Can Texas Rangers Stay Injury-Free and Win the AL Central in 2025?

Over the course of the 2024 season, the Texas Rangers were plagued with injuries that no doubt, kept them from performing their best. They ended the season at .481 with 78 wins and 84 losses. Fans have to be hopeful for the upcoming year that players can stay healthy and turn things around.

FanGraphs predicts that the Rangers will have an increase of seven wins in 2025, resulting in an overall record of 85-77 with a run differential of +35. This increase is largely attributed to assuming a healthy roster.

Further predictions show the Rangers have a 33.4% chance to win the division, a 23.5% chance to win the division and clinch a top-two seed and a 58.6% chance to make the playoffs. All three predictions lead the AL West.

While that is a positive sign for Texas, the AL West is also predicted to be a dogfight with the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners being projected to have 84 wins.

If 2024 is any indication, it could be an intense three-team race for the division title. Fans should buckle up for an exciting 2025.

Let's not forget that only two seasons ago, the Texas Rangers were World Series Champions.

What might be the keys to that sort of success? Simply put: stay healthy.

During the off-season, the Rangers made a handful of significant additions beginning by re-signing starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi and signing catcher Kyle Higashioka. Eovaldi will once again front the rotation, while Higashioka will split time with incumbent catcher Jonah Heim.

The Rangers also signed left-handed slugger Joc Pederson. While Pederson does not fair well facing lefties, there are not that many left-handed pitchers and he has proven to be a post-season lucky charm.

Kirby Yates was a pleasant surprise for the Lone Star team in 2024 and he parlayed his breakout season into a one-year, $13 million dollar deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Texas also acquired Jake Burger from the Miami Marlins in a four-player deal to add more power to the lineup and solidify 1st base.

To re-sock the bullpen after many free-agent departures, the Rangers made a few shrewd additions. First, the signing of Chris Martin to fill the gap left by the departure of Yates was key to solidifying the closer spot. They also signed Jacob Webb, Shawn Armstrong, Hoby Milner and acquired Robert Garcia from the Cincinnati Reds. Garcia will likely be the man to be handed the ball in the eighth inning.

Besides losing Yates, 266+ innings were lost to free agency in the likes of Dave Robertson, Jose Leclerc, Jose Urena and Andrew Chafin.

This lineup has a chance to be formidable, especially if Cory Seager can return to his MVP form. Seager put up his usual numbers in 2024 but only played in 123 games.

Can the likes of Adolis Garcia and Marcus Simien return to their previous status? Both had an OPS over .820 in 2023 only to fall under .700 in 2024.

Add rising star Wyatt Langford to the mix, along with the signings of Burger and Pederson, the depth of the lineup starts to show its potential. The starting rotation has one goal in mind: Stay healthy.

There may not be a more exciting pitcher to watch in MLB than Jacob DeGrom. The question remains, how many opportunities will you get to see him pitch? Texas will likely employ a six-man rotation throughout the season. DeGrom, Tyler Mahle and Kumar Rocker will all be on strict pitch limits.

This makes the Eovaldi signing even more important. He will be counted for the 170 innings he pitched for the club in 2024.

Rounding out the rotation are Jon Gray and a mix of Jack Leiter, Corey Bradford and possibly Adrian Houser.

The bullpen appears to be solid through the additions for the upcoming season and innings will be filled by whomever isn't the sixth starter. The key to the bullpen will be the success of first-time closer and newly-acquired Martin.

This is an interesting prediction, mainly because nobody could have predicted the Rangers Championship run in 2023.

On paper, this team should win 85 games easily. They have one of the best managers in baseball history - Bruce Bochy. Plus, he has a knack for “the every other year” dance he perfected in San Francisco.

There is little doubt that this will be a great three-team race. The Oakland Athletics and the Los Angeles Angels don’t appear to have the horses to make any noise, thus the division may come down to how well each of the three favorites fair against them.

The injury bug will not be as fierce as it was in 2024. Garcia and Simien can be expected to have bounce-back years and Bochy is easy to believe in.

The Rangers will push the 90-win mark and come away with the division title with an 88-74 record, inching out Houston and Seattle who are both projected to regress slightly.

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