Texas Rangers Offer AL West Value

The Texas Rangers have stumbled out of the gate, but that slow start may be creating exactly the kind of market opportunity worth attacking.

Texas now offers value to win what looks like a mediocre AL West, a division that should eventually turn into a two-team race between the Rangers and Mariners. Seattle is dangerous, especially with its pitching, but Texas still appears to have the better overall roster. The market has softened because of the rough opening stretch, and that is usually when we want to start looking closer.

This is still a team with enough pitching, enough offensive depth, and enough veteran talent to separate over the course of a long summer. The Rangers’ lineup should become a bigger problem for opposing pitching staffs as the season progresses. They can stretch innings, force bullpen decisions, and create pressure up and down the order.

The key, of course, is health.

Corey Seager needs to get going and stay in the heart of the lineup. He is too good to stay quiet for long, and once he starts driving the baseball again, the entire Texas offense should look different. Jacob deGrom staying healthy is just as important. If deGrom is right, the Rangers have the kind of front-end pitching presence that changes a division race and matters even more in October.

At the current price, Texas to win the AL West is worth serious consideration. Even 10/1 to win the American League is tempting, as long as you are not overly afraid of the New York Yankees blocking the path.

The Rangers do not need to be perfect. They just need to be better than a flawed division, and that is a very reasonable ask.

After a tough start, Texas may be the buy-low team in the American League.