Texas Rangers Must Consider Pursuing Mets Slugger to Save Contention Window

 It was a tough start to the road trip for the Texas Rangers, who were swept by the New York Yankees in the Bronx, resulting in the team falling under .500 once again.

Despite receiving some strong pitching performances from their rotation, the Rangers were unable to come up with enough runs to compete with the Yankees.

A lack of offense has been an issue all year for Texas, and the team seemingly can’t break out of their collective slump. While injuries have played a role, this is a lineuo that has been underachieving.

One of the reasons why the team hasn’t performed well on offense is because of two of their offseason acquisitions. Both Joc Pederson and Jake Burger have not had good campaigns thus far for the Rangers, resulting in some of the struggles.

While this is still a team that could be a contender in 2025, they will need to get some more out of their lineup. Even though Texas might look to add some help to the lineup before the trade deadline, it also could be a need this winter.

Will Texas Make a Splash in Free Agency?

Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required) recently wrote about Texas potentially being the market for New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso.

“Rangers and Mariners (both would benefit from his power bat and leadership, as would the Red Sox, particularly if they keep Rafael Devers at DH).”

There are certainly a lot of teams that are kicking themselves after not signing Alonso this winter. Despite being one of the best power hitters in baseball since he was called up, the market seemed shockingly quiet for Alonso.

To be fair, he was coming off a bit of a down year in terms of his power numbers in 2024, but he has bounced back in a significant way this season.

So far, he has slashed .292/ .395/.535 with nine home runs and 37 RBI. Even though he has put together some fantastic years, he has never had a batting average or on-base percentage near where he is so far.

Alonso would have to opt out of his contract to become a free agent, but with the year he is having, that seems like a no-brainer.

For Texas, adding a power bat like Alonso would be a major help at first base. Even though Burger appeared to be a good addition this winter on paper, that has been a move that has simply not worked so far.

While free agency is a long ways away, first base could be an early need for the franchise in the upcoming winter.