Texas Rangers

Off-season overview:

What. An. Off-season. It is no secret that the Rangers were missing high quality pitching and that's exactly what they went after. Texas signed Jacob DeGrom, Nate Eovaldi, and Andrew Heaney as well as re-signed last years surprise standout, Martin Perez. This rotation is no joke and solidifies the AL West with real contenders. Offensively, not much changed except for the departure of an underperforming Kole Calhoun. The 2022 offense was good enough and I expect Texas to be a little better this year after keeping the core group of players and with plenty of depth off the bench. The Rangers have a great 2 catcher combo with Mitch Garver and Jonah Heim who will man the new and improved rotation and Texas has plenty of depth in a crowded infield that could get some nice production out of the highly touted rookie third basemen Josh Jung. Don't sleep on the solid outfielder either, Adonis Garcia could make some noise this year. Texas is set up for a deep run.

Ceiling:

A trip to the ALCS. This Ranger's offense was good last year and I expect them to be even better in 2023. They improved the weakest part of the game by adding arguably the best pitcher in baseball in DeGrom. Assuming DeGrom stays healthy and Texas gets solid outings from Eovaldi, Heaney, and Martin, I expect the Rangers to be dangerous in the playoffs.

Floor:

A 4th place AL West finish. The only thing stopping the Rangers from the playoffs is injury. DeGrom was a great sign but he doesn't come without risk and the move is reminiscent of the 2000 A-Rod signing that only resulted in three straight last place finishes in the AL West. DeGrom only pitched 11 games last year and 15 games the year before. If injuries remain a problem and another arm underperforms, this could be a long year in Arlington.

My Prediction:

Lose in the ALDS. That's right, I have 3 AL West teams making the playoffs this year. I think the Rangers did enough this off-season to place 3rd in the division and there isn't a much better 1-2 punch for a short wild card series than DeGrom and Eovaldi. The offense is deep enough to continue to score runs and a guy like Corey Seager will benefit as much as anyone from the banned shift. Don't be surprised to see his name in the AL MVP race this year. The bottom line is Texas should be a lot of fun to watch.

-- Cyrus Beermann