lose — but are winning — are labeled “surprise teams.” Teams that are expected to win — but struggling — are labeled “slow starters.” No time to panic, because there is still plenty of time to right the ship.

Then, just two weeks later, panic sets in. The July 30 MLB trading deadline arrives. Teams must honestly assess whether they have what it takes to make the playoffs. Those teams are “buyers” and scramble to make trades to fill holes that they think will make them a World Series contender. They typically give up a lot of young players with potential for veterans that have the ability to help them win in the short term.

Teams resigned to the fact that they are headed in the wrong direction are “sellers,” and will feed hungry teams one of their few good players while accepting a slew of prospects. They will tell fans that they are “building for the future.”  

With a sub-.500 record, a third-place spot in the AL West, at least five teams to eclipse just for a play-in wild card slot and slightly more than 50 games to play, the 2024 Texas Rangers were neither buyers nor sellers at the trading deadline. They just did a little window shopping.   

In 2023, the Rangers were buyers. After they acquired reliever Aroldis Chapman and his expiring contract from the Kansas City Royals for pitcher Cole Ragans and a minor leaguer, the Rangers traded with the New York Mets for starter Max Scherzer and with the St. Louis Cardinals for left-handed starter Jordan Montgomery. The Rangers went on a spectacular playoff run and cashed in with their first World Series Championship.

At the 2024 trading deadline, Texas acquired left-handed journeyman reliever Andrew Chafin, 34, from the Detroit Tigers to help a struggling bullpen. Chafin had 50 strikeouts in 37 innings for Detroit. Texas is Chafin’s fourth team in one calendar year. He started the 2023 season with the Arizona Diamondbacks, was traded at last season’s trade deadline to the Milwaukee Brewers, signed with Detroit in the off-season and is now in Texas. It is safe to assume that Chafin always keeps a packed suitcase close at hand.   

The Rangers have struggled this season and been besieged by injuries. Playoff hero Evan Carter is out for the season. Pitcher Jon Gray is out until September. Potential ace Jacob deGrom has yet to pitch this season. Scherzer has yet to pitch in 10 games. All-Star third Baseman Josh Jung is returning after a wrist injury suffered on April 1. 

At press time, no Ranger had more than 20 home runs or 55 RBIs. Their best hitter has not been Corey Seager or Marcus Semien, but Josh Smith, who was fighting for a spot in spring training. 

As the team gets healthier and their key players like Seager, Semien and Adolis Garcia start to play as expected, the Rangers can still make a run. Ahead of them, the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners are not running away with the division. Both teams have struggled and have gone in and out of first place, but Houston and Seattle were buyers at the trading deadline.

Houston added Yusei Kikuchi from the Blue Jays to help bolster a starting staff grappling with injuries. Teams typically need just three starters for the playoffs, and the Astros have Justin Verlander (when healthy), Framber Valdez and Kikuchi for a decent top of the rotation. They also have Caleb Ferguson from the Yankees for bullpen help. 

Seattle extracted the exciting Randy Arozarena from the Tampa Bay Rays and veteran Justin Turner from the Toronto Bue Jays to add some much needed energy into a lackluster everyday lineup. They also got hard-throwing Yimi García from the Blue Jays and lefty JT Chargois from the Miami Marlins to provide late inning relief.

Texas got a pitcher who has his mail forwarded to a new address every few months.

After winning the World Series in 2010, the San Francisco Giants, managed by current Rangers’ skipper Bruce Bochy, finished the 2011 season with an 86-76 record. They missed the playoffs and finished second in the NL West. But Bochy’s Giants came back to win the World Series in 2012.

In the 2013 season, the Giants finished 10 games under .500 in third place in the NL West. But in 2014, the Giants won the World Series again. Win the World Series. Miss the playoffs. Win the World Series. Miss the playoffs. Win the World Series. Under Bochy, San Francisco won three World Series in five years but missed the playoffs in the other two. 

Maybe the Rangers mediocre season after winning the World Series is not their fault. It’s the way Bruce Bochy planned it.