For the last few seasons, baseball has been an incredibly exciting sport in the state of Texas – just not for the namesake team.

The Texas Rangers have had a winning record in 10 of their last 23 seasons, dating back to 2000. Within this time, they’ve only made the playoffs five times, including back-to-back World Series losses in 2010 and 2011.

Due to this lack of success, the Rangers knew some changes had to be made, especially with the Houston Astros severely outperforming the Rangers on a consistent basis.

During the 2021-2022 offseason, the Rangers shocked many by spending a league-most $580.7 million – more than double the second-place Los Angeles Dodgers.

The majority of this money was offered in the form of $325 million for 10 years of All-Star shortstop Corey Seager, along with $175 million to secure second baseman Marcus Semien for seven years.

Both Seager and Semien made their names for California-based teams, with Seager playing his entire career for the Dodgers, and Semien establishing himself with the Oakland Athletics. Both players were highly regarded across the league, and many were left speechless following the Texas Rangers signing two of the biggest name free agents of the 2021-2022 offseason.

Following these signings, many saw the Rangers having a significant season, with ESPN estimating a 19-win increase from 2021, jumping to a 79-83 record.

Despite the hopes and ambitions of many, these dreams failed to materialize.

The Rangers concluded their first two months with a 7-14 and 24-24 record, which was anything but promising. By the beginning of August, the Rangers were 46-55, and showed no signs of improvement.

At the Trade Deadline, the Rangers only made one move, trading 35-year-old reliever Matt Bush to the Milwaukee Brewers for infielder Mark Mathias and pitching prospect Antoine Kelly Jr., indicating the intention to contend for the remainder of the season.

As one can likely expect, things did not pan out for the Rangers.

To conclude their season, the Rangers went on a 22-39 stretch, ending their year at a 68-94 mark. Thus was the ending of the Texas Rangers’ first “dynasty” season.

Based on the midseason MLB.com prospect rankings, the Texas Rangers have the sixth-best minor league system in baseball. For many, this might instill a bit of hope for the next few seasons. For some, however, the expected outcome is not going to change.

While it’s unlikely that the Rangers will have a dramatic turn-around next season, anything’s possible in baseball. If the team has a similar offseason as they did last year, it’s very possible the Houston Astros will have fierce competition in the AL West.