Texas Rangers Squander a Winnable AL West

The Texas Rangers‘ season came to a close on Sunday afternoon. It was a game that was meaningful, with lots of excitement and anticipation heading into it. Yet it ended like so many others this year. With another loss that just never felt like a potential win was within reach.

This 2026 Rangers campaign ends a three-year stretch of disappointment and underachievement by the club. After winning the organization’s only World Series title in 2023, there were high hopes that this core group would be able to reach the playoffs for several years in a row. Perhaps even adding to the trophy case in Arlington.

But a trio of missed opportunities can make even the most loyal fans a bit jaded. No opportunity in the history of baseball has ever presented itself like the wide-open and lackluster AL West race of 2026.

Even with the Rangers finishing at 80-82, one game worse than 2025, the team finished just one game behind the division-winning Houston Astros. It is the first time in a full regular season that a team has made the playoffs without finishing above .500.

Why Did the Rangers Struggle in 2026?

In 2024, after winning the World Series, the team had what many would call a hangover year. With the extra month of intense baseball and the high of winning it all, the Rangers just didn’t play very well in 2024.

But in 2025, that was supposed to change as the team refocused on making the playoffs and making a run. Yet again, there were struggles. That team couldn’t score. They could, however, pitch and play defense. In fact, the 2025 version of the Rangers led MLB in ERA (3.49) and DRS (89).

While pitching and defense were the highlights of 2025, this 2026 team didn’t shine in those areas. The pitching staff had an overall 4.33 ERA (22nd in MLB). Defensively, the Rangers dropped from the top spot in 2025 to 19th in MLB with only 11 DRS.

This season, the Rangers had a hard time doing anything very well. Sure, they were good in small sample sizes, but overall, they were down in all three phases of the game.

Texas actually managed to score fewer runs this season than in either of the past two years. After blowing up opposing pitching in 2023 to the tune of 881 runs scored, the team’s run production dropped like a rock to 683 and 684 in 2024 and 2025, respectively. In true “hold my beer” fashion, the Rangers’ offense produced only 673 runs this year, ranking them 25th overall in MLB.

A Postseason Ticket That the Rangers Didn’t Seize

I have followed the Rangers closely for close to forty years. Let me tell you, there have been some long, hot summers that seemed to never end. But I have to be honest and say that this season felt different.

There was a sense of frustration from the players, fans, coaches, and front office that lingered over the team all season. Never reaching their full expected potential, the Rangers seemed to be stuck in the mud.

Or perhaps they were trapped in quicksand, like we were all scared of growing up in the ’80s and ’90s. A slow, agonizing demise. The ending seemed inevitable, and yet there was still hope until the bitter end.

That was the Rangers’ season in a nutshell. They were never fully in or out of contention, despite the terrible AL West records. Remarkably, Texas was never more than two games ahead in the division. But they were also never more than three games out of the division lead.

And with only six games remaining in the season, the team controlled its own destiny. A 4-2 finish would have secured the organization’s 10th playoff appearance. Instead, they went 2-4 against two teams that had nothing to play for and missed the postseason for the ninth time in the last ten years.

The Astros will once again represent the AL West in the playoffs after finishing the year 81-81.