Rangers Ownership Will Ultimately Determine Team's Aggressiveness Ahead of Deadline

The Texas Rangers have been surging up the standings in recent weeks, crashing the American League playoff picture with some stellar performances on the field.

They have been playing great baseball throughout July with a 15-7 record, finally stringing together victories to get over the .500 mark.

Just a few weeks ago, it looked as if the Rangers were going to be sellers, trading away pieces of their core to reset with an eye toward the future.

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Now that they are only a half-game behind the Boston Red Sox for the third wild card spot in the AL, their plans are changing again.

However, there is one major question looming over the franchise: How aggressive will ownership allow the front office to be?

“Something to watch with the surging Texas Rangers: Whether they are willing to go over the luxury-tax threshold for the third consecutive season,” wrote Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required) in a recent MLB trade deadline piece.

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The first threshold is expected to be $241 million, with a luxury-tax payroll of $234.9 million, as shared by Rosenthal via FanGraphs.

Since they’ve gone over the threshold the previous two years, the Rangers would face a steep penalty as a third-time offender, being taxed 50% for every dollar over that amount they go.

If they stay under, it will reset back to 20%.

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What will be the goal of ownership? Getting under the tax to save money or making a legitimate push for the postseason, which entails adding salary and paying the tax?

The possibility does exist for the front office to do both, selling some pieces to slash salary and then acquiring upgrades at other spots on the roster.

It would be a hard sell to the players and fan base trading away established veterans while simultaneously making a run at a playoff spot, which could certainly have ownership leaning toward the latter.

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The talent is there for Texas to make a run. Recent history suggests they are capable of accomplishing something great catching fire at the right time, as they won the World Series in 2023.

With some of their key contributors heating up, such as right fielder Adolis Garcia, it makes sense to go for it one more time with this core.

If the Rangers fall short, they can look to unload some pieces and bolster the long-term outlook of the franchise by making some trades.

For more Rangers news, head over to Rangers On SI.