2020 is over, and fans couldn’t be more happy, right?
With the moves the Rangers have been making, 2021 has the potential to be better than this past covid-shortened MLB season.
Even with the new additions, they also have suffered some significant losses.
What should we expect from this team this season?
The biggest additions were probably the signings of All-Star OF David Dahl and Japanese star pitcher Kohei Arihara. Dahl, even coming off a down year, will immediately step into this lineup and help while Arihara will do the same in the rotation. This lineup needed help, and the team did exactly that by adding Dahl, but Dahl himself will not be enough to raise the level of this lineup completely.
Photo: —Losses included Lance Lynn and Mike Minor, both huge pitchers for this rotation over the past two seasons. With that being said, the starting rotation is looking below average once again. Arihara will likely be a middle to back end of the rotation pitcher but will contribute as an effective innings eater for this team that struggled on the bump last season. With Kyle Gibson and Jordan Lyles heading the 2021 rotation, fans can’t expect much more than an average pitching year from this group.
Gallo and Isiah Kiner-Falefa were signed to one-year deals to avoid arbitration as well, meaning they are in the team’s short-term future for now. But if the team isn’t playing at a hopeful level, meaning around a .500 record, we could see one of these players get traded as Gallo has been involved in trade rumors.
The team is looking different by the season, but the goal remains the same for this team.
This team will be looking at the younger players of the future, get them reps at the big league level, and continue to develop them.
With players like Nick Solak, Josh Jung, Anderson Tejeda, Sam Huff, and Nate Lowe, this team isn’t short of talent in the farm system. Now it’s a matter of them getting playing time at the major league level.
This team will not win the division. Let’s be honest about that: This team is in the middle of a rebuild and evaluating period from top to bottom with new General Manager Chris Young in the chair now.
It’s a new season, but it’s looking as if this team will have the same mindset as 2020.
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