It’s been a busy offseason for the Texas Rangers, between signing coach Bruce Bochy and adding ace Jacob deGrom, but will all the excitement continue and bring more wins?
Here’s a look at what media outlets across the country are expecting from Rangers this season:
Team Rankings
Forecast: 81.4-80.6, 4th in AL West
USA Today’s Gabe Lacke
Forecast: 77-85, 4th in AL West
“Are the Rangers a waiting juggernaut or a motley collection of museum pieces? It will be fascinating to see how Bruce Bochy aims to transform this assemblage of talent into a team.”
SportsNaut’s Matt Johnson
Forecast: 73-89, 4th in AL West
“The Texas Rangers were aggressive again in the free hand, this time adding Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney to their starting rotation. It’s a gamble with all three starters having red flags for durability, but this could be one of the best pitching staffs in the AL if everyone stays healthy. But even if that happens, there isn’t nearly enough talent and consistency in the lineup for Texas to seriously contend for a wild card spot.”
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Just baseball’s Peter Appel
Forecast: 80.5 wins
“Rangers are a risky team. If everyone stays healthy, this team could make the playoffs. The problem is that some of these guys have struggled to stay on the field in recent years. The three starters they added, Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney, all went to 246 innings last year. Martin Perez had his best year by far. The bullpen is a bit below average. The offense gets a lot of praise, but they finished 19th in OPS last season and didn’t add anyone. There are too many questions here to list. This makes the line feel right. I have them as a 79 win team.”
ProSports fanatic
Forecast: 79-83, 3rd in AL West
“Rangers seem to be doing everything they can to make themselves contenders with signings like Jacob DeGrom this year and Corey Seager and Marcus Semien last year, but it’s not yet complete enough of a roster to be a playoff contender . ”
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