The Texas Rangers made some surprising moves just before the non-waiver trade deadline. Turns out, the rumors were true and Cole Hamels became a Ranger. In my opinion, the Rangers paid too much for him. The justification was that we needed a horse on the mound. In gutting the minors for a horse, I think the price is too high, but I love the product. The Rangers need Hamels, and they have him for three years, so they have time to build a team for the future. Or so I thought. Then the Rangers brought back Mike Napoli, and that only meant one thing. The Rangers are going to push for the playoffs.

The standings as of this writing show the Rangers are third in the AL West at 4.5 games back. In the wild-card race, they are 3.5 games back. The San Francisco Giants last year can tell you what a wild-card team can do.

There are several concerns about a playoff push:

Do the Rangers have a starting rotation that can take them to the playoffs and beyond? Do the Rangers have a bullpen to get to the playoffs? Will the hitting stay strong throughout the playoffs?

There are more questions with this Ranger team then there are answers, but this Rangers fan knows one thing. The Texas Rangers have proved everyone wrong before. This is a team full of fighters. You can look at the team on paper and make a prediction, but this is a team you cannot count out.

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