MLB Insider Encouraged by Texas Rangers' Playoff Chances This Season

The Texas Rangers failed to even qualify for the playoffs in 2024 as they attempted to defend their 2023 World Series championship, but there are plenty of reasons to believe that the club will bounce back in this upcoming season.

Will Leitch of MLB.com agrees, as he has named the Rangers as the most likely team in the American League West division to return to the playoffs after missing them last year.

"The Mariners could have been an option here, but the projection systems tend to love the Rangers this year, and it’s not all that difficult to see why," Leitch wrote. "All the things that went wrong last year, you don’t have to squint hard to envision them improving and springing back in the Rangers’ direction this year."

It is very difficult to disagree with that notion, as the Rangers are likely to benefit not only from improved health across the board but also from some positive regression from a few key players who underperformed last season.

There is a chance that this could finally be the year that the Rangers get to benefit from an entire healthy season of superstar right-handed starter Jacob deGrom, and he could lead a formidable rotation joined by Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray and Tyler Mahle.

The Rangers also have a chance to be a special team on offense, where the improvement and health of young star outfielders Wyatt Langford and Evan Carter in conjunction with Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Adolis Garcia, Josh Jung and Jonah Heim has the potential to form one of the top five or so lineups in all the Major Leagues.

The team's front office also did a lot of work to improve the team's depth and address some shortcomings. Jake Burger and Joc Pederson are around now to provide extra power from both sides of the plate, and the bullpen is a completely overhauled unit from last year.

Key free agents like Chris Martin and Hoby Milner add some higher leverage options, and other signings like Jesse Chavez, Jacob Webb and Shawn Armstrong look poised to provide some much needed depth.

In evaluating the teams in this division, the Rangers are a logical choice here due to the state of the Los Angeles Angels and the Athletics, but the Seattle Mariners also missed the playoffs last year and look solid for 2025.

At the end of the day, the top end talent the Rangers have both in the lineup and in the rotation makes them the biggest threat to a Houston Astros organization that looks primed to have its longstanding dominance of this division undermined.

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