Rangers Can Chase Down AL West Title Even After Quiet Trade Deadline

The Texas Rangers only made two trades before the deadline, so they’re counting on what they built in spring training — with a few additions — to make the playoffs.

Texas Rangers General Manager Chris Young. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

On Thursday, the Texas Rangers finally got a moment to breathe. After playing 13 games in 13 days, Texas got a natural day off. The Rangers needed it.

At the beginning of the stretch, Texas led the American League West. Going into Friday's game with the Baltimore Orioles, the Rangers are chasing the Houston Astros. The race remains tight.

The Rangers didn't do much at the trade deadline outside of acquiring some relief help. President of baseball operations Chris Young is banking that the team he built in spring training, with some minor alterations, can help carry the Rangers to their first postseason berth since 2023.

As the season enters its first full weekend of August, the American League West is a three-horse race and only one team is over .500.

The Tight AL West Race

Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Houston Astros (59-57) took control of the race last weekend when they swept the Rangers in Houston. The Astros have now won seven of their last 10 games. Their starting rotation is finally healthy. Houston made one significant move, trading pitcher Spencer Arrighetti for a long-sought left-handed bat, Toronto’s Daulton Varsho.

So long as Yordan Alvarez is hitting baseballs, the Astros have a chance. Fortunately for Texas, it doesn’t have to deal with him anymore. The season series is over.

The Rangers (57-58) are 1.5 games back of the Astros. They're also tied for the last wild card berth. If the season ended on Friday, they would be in the postseason due to tiebreakers. Their opponent? That would be the Houston Astros.

Texas must be one game clear of Houston in any scenario because the Astros won the season series. If they end up tied for the AL West title or a Wild Card berth, Houston wins.

The Rangers are not the only AL West team in chase mode. The Seattle Mariners (56-60) are three games back.

Texas started the season with one of the most difficult schedules in Major League history as measured by road games in a concentrated period. Part of that was due to the World Cup being played nearby. The Rangers are now getting paid back for that with a largesse of home games down the stretch.

More importantly, many of their games are against teams slipping out of the playoff picture. Texas gets seven games with the Los Angeles Angels in a two-week period starting on Monday. That trip to California next week also takes them to Sacramento to face the Athletics.

Health is a factor, too. The Rangers got left-hander Cody Bradford back on Wednesday and hopes to have another left-hander, Jordan Montgomery, back “soon,” in the words of manager Skip Schumaker.

Texas doesn’t expect third baseman Josh Jung to be able to start a rehab assignment for the next 10 days. But the rest of the lineup is relatively healthy. It all adds up to a stretch run where the Rangers are where they wanted to be — in the thick of a race to win a division title. The good news is they're not out of the race. The bad news is one bad stretch could take them out of the race. The chase continues Friday in Arlington.