In spite of all the hoopla over the Rangers' pitching improvements, the Mariners have a better starting rotation. But the Rangers have a better bullpen. The Mariners appear to have the advantage, although not a huge one. Even if the Mariners had surprising seasons at those positions and the Rangers slipped some, the Rangers would still be better. If the Rangers have surprising seasons from any of the other positions, they could quickly be better than the Mariners.
Baseball is all about surprises and disappointments, slumps and streaks.
The Rangers have a lot of question marks, and it's unrealistic for me as a fan, to think that all those questions will be as good or better than expected. But it's also unrealistic to think that all will be worse than expected. If the Rangers have even one or two pleasant surprises in their new players, they will be well matched with their division rivals. Candy Reagan is a local free-lance writer and avid sports fan who writes a weekly column on sports happenings. E.W. Scripps Publications , All Rights Reserved.