The All-Star Game has come and gone, which means the second half of the season is now upon us. Tomorrow, the Rangers will embark on perhaps the most important stretch of their 2025 campaign.
Given the information that will be gleaned from this next stretch of games, the front office will have some decisions to make. Do they buy pieces to try and help this version of the team succeed, or do they sell off some spare parts in hopes of reloading and competing next year? All of that—and maybe even more—will be answered in the coming weeks.
At 48–49, the Rangers are three and a half games back of a Wild Card spot and eight and a half behind the AL West–leading Houston Astros. While the situation has seemed dire for much of the season, the potential for a playoff berth is not as far-fetched as we might all think. A hot streak out of the break could be more than enough to propel the team forward toward success. But as we all know, that’s much easier said than done.
The schedule does not lend itself particularly well to a strong start. The Rangers will open the second half against the Detroit Tigers, the best team in the American League. After that is a series against the Athletics—a club Texas has not played well against this season—and then the talent-loaded but underperforming Atlanta Braves. All those contests will be played at home at Globe Life Field, which should be a good boost.
Should the Rangers come out of those three series still in the fight for a playoff spot, then I believe Chris Young and the rest of the front office should (if they will is an entirety different question) decide to push all the chips into the middle of the table. After all, windows of contention can close as quickly as they open, so it’s important to capitalize on each and every opportunity. Of course, the jury is still out on whether this particular season is indeed one where the Rangers could truly contend, but that’s neither here nor there. (It’s obviously not neither here nor there; I just say that to make myself feel better.)
But what if the team fails to play up to par over the next two weeks and instead falls flat on its face? What then? Well, it’d be time to open up the storefront and declare ourselves ready for business.
