For the eighth time in the last nine years, the playoffs have started without the Rangers. The idea that they are building a winning tradition of baseball here is a myth. Either they are incompetent. Or they are lying.

Jon Daniels had early success as the Rangers general manager, then had six straight seasons of bad, losing baseball before he was fired. Chris Young had ultimate success in his first year, then reverted to losing baseball. The jury is now out on whether 2023 was a fluke, or ’24 and ’25 were learning curves on the road to winning.

Or maybe ownership doesn’t care about winning. If it happens, fine. If not, they aren’t going to push for it.

This is not to suggest the Rangers won’t find a winning combination next year. They aren’t that far away offensively. Just need offensive improvements at catcher, first base, second base, third base, right field, left field, and DH. What it means is, Chris Young will have the offseason to find the parts to make it happen, with a reduced payroll. The payroll was reduced. because they didn’t win. They didn’t win because the payroll was reduced.

Hmmmmm, now you know why the Rangers are stuck in this once-every-nine-seasons cycle of making the playoffs. They’re stuck in a loser mindset.

Okay, that might have been a bit harsh but not too harsh to use the delete key on. Payroll doesn’t not equate to success. But it sure as heck give you a better chance.

It appears Skip Shumaker will be the man in charge of guiding whatever team the front office gives him next year. Shumaker was the manager at Miami until he resigned at the end of 2024 because he didn’t like the direction the Marlins were going in. The Rangers brought him on to be a special assistant. It was generally reported that he would be the heir-apparent to Bruce Bochy whenever he was ready to leave. But it’s pretty obvious the Rangers planned on replacing Bochy at the end of the 2025 season. Otherwise, they would have offered him a contract extension either before the season or during. And, they wouldn’t have brought on his replacement.

So, as the playoffs get underway—with the always underperforming Padres losing Game 1 to the Cubs, and the Dodgers blasting the much inferior Reds in the National League and the Red Sox edging out the Yankees with the Tigers edged out the Guardians—the Rangers are once again on the outside looking in. Like they have been for most of the past decade.

That’s the kind of track record that leads one to wonder if it will be like that for most of the next decade. Nothing suggests otherwise.

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