{"id":102920,"date":"2025-08-28T09:21:14","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T09:21:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/102920\/"},"modified":"2025-08-28T09:21:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T09:21:14","slug":"poll-the-rangers-and-the-waiver-wire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/102920\/","title":{"rendered":"Poll: The Rangers And The Waiver Wire"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Rangers decided to add at this year\u2019s trade deadline and acquired several arms to beef up the pitching staff. Merrill Kelly<\/a> was the headliner, but the team also swung deals for Danny Coulombe<\/a> and Phil Maton<\/a> in an effort to make up for somewhat lacking production from the club\u2019s offense. That strategy, unfortunately, hasn\u2019t worked. The Rangers\u2019 position in the standings hasn\u2019t changed much as they\u2019ve remained stuck around .500, as has been the case for most of the year.<\/p>\n

With the start of September just a few days away, a Rangers club that has been on the cusp between contending and retooling all season is now faced with one final point of decision-making: Should they stay the course and hope for a white hot September that pushes them into the postseason? Or should they throw in the towel and try to sneak back under the luxury tax after the club\u2019s deadline trades pushed their projected payroll slightly over the edge?<\/p>\n

They have the opportunity to do the latter if they put Kelly, Coulombe, Maton, and other veterans on expiring deals through waivers. If those players get claimed, they\u2019ll move on to the claiming team and the Rangers will be off the hook for the final month of their salary. Aside from those players who were added at the trade deadline, other expiring deals like those of Chris Martin<\/a>, Patrick Corbin<\/a>, Shawn Armstrong<\/a> and Hoby Milner<\/a> could make sense for the team to make available. Even Adolis Garcia<\/a>, who remains under club control via arbitration for the 2026 season, could make sense to make available on waivers given his status as a potential non-tender candidate.<\/p>\n

Doing so might give the team additional financial flexibility for the offseason as they look ahead to 2026. Ownership preferred to remain under the tax threshold and reset its penalty levels this past offseason. Their deadline push was made with the team\u2019s postseason odds around 40-50%. Those odds have plummeted, with FanGraphs giving them a 7.2% chance and PECOTA pegging them at 9.8%.<\/p>\n

Texas would avoid paying roughly one-sixth of the full season salary for any player who gets claimed off waivers. That means parting ways with Kelly (who is making $7MM this year) would save the clubs around $1.2MM. Cheaper players like Maton ($2MM) would only shave a little over $300K off the team payroll if claimed.<\/p>\n

Of course, saving that money doesn\u2019t do much for the club if it isn\u2019t enough to put them under the luxury tax, and there\u2019s no guarantee they\u2019ll be able to shed enough money to do so. The team saw with Jon Gray<\/a> earlier this month that there\u2019s no guarantee a player will be plucked off waivers just because he\u2019s been placed there.<\/p>\n

The Rangers\u2019 next most expensive pending free agent is Tyler Mahle<\/a>, and he\u2019s only just resumed throwing off the mound as he tries to work his way back from a rotator cuff strain. It\u2019s hard to imagine a team placing what\u2019d be a roughly $2.75MM bet that Mahle would not only be able to make it back by season\u2019s end but also return to his prior levels of efficacy. It\u2019s a similar situation with Martin, who has been out since late July with a calf strain and still isn\u2019t on a rehab assignment (though he\u2019d amount to a less costly $916K gamble).<\/p>\n

Looking beyond the financial aspect of Texas\u2019s decision, it\u2019s worth considering the club\u2019s position in the standings. The 67-67 Rangers have gone just 10-14 since the trade deadline and have lost 12 of their last 20 games. They\u2019ll need a winning percentage a lot better than .400 in September if they\u2019re going to have any hope of making the postseason. Still, a playoff berth isn\u2019t entirely out of the question. Texas is currently 4.5 games out of the final AL Wild Card spot, which is held by the Mariners. They\u2019re six games back of the Yankees in the second AL Wild Card spot as well as the Astros for the AL West title. They still play Houston six times and also have three-game sets with the Brewers and Mets. Their other 16 games are against teams with losing records.<\/p>\n

Those six games against the Astros in September give the Rangers more control over their destiny than most clubs have by this point on the calendar. Perhaps that\u2019s reason enough to stay the course. After all, it would be disappointing for the organization if a rare healthy season from Jacob deGrom<\/a> went to waste.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, the club\u2019s core of players is facing some health challenges. Evan Carter<\/a>, Marcus Semien<\/a> and Nathan Eovaldi<\/a> have all been shelved with what are very likely season-ending injuries in recent days. The loss of Martin in the bullpen has also been a real blow, and it\u2019s unclear if he\u2019ll make it back to the field before the end of the season.<\/p>\n

How do MLBTR readers think the Rangers should handle their situation? Should they place a handful of short-term veterans on waivers to try to duck under the tax line and save money for another run in 2026, or would it be best to keep the team together and try to win this year despite dwindling playoff odds and mounting injury concerns? Have your say in the poll below:<\/p>\n

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