A season of high expectations is unraveling in Arlington—Texas’ postseason hopes are slipping away after a brutal stretch of losses, a broken offense, and dwindling odds.
High hopes, harsh reality: Rangers’ postseason window closing originally appeared on The Sporting News
The Texas Rangers entered 2025 with visions of October baseball. Instead, they now sit at a dangerous crossroads. After dropping nine of their last eleven games, including a deflating 4–3 loss to Kansas City, Texas has fallen to 62–64, good for third in the AL West. They trail Houston by 7.5 games and Seattle by 1.5, with FanGraphs projecting their postseason odds at just 12–17%—a season low.
The culprit is clear: the bats have gone silent. Texas ranks near the bottom of MLB with a team slash line hovering at .230/.304/.357. Since the All-Star break, they’ve converted on just 32.2% of chances with runners in scoring position. Strikeouts remain a chronic problem, with a near-24% rate that consistently kills rallies. The frustration has been palpable, as seen in a recent game where the Rangers went 0-for-9 with RISP and stranded seven baserunners.
Pitching, by contrast, has been the team’s saving grace. Jacob de Grom continues to anchor the rotation with a 2.76 ERA, while Jack Leiter has impressed with a sub-3.00 mark over his last eight outings. Trade addition Merrill Kelly has also provided quality innings. The bullpen remains among MLB’s best in ERA, though recent late-inning stumbles have erased narrow leads, adding to the frustration.
The road ahead is brutal. Texas faces one of the hardest remaining schedules in baseball, meaning the margin for error is nearly gone. For the Rangers to revive their postseason chase, three things must happen: the offense must show immediate life, the bullpen has to hold late, and they need to win head-to-head matchups against Wild Card contenders.
If not, change is coming. Offensively, slumping names like Josh Jung and even veteran Adolis García could be trade chips this winter. The bullpen may see additions, despite its strengths, as late-game reliability is paramount. Coaching shifts are also possible—Donnie Ecker was already dismissed as hitting coach in May, and if bats don’t rebound, Bret Boone and others could find themselves on the hot seat.
With postseason odds cratering and patience thinning, the Rangers are teetering on the edge of another disappointing finish. The next month will decide whether this group salvages October dreams—or whether Texas enters the offseason facing sweeping roster and staff overhauls.
Category: Baseball
