The Texas Rangers Are Making Moves Towards The Playoffs

The Texas Rangers have had a mediocre 2015, but don’t count them out for too long. When the Texas Rangers traded Matt Harrison, Jorge Alfaro, Nick Williams, Jake Thompson, Alec Asher, and Jerad Eickhoff to the Philadelphia Phillies for Cole Hamels and Jake Diekman prior to the MLB non-waiver trade deadline, the implication was clear: Texas is further along in its rebuild than expected, and the franchise has plans to seriously compete in 2016.

This type of logic falls victim to something often overlooked both inside team management and on the outside from a fan’s perspective. Building for next season makes no sense when you’re basing your expectations off of an incorrectly measured floor performance.

No one expected much out of Texas in 2015 because the roster isn’t fully matured yet. There are still a number of pieces that need to be improved upon before the Rangers are actually ready to compete in the playoffs, and these changes won’t happen by next year.

Veterans Adrian Beltre, Josh Hamilton, and Shin-Soo Choo are all on heavy contracts, but on the backside of their careers. They need to be moved out for better pieces before Texas is a viable playoff pennant winner with the resources to fill out a full everyday lineup. Elvis Andrus seems to have stagnated while Leonys Martin has been far worse. There is room for an upgrade at each one of those spots as well if they stand a chance in the playoffs. Even the team’s most exciting young player, second baseman Rougned Odor, isn’t on schedule to be at his peak in 2016.

Odor is 21 years old and was on fire during June and July, but there is no proof yet that this is a sustainable output for him. As is almost always the case, the real Odor likely lies somewhere between his Player of the Month-level beginning to the summer of 2015 and his career.309 on-base percentage with fewer than 60 total extra-base hits for his career. He isn’t an overmatched swinger with a bat, but he isn’t necessarily a perennial Silver Slugger winner either. Let’s give it some time.

Looking at the lineup, Prince Fielder and Mitch Moreland are arguably the only batters actually set up to be in the midst of their peak years in 2016, and Moreland will be arbitration eligible and will need to be re-signed. It doesn’t help the rest of the roster that both only play first base or DH.

When it comes to the pitching side of things, Yovani Gallardo will be a free agent after this season. Derek Holland has been unable to stay healthy now for two straight years. The rest of the future rotation comes down to Hamels and the triumphant return of Yu Darvish. Yet if Darvish isn’t healthy, the Cole Hamels trade seems pointless. Management is clearly banking on this duo carrying the team as they are in a small minority of players on the Texas roster actually primed for excellence in the coming season.

The Rangers weren’t supposed to be in contention in 2015. Overachieving one season isn’t a legitimate reason to speed up a rebuild, pushing other aspects off schedule until the playoffs. The lineup and defense are in transition, not ready to compete in 2016. The rotation is very thin. The bullpen is being anchored by someone who had 100 mediocre innings to his name before 2015, and reliever consistency is non-existent even for those perceived to be star talents.

Texas kept its very top prospects when dealing for Hamels, so that’s something to look out for in the playoffs. Joey Gallo, Nomar Mazaro, and the rest are around, but it remains to be seen if any of them can have an impact next year outside of Gallo. He has just 87 career major league at-bats. It’s shortsighted to change the plans for the future on the fly just because your team is playing a bit better than expected right now. Texas is 53-53, within shouting distance in the AL West. But the division has been down overall with horrible years from the Oakland A’s and Seattle Mariners, and the Rangers have a -38 run differential with a 22-29 home record. Not exactly stats to hang your hat on.

No ?? today, but let's check out #RangersRewind: 7/30 – Hamilton gets the WALK-OFF win to send the Yankees packing. pic.twitter.com/JTDzPIL9WR

— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) August 6, 2015

Sometimes, management needs to be more realistic with its own roster. The Astros are ahead of schedule of when they were supposed to compete, but their team is filled with young stars and they’ve been awesome all year. Even still, regression might be in their future. With Texas, it’s even more severe. This team isn’t ready. Hopefully Hamels isn’t expecting to slide right into a pennant race in his first full year with his new club.

[Image Credit therangerreport.com]