Rangers path to AL West crown looks clearer as chief rival rides horrid skid into All-Star break

The Athletics' poor play over the last two weeks has essentially eliminated them from postseason play and will likely push them into the sellers' category. The nomadic organization has dropped nine games in a row and 13 of its last 14. It makes the path for the Rangers much clearer, as there is now one less AL West rival to be concerned about in the second half

Now, it is a three-horse race between the Rangers, Mariners, and Astros, who are all vying for both a divisional title and a possible wild-card spot as the league takes its mid-season pause for the All-Star weekend festivities.

The Athletics' implosion makes the Rangers' push for the postseason that much easier

We're not saying that it will be easy now that the Athletics have taken themselves out of the AL West discussion, but it certainly makes the road much clearer moving forward. Nothing is easy for this Rangers team.

You could almost feel the Athletics' self-immolation about to happen, but the way they have fallen apart is a bit shocking. They lack the arms to seriously compete, and just scapegoated their pitching coach. They were playing above their heads to stay in contention for as long as they were. Once the bats could no longer keep mashing to compensate for their pitching problems in Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, that was all she wrote.

The A's are 4-9 over their last 13 games in Sacramento, but they have been atrocious on the road, going 2-10 in their last 12. It all adds up to falling 8 games behind the Rangers in the AL West with a -106 run differential. At 41-55, they are also now 6.5 games behind the Mariners and Twins for the final wild-card spot.

It also means they will likely be looking to sell some of their valuable veterans like Luis Severino and possibly Shea Langeliers. The Rangers would be very interested in both, as right-handed pitching and catching are both areas of need. Langeliers will hit arbitration after this season, and Severino is owed $22 million with a player's option in 2027.

Langeliers is a dynamic hitter who has had a solid first half with 21 homers and 46 RBIs with a 3.1 bWAR. He is also a noted Ranger killer who is the kind of player you want on your team as opposed to facing him 12 times a year. He will be starting for the American League squad in the All-Star game this week.

The bottom line is that the Athletics don't have the horses on their pitching staff to hang with the rest of the AL West contenders, and the perennial penny-pinchers can't afford to part with prospects to land meaningful upgrades at the trade deadline. That means that at the end of the day, their skid into the All-Star break is the death knell to their hopes of contending, and the path for the Rangers to make it back to October just got a little bit clearer.

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