Rangers offensive woes might make a playoff berth the worst possible outcome

We've spoken before about how the Texas Rangers offense has cratered with Josh Jung out of the lineup, but it's beginning to become apparent that Jung's absence is a symptom, rather than the root of the disease. The dismal performance against the Los Angeles Angels, a team that ranks 21st in pitching staff ERA with a 4.28 mark, drives home the point that there is a lot wrong with the Rangers' bats at this current moment.

Texas has failed to score against the Angels outside of extra innings for 33 consecutive innings. If you're not going to capitalize against a team that hasn't had a competent pitching staff for about a decade, you're going to struggle against nearly every opponent. Last night's one-hit debacle is about as bad as it can get.

“If we want to give ourselves a chance to play in October, the bats have to get going, and they know it,” manager Skip Schumaker said following the 3-0 defeat. “This is nothing that they don't know. There's a bunch of pros in there that have been there before. Again, it's not a lack of care or lack of effort, but we’ve got to start producing here soon.” 

The thing with the Rangers' offense is that although Jung has been one of the club's best and most consistent hitters, the team was supposed to be able to withstand his absence. Corey Seager came back and was hitting like the Seager of old, which has been something that's been missing from the lineup even when Jung was healthy and productive. If a vintage Seager performance can't lift the offense, then more is wrong than just having the breakout third baseman out of the lineup.

Texas hasn't had nearly any production from the supporting cast, as bats big and small up and down the lineup have gone silent all at the same time. Since Jung went down a month ago, the Rangers rank 28th in batting average (.217), 29th in on-base percentage (.288), 28th in slugging (.346), and 28th in OPS (.634). It's put tremendous stress on a pitching staff that has to be near-perfect to secure victories.

Making the playoffs would send the wrong message to the Rangers leadership

Despite their ineptitude, the Rangers still haven't fallen out of the playoff race. Texas is currently in a tie with the Cleveland Guardians for the final AL wild card spot and is just one game behind the Houston Astros for the division lead. It's quite possible that, thanks to the American League's mediocrity, the team can squeeze into October.

That might be bad news, because this is not a lineup that can consistently win against the game's best. Outside of a roughly one-month stretch spanning from June to July, where the bats looked good, scoring runs has been an uphill battle for the Rangers.

Texas may have gotten good news regarding Jake Burger, one of their best and only right-handed power bats, after a scary hit by pitch last night, but that only prevents them from delving further into the depths, rather than being something that can raise the club up.

The simple fact of the matter is that this is a team with many warts. Not just the lineup, though currently that's where the bulk of the problems lie, but as a collective. There is talent here, but it's not enough to consistently win, and it is aging.

That sets up a dangerous scenario where the Rangers do make the playoffs, but then are bounced early. With some generous investment, the makings of a solid contender are there. However, Ray Davis isn't likely to pry the checkbook open this winter, and a postseason appearance might be just enough to convince him and Chris Young that this core is good enough to win with.

That might mean some investments on the margins, but nothing substantial to change the calculus. Meanwhile, in 2027, key components like Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, and Seager will all be a year older and potentially less effective.

At the same time, the farm system is still lacking, and any delay in addressing the talent pipeline will only make a rebuild more painful and prolonged once the writing on the wall is clear to the decision-makers.

Making the playoffs may be the goal, but ultimately, it could provide a message that the front office misinterprets, damaging the Rangers' future outlook at the same time.

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