The Texas Rangers are in the midst of their best season since 2016. That's the last time the Rangers both reached the postseason and had a winning record, a long wait for Texas fans who were treated to consecutive American League pennants a dozen years ago.

With the success of the team in 2023 and the nature of the American League playoff picture, the Rangers and their fans have World Series aspirations on their minds. Texas spent a majority of the season in first place in the AL West but has seen its lead slip away at the hands of the red-hot Seattle Mariners.

Despite losing the division lead the Rangers find themselves a game back of the Mariners and in a comfortable position in the wild card standings, though that is not a guarantee either with a little over a month left in the season. Texas undoubtedly still has its eyes on a division crown but getting into the playoffs is the priority. Teams have shown in the past, most recently the Philadelphia Phillies last year, that a wild card standing means nothing in the postseason.

The Rangers have it all in front of them with 10 games remaining against the Mariners and the Houston Astros who are neck and neck with them. Even the best teams have their flaws and the Rangers need to expose other teams before theirs comes back to bite them. If Texas can fix this, they'll have a better chance at winning the first World Series in franchise history.

Rangers bullpen could be their downfall

The Rangers have been one of the most balanced teams in the MLB this season, playing well on both sides of the ball. Offensively, the Rangers rank in the top three in OPS, batting average and runs scored. Texas pitching is a little bit behind as it ranks 14th in ERA.

The starting rotation is not the problem after Texas completely revamped its starting pitching this offseason and it paid off. It didn't stop there, as the Rangers added Jordan Montgomery and Max Scherzer to the rotation at the trade deadline. Rangers starting pitchers have the best ERA in the league entering Tuesday. The same cannot be said for Texas' bullpen.

If there's one thing holding the Rangers back it's their relief pitching. Texas has the 25th-ranked bullpen ERA, by far the worst of any team in a division race. Rangers relievers have an ERA above five since the All-Star break, a number that has to go down in September if Texas wants to reach the playoffs and strike fear into opposing teams.

The Rangers tried to address the bullpen at the trade deadline, acquiring Aroldis Chapman, arguably the best reliever on the trade market. Chapman has done well for Texas, pitching to a 2.25 ERA in 20 innings so far. It hasn’t been enough though, especially with the way other reliable arms are pitching as of late.

Will Smith recently lost his closing job to Chapman. Smith leads the Rangers in saves with 22 but has been awful in August, recording a 10.38 ERA in 11 appearances. He blew two saves in the month, bringing his season total to four in 2023.

Jose Leclerc has been massive for the Rangers, tossing 8.2 scoreless innings in August. Since returning from injury on July 6, He has a 1.40 ERA in 18 appearances. He's also expected to get some work as the closer. He has two saves this season and 38 total for his MLB career.

How Texas can overcome reliever woes

The simplest solution for the Rangers is to out-hit the other team. Texas likely doesn’t want to get into a shootout with the way their bullpen has pitched, but it should like its chances against anyone with the way its lineup can turn it on in an instant.

The Rangers need their starters to carry the load in the postseason, limiting the amount of innings the bullpen has to toss, especially in the early stages of the playoffs. If Texas is able to make a deep run, it'll need as many fresh arms as possible.

With the trade deadline in the rearview mirror and not much reinforcement in the minors, the Rangers have to work with what they have in the bullpen. This could be a completely different conversation a month from now with Texas clinching a playoff spot, or we might be talking about what the Rangers left on the table in 2023.