MLB Baseball is back and the Texas Rangers are suddenly relevant again
By Reid Hanson
Wouldn’t you know it? Just when the Texas Rangers finally get it together and decide to build a competitive roster, MLB goes into a lockout. Why couldn’t this happen last season? Or the season before? Or heck, even the two seasons before that?
That’s about how long the Texas Rangers have somewhat purposely stunk. This year things were finally going to be different. The Rangers turned a corner and shed all their bad contracts. Flush with cash and with next to nothing on the books, Texas went on a spending spree this winter.
Like a kid with mom’s credit card, the Texas Rangers went on a spending spree and built themselves into a real team
Spending over half of a billion dollars in just one day, the Texas Rangers set a record for the most spending in a single revolution, and Texas Rangers fans couldn’t have been more excited. Their two headliners of the signing period, Marcus Semien and Corey Seager, give the Texas Rangers the best middle infield in the league and position them to make waves in 2022.
Calling them a contender may be too bold of statement to make. The Rangers are coming off a 102-loss season after all. But the strides they’ve taken in just one short offseason are nothing short of monumental. And the thing is – they’re not even done yet.
BREAKING: Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association have reached a tentative agreement on a new labor deal, sources tell ESPN. While it still needs to be ratified by both parties, that is expected to be a formality, and when it is:
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 10, 2022
Baseball is back.
With the lockout finally over and the season set to start April 7th, there’s still some offseason left for the Rangers (and the rest of baseball). In fact, there’s still a lot that needs to be done.
In addition to Seager and Semien, Texas also signed OF Kole Calhoun and SP Jon Gray. They have 1B to fill as well as one or two spots in the rotation and almost half-a-bullpen to construct. Things aren’t going to slow down any time soon.
Which is just fine.
Rangers fans have sat by patiently as the team dug itself out of their talent-starved hole. They staggered through the pandemic and even faked a smile through the opening of their spiffy new stadium. But now they have something to be proud of. They have a team making effort which seems like an accomplishment all itself.
What to expect?
As stated earlier, the Rangers still have plenty left on their to-do list. We can expect them to address all of it in some regard and likely use the trade desk along the way. The highest profile name to watch is none other than Clayton Kershaw.
While Kershaw remains a longshot, he’s still considered a possibility since North Texas was, is, and will always be, his home. If one man can add an Uma Thurman-sized shot of adrenalin to the beating heart of the Rangers fan base, it’s Kershaw.
And if there’s one exciting dark horse to watch for it’s Seiya Suzuki. The outfielder from Japan is coming to MLB but his exact MLB destination is still unknown. His developmental timeline fits what the Rangers are doing perfectly so he shouldn’t be slept on.
Let’s be honest, anything north of a .500 season for the Rangers is going to feel like a monumental victory. For as big of strides this franchise has taken this winter, we can’t expect them to flip 100+ losses into 100+ wins. But they are loaded with young talent and appear to be a team that can compete at the highest levels in 1-2 years.
The lockout is over and MLB is back. Best of all the Texas Rangers are back.
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Texas Rangers fans have been starving for competitive baseball for years and this year they finally get a team that offers some nourishment. The arrow is pointed up and for the first time in a while we have a lot to be excited for.