For Texas Rangers fans who are scratching their heads in silence and feeling empty inside, you aren't alone. The trade deadline felt like the Rangers didn't move the needle, or at least sell as much as they should've. At least that's what ESPN's Jeff Passan predicted would happen.
Before the weekend, Passan went on The Pat McAfee Show to discuss who would be in the mix to "be busy." The Rangers did work, no doubt. We can also say they didn't do enough, or at least sell enough. Here's what Passan said to McAfee.
"I think Tampa Bay (is going to be busy). I think the Red Sox are certainly going to continue to be. The Chicago White Sox have a lot of irons in the fire at this point. The Texas Rangers, if they can get some money, they're going to be a player here too."
The Texas Rangers were not as "busy" in the deadline as some hoped
Well, after the infamous Dodgers trade over the weekend, who knows if there will be a next season anyway?
All three teams Passan said make potential season-altering trades did, but the Rangers didn't move enough. They made some low-cost moves, but nothing that says they're seriously competing for the division.
Before we go on to talk about the trades that happened, nobody should be attacking the additions of Adam Macko, Chase Silseth and Logan O’Hoppe. The former Angels catcher has had a history of seasons hitting 19 and 20 home runs. The Rangers also needed relief pitching help and more pitching depth in general.
This was the biggest fear, exactly, but it's not really anybody's fault. With inconsistent everything across the board, along with Corey Seager's slumps and injuries, the entire season never really felt right. Now, we should consider it lucky the Rangers are in a terrible division this season, but playing conservative before the deadline was in the cards for a while.
There's some last-minute hope after all, as two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom said he wants to be here to finish what he started. Maybe it's some confidence to light up the team, but at least he wants to be here. deGrom isn't what he was in 2015, but he has a 7-7 record and a 3.96 ERA this season.
Either way, playoff time feels like it's already started for the Rangers, and you hate to say that in early August, but this is a group that still feels like they can win now. It's all about getting hot at the right time, so you never know what could come next.
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