Texas Rangers 2018 Season Preview

The Texas Rangers expected to contend last season. And the end of 2017, one had to wonder what went wrong.

Heading into the 2017 campaign, the battle for the AL West was expected to come down to the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros. After all, the Rangers had won the division in 2016, and the Astros were an up and coming team that looked ready to blossom. By the time the seson wrapped up, only half that prediction came true, with the Astros winning the World Series, and the Rangers struggled to a 78-84 record, tied for third in the West.

One of the biggest problems that the Rangers had was their bullpen. Sam Dyson, the closer to start the year, imploded, as he failed in all four of his save opportunities to start the year. Seemingly anyone that Texas plugged into that role struggled, with six different pitchers having a save and Alex Claudio leading the team with 11. Injuries and ineffectiveness plagued the offense, with players like Rougned Odor and Jonathan Lucroy having awful seasons. Adrian Beltre was bitten by the injury bug, and Lucroy and Yu Darvish were traded, only to thrive on their new teams.

This year, the Rangers are essentially a collection of misfit toys. Bartolo Colon, Tim Lincecum, and other assorted blasts from the past were signed. However, the Rangers did little beyond that, hoping that the struggles from last year were an aberration. Even if that is the case, the rest of the division has improved. Have the Rangers really done enough to contend in 2018?

The Texas Rangers are looking to recapture the American League West, and prove that 2017 was a fluke. Do they have enough pieces to return to the postseason?