3 ways the Rangers can defy their doomed playoff odds in 2026

If you think about it, several things went right last season, including having the league's best team ERA as well as its best defense. It would be easy to just point to the poor hitting as the area that needs improvement if the Rangers are going to find themselves in the postseason.

Yes, the offense must be much better but the Rangers also need other things to happen to be considered legitimate contenders for the American league L West crown or a potential Wild Card berth.

The Rangers’ playoff odds are +115, translating to an implied probability of 46.5 percent. That is third in their division behind the Seattle Mariners at -275 and the Astros at -175, but ahead of the A's, who are at +400, and the Angels at +550.

3 important keys to defying the ugly odds Rangers face heading into 2026 season.

They must hit better with runners in scoring position.

Let's address the elephant in the room right off the bat, shall we? The Rangers were absolutely abysmal in almost every offensive statistical category last year. However, hitting with RISP is arguably the most important stat there is, and they ranked 26th in MLB with a woeful .234 mark.

A team can hit for a poor overall average or lack slugging, but if they hit well when it counts, those deficiencies can be overcome. If you don't hit well with RISP, then you cannot score - ergo, you cannot win games and be a contending team.

Every Ranger, specifically Corey Seager, Joc Pederson and Jake Burger, must be better with runners on second and third. This is a no-brainer and if it doesn't happen, the team will fall short again this season.

Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi both need 25+ starts or 150+ innings

If there is one thing that is certain about the 2026 version of the Texas Rangers, it is that Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi are the unquestioned anchors of this ball club.

If they are going to remain in the thick of the playoff race, they need both aces to be available for at least 25 starts or 150 innings pitched.

The addition of MacKenzie Gore is a welcomed one and Jack Leiter appears to be turning a corner, but this team will only go as far as deGrom and Eovaldi can take them.

The Rangers will be favored in nearly all of the games in which these two studs take the hill and the offense has to do a better job of capitalizing on the frequent leads they will have following their many quality starts.

Rangers need to find a closer quickly

There simply cannot be a repeat of what we saw in 2025 regarding the closer situation. Chris Young took a flyer that one would emerge in spring training and it appeared he had hit the jackpot when journeyman Luke Jackson gathered nine quick saves to begin the year.

But it turned out to be fool's gold as Jackson's wheels came shooting off and the team was forced to scramble the entire season to find someone who could get three outs at the end of the game.

Yet again, things are far from settled as the team settles into Arizona. The two frontrunners are Robert Garcia and Chris Martin with Alexis Diaz also getting an extended look to see if he can recapture his closer stuff from 2022-2024.

Skip Schumaker and Jordan Tiegs have to make a concerted effort to find the most trustworthy option as soon as possible and let that pitcher settle into the role weeks before the games begin to matter in late March.

The bullpen by committee last year was a dumpster fire and this team simply doesn't have enough offensive talent to let games get away late and still make a run at the playoffs. Schumaker has spoken about "winning games on the margin," but this year's team has razor-thin margins with which to play.