Texas Rangers: Hold Fast or Act Big?
By Reid Hanson
For the Texas Rangers things are going downhill quickly. The question now is do they hold fast or act big.
As of today, the Texas Rangers have lost 15 of their last 19 games. Let that sink in a little. The past 30 days have been worse for the Rangers than any other team in MLB. Their seemingly insurmountable 10-game lead in the division is down to 2.5. Starting pitchers are out, the bullpen is cashed, the hitters are cold, and injuries are stacking up.
I can’t think of a team that’s fallen as hard as the Texas Rangers.
Now, less than two weeks from the MLB Trade Deadline, the Texas Rangers must responsibly decide their next move. Do they go all-in and bet the farm (system) to cover their many deficiencies? Or do they hold fast, keeping Jurickson Profar, Joey Gallo, and Lewis Brinson and pull themselves out of their rut using their current roster?
Up until this week, the camp supporting the former greatly outnumbered the camp supporting the latter. But the persistent pitching problems, cold bats, and mounting injuries have taken their toll. Can the Texas Rangers even do enough at the deadline to right this ship?
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Earlier this month it appeared the Rangers needed to add one strong arm to the staff. Either a starter or proven arm in the bullpen. Then it became clear they would need both. Now one can argue the Texas Rangers need multiple starters, bullpen help, a bat or two, and a little luck from the injury gods.
That’s a big “things to do” list. What is now clear is that the trade deadline is not going to solve the Texas Rangers’ problems.
There are just too many. They can trade Gallo, Profar, and Brinson to get some good pieces but unless the players already on the roster…
- Get off the DL
- Start hitting
- Pull their heads out of their
…then none of it matters.
Sure, the Texas Rangers can make trades now in anticipation of the above list improving. Trading today would just better set them up for when that day arrives. But that day may not arrive.
We’re all confident the bats will heat up but are we confident the starting pitching staff will start performing again? Their +8 ERA and repeated early exits don’t instill much confidence. Will the overworked bullpen ever find a way to recover? I expect a few key arms to step up but wouldn’t bet on the unit as a whole.
What about the injuries? I don’t even want to think about that unpredictable nightmare.
This isn’t to say the Texas Rangers must give up – quite the contrary. They need to fight on because they bought themselves breathing room earlier in the year to overcome a situation just like this. But this doesn’t mean trading away the franchises top prospects will do anything to help them either.
If you’re like me, you see Jurickson Profar and Joey Gallo as soon-to-be perennial All-Stars. I’ll consider trading one of them away now if it ensures the Texas Rangers become World Series favorites but that’s not what’s going to happen no matter how many moves the Rangers make.
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It would be irresponsible to trade away the Texas Rangers top prospects at this point. There are too many things going wrong and too many holes to fill. Now is the time to hold fast, dig deep, and play on.