Of Wants and Needs, the Grandest of Illusions

The Rangers need to trade Jurickson Profar in order to have realistic thoughts of a third trip to the World Series. The Rangers need to acquire pitching at the trade deadline. The Rangers need a team identity. The Rangers need more Leadership.

Okay, enough caustic derision.

In actuality, the 2013 team is not perfect (no team is), but the Rangers are far from needing to do anything. Rather than fall victim to the media pundits and their compulsively heedless propensity to identify and/or regurgitate “story lines”—the things of ESPN Sunday Night Baseball broadcasts, refer to the facts.

As I have already mentioned, the Rangers are in a position in which the team does not need to do much of anything different in order to legitimately compete. As a matter of fact, the Texas Rangers still remain as one of baseball’s most well-rounded organizations. Sure, a trade or two is a want at the moment, but it is certainly not a need. Teams in desperation have needs, the Rangers are in a position of wants.

Despite being an annual buyer at the trade deadline for the past three seasons, the Rangers still boast a unanimous top ten farm system. Despite losing such arms as Colby Lewis, Neftali Feliz and Matt Harrison to the DL, the Rangers’ pitching has posted the 4th best FIP in MLB at 3.64 (7th best xFIP). Despite losing major contributors to the offense during the offseason, the Rangers’ offense has posted the 10th best wRC+ in MLB at 102, along with scoring the 10th most runs in all of MLB. Despite every narrative that has been spun by these media pundit spiders with the intentions of snaring readers and followers within their webs, the Rangers are doing just fine.

The grandest of all illusions is convincing the audience of a farce. For the most part, Rangers fans seem rather convinced that the team has an abundance of needs. For the most part, Rangers fans are seized by this radical notion. Disappointingly for this fraction of Rangers fans, they have fallen victim to narratives—the grandest of all illusions, except there is nothing subtle or magical about this trick.

In reality, the 2013 team has competed admirably to this point. Reinforcements are soon to come. The farm system is as deep and loaded as it needs to be in order to accomodate the impending wants. 

Relax, the Rangers are fine.