Texas has been eliminated from the ongoing Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason. The Texas Rangers failed to qualify for the postseason, finishing with a 78-84 regular season record, 12 games worse than their 90-72 record last year. The Houston Astros qualified but failed to stay for long, being swept by the Detroit Tigers in the American League Wild Card series.
The Rangers entered the 2024 MLB season as the defending World Series champions, beating the Arizona Diamondbacks last year in a 4-1 series victory. However, last year’s success did not transfer over to this year. The Rangers struggled to contend in the American League (AL) as their season was aggravated by injuries that primarily affected their pitching. AL West division rival Seattle Mariners eliminated the Rangers from postseason contention on Sept. 20.
As the Rangers head into the offseason, they have a checklist of things to prioritize before pitchers and catchers report for spring training about four to five months from now. Pitching needs more support all around. Along with keeping arms healthy for the team next year, the pitching staff needs to find bullpen support for the starting rotation. The bats will need to be more consistent to provide run support.
One notable player who struggled at the plate this season was right fielder Adolis García. On Oct. 11, Rangers team doctors revealed that García sustained a left patella tendon strain, which could explain his season’s woes. The star hitter had his lowest productive season yet as a cornerstone for Rangers hitting, ranking second in strikeouts for the American League, accumulating a total of 177. García also only scored 68 runs in the season, 40 less than what he had the previous year (108 runs).
Down in Houston, the Astros had struggles of their own. For the first half of the season, the Astros were off to a slow start, struggling to have a winning record being twelve games below .500. A high point for the Astros came within the first week of the season on April 1, earning their first win and breaking a four-game losing streak behind starting pitcher Ronel Blanco’s no-hitter. Their record would not go above .500 until a 10-5 rout against the New York Mets in extra innings (11) on June 30.
The Astros picked up steam in the second half of the season, going 38-27 after the All-Star Break to finish the season with an 88-73 record. The Astros would win the AL West division and clinch a playoff berth, but with their early postseason exit, the Astros ended their streak of advancing to the American League Championship Series (ALCS) for seven consecutive seasons. Additionally, with neither the Rangers nor Astros being in postseason contention, the 2024 World Series will be the first since 2020 to not feature a Texas team.
2024 was Joe Espada’s first full season as manager after being the Astros’ bench coach from 2018 to 2023. It appeared as though his new role in the club’s leadership was a total failure until the Astros’ late-season rally. Still, with the early postseason exit, the Astros will need to address their issues with pitching. Rookie starting pitcher (SP) Spencer Arrighetti shows strengths on the mound, but is still green in finding comfort in his pitching, giving up 80 runs in the season altogether. Veteran SP Justin Verlander had an uncharacteristic season, giving up 56 runs, his highest in an Astros uniform since 2016. Lastly, the bullpen will need more depth, as they have accumulated 26 blown saves for the season, with pitcher Ryan Pressly being responsible for eight of them.
The Rangers will return to action in Spring Training on Feb. 21, 2025, taking on the Kansas City Royals at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona. The Astros will return on Feb. 22, playing the Washington Nationals at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Florida.
