The Texas Rangers were one of the more surprising teams of 2019, finishing just six games under .500. They made some moves to get better and others that are questionable. As we begin the next tier of teams, the Rangers come in at number 22.

The Rangers made a huge splash when they acquired two-time Cy Young award winner Corey Kulber for hard throwing reliever Emmanuel Clase and outfielder Delino DeShields Jr.. This trade left the baseball world in shock at how small of a price the Rangers paid to bring Kluber on board. Clase had a decent season with the Rangers out of the bullpen and DeShields is nothing more than a bench player after five disappointing seasons with the club. The Rangers did really well in this trade and Kluber is a major bounce back candidate.

The team also signed starters Kyle Gibson and Jordan Lyles to multi-year deals hoping they’ll bounce back as well. Both have been effective in the past and paired with Kluber and two veterans coming off strong seasons in Mike Minor and Lance Lynn, could easily help this rotation be one of the better ones in the AL West.

The team also traded away Nomar Mazara, a power bat in the middle of the order who just seemed to be reaching his full potential. This move threw me off a bit, hence my questioning of their direction.

As for the lineup, Danny Santana had a breakout year last season, finishing with 28 homers, 81 runs batted in (RBI) and an impressive 21 steals. Joey Gallo still has monster power in the middle of the order and the team signed veteran Todd Frazier to man the hot corner. All in all, the lineup could be the difference between being a buyer or seller at the deadline.

Down on the farm, the Rangers don’t have a ton of depth, which is why the Corey Kluber trade was a little confusing at first. Their system ranks 21st in baseball according to Bleacher Report and if the Rangers want to build on their solid finish to 2019, they’ll need some of their prospects to step up.

Josh Jung is the only notable name in their system but he impressed a lot of scouts following his three years at Texas Tech, which prompted the Rangers to take him eighth overall in the 2019 Draft. He has struggled with regaining his power since reaching pro ball, but the bat to ball skills are still there as he finished his first pro season with a .316 batting average.

I think the Rangers are one of those weird teams that could go either way in 2020. The potential is there and if they all stay healthy, they could make a run at the second wild card spot, but since they’re counting on a lot of bounce back seasons, I couldn’t put them any higher.

Top Acquisition – Corey Kluber

Biggest loss – Nomar Mazara

MVP – Joey Gallo

Projected Finish – 4th in AL West

Projected Lineup:

1. Shin-Soo Choo, DH
2. Elvis Andrus, SS
3. Danny Santana, CF
4. Joey Gallo, RF
5. Todd Frazier, 3B
6. Willie Calhoun, LF
7. Rougned Odor, 2B
8. Ronald Guzman, 1B
9. Robinson Chirinos, C

Projected Rotation:

1. Corey Kluber
2. Mike Minor
3. Lance Lynn
4. Kyle Gibson
5. Jordan Lyles

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Twitter: @B_Murphy_MU