Texas Rangers: The 2020 MLB season is still in question

While other leagues are preparing for their seasons to resume, the Texas Rangers are still waiting for the MLB and the MLBPA to agree to a deal to get their 2020 season rolling.

Texas Rangers fans are ready for the baseball season to start, and are just hoping that fans can attend games in some capacity so they will get the chance to check out the new Globe Life Field at some point in 2020. Even though fans are excited, there is still some doubt surrounding if there is going to even be a baseball season this year.

Recently, the MLB offered the players partially what they wanted-their full prorated salaries (that was agreed upon in March), but they only offered the players a 60 game season. The MLB also offered the players expanded playoffs for both 2020 and 2021, and a Designated Hitter across all of baseball (finally).

The players countered the offer, and asked the owners if they could play 70 games with expanded playoffs and such, I believe. In response, the owners declined the offer.

The MLBPA now has two options-to accept the 60 games with the terms (it is also worth noting that they are not allowed to file a grievance), or let MLB commissioner, Robert Manfred decide what the terms of the schedule will be, and risk the loss of expanded playoffs and the universal Designated Hitter.

More from Texas Rangers

• Texas Rangers hitting the reset button with Jonathan Hernandez
• Texas Rangers lose Jacob deGrom to Tommy John: Next steps
• Grant Anderson gives the Texas Rangers their missing ingredient
• Texas Rangers: How Adolis Garcia started putting up MVP numbers
• Why Kumar Rocker is still a successful pick for the Texas Rangers

What would these changes mean for the Texas Rangers, if the MLBPA were to decide to accept them? It probably means that the Texas Rangers have a pretty good shot at making the playoffs, as there would be eight teams from the American League making the playoffs, instead of the usual five. Under these circumstances last season, the Texas Rangers would have made the playoffs. How they would have performed would have been an entirely different question.

Something interesting to note is that through 70 games last season, with these rules, the 2019 World Series Champs would not have even made the playoffs. It is crazy how teams can turn around in baseball, and close out the season on fire.

With the expanded playoffs, I believe that the Texas Rangers should strongly be considered a playoff contender in 2020, as they returned most of their key players from what many would consider an over-achieving 2019 team that has some potential for 2020.

And since they would be playoff contenders, that would mean we could see the Rangers as buyers at the trade deadline, whenever that may be in this weird upcoming season, if it even happens.

The Texas Rangers would likely be in the market for some relatively cheap relief pitching to help solidify their bullpen for the playoffs.

• Published on 06/22/2020 at 16:01 PM
• Last updated at 06/22/2020 at 12:44 PM