BTiA: Matschulat: The Rangers’ Looming Injury Cloud

Flux must always be handled with gloves and Goggles!

When people think of something as being in a “state of flux,” it’s implicitly understood that there are forces in play generating some basic amount of instability/uncertainty—for example, Tommy Hunter’s strained oblique muscle, which ultimately proved most advantageous for Matt Harrison’s immediate future, but not before the “state of flux” label was affixed to the starting rotation by several media outlets. Ditto for the bullpen and the catching/utility infielder situations, all of which were unsettled to varying degrees but now appear to be coming into clearer focus.

One of the things that’s been on my mind for a little while now, though, is how quickly the Rangers could revert to a full-fledged state of flux insofar as both their lineup and their starting rotation are concerned. While the prospect of significant in-season player turnover hardly constitutes a unique challenge for major league teams, it becomes a bit more alarming when your team is not only (a) expected to compete for a division title and, the eyes of some, amass 90-plus wins, but also (b) relying so heavily upon so many players with health- and performance-based questions.

...What can be done to address these issues? Nothing, really; there’s no money to do anything materially affecting the roster until at least mid-season, nor will any meaningful trade opportunities likely materialize until then. This team essentially is what it is right now: a true-talent 85- to 87-win ballclub that has a pretty slim chance of pulling off something much bigger (think 92-plus wins) and a slightly larger chance of collecting 88 to 90 wins. That’s great and all, and it’s certainly not my intention to put a damper on the impending season-opening festivities, but I think the risk factors surrounding this team might be a little more numerous than even I wanted to admit. We can only hope they don’t end up being the sorts of decisive factors that can make or break a season.