Texas Rangers: 2018 just the beginning of a painful rebuild

The Texas Rangers success may be measured in what comes back in trade

Even if everything works out perfectly for the Texas Rangers, the playoffs seem to be a long shot. Instead, success will need to be measured in other ways.

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One of those metrics may be in what the Rangers can receive for their players as they build towards the future. Pitchers like Drew Smyly and Edinson Volquez are not likely to be a part of the long term solution, but could attract interest at the trade deadline if they are pitching well and prove to be healthy.

The same could be true when it comes to Shin-Soo Choo. Although the Rangers will likely need to eat a portion of his salary to facilitate a trade, he could be an option for a team looking to add a bat for the stretch run. Of course, these scenarios are long in the future, but are possibly the most likely moving forward.

Likewise, the Rangers will find success next season in the improvement of the players on their roster. if the likes of Nomar Maraza and Ronald Guzman can continue to develop, while Rougned Odor and Elvis Andrus get back to their previous level of production, the Rangers could have a dangerous offense once again. That is, however, a very large if.

The Texas Rangers may not show much improvement in the standings in 2019, but that will not be how the team is measured. Instead, it is a matter of how much the Rangers can progress, especially with their young players.