“Courtesy Of The Red, White and Blue”

Country music and the world lost a legend last week. Toby Keith sadly passed away on February 5, 2024 at the young age of 62. Growing up on country radio in the 1990’s and early 2000’s, Keith is a staple that resonates with memories of childhood innocence and car rides with grandparents on gravel backroads. He’s also been a good friend of mine at the local watering hole over the years, and I’ve been known to dial up “I Love This Bar” during karaoke a time or ten.

While there’s no direct correlation between Toby Keith and the Texas Rangers, I feel obligated to pay homage to the Oklahoma native who’s music will surely live on for generations to come. Not only was he a 2-Time ACM Entertainer of the Year (2002 & 2003), CMA Male Vocalist of the Year (2001), and National Medal of Arts Recipient (2020); he’s likely to be posthumously elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame.

As we say goodbye to an icon, I thought it would be fun to highlight some of Toby Keith’s greatest hits as they pertain to the upcoming season for the World Series Champion Texas Rangers. Especially since that championship title was brought to us all “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.”

“A Little Less Talk And A Lot More Action”

It’s safe to say this offseason has been…..uneventful. The Rangers have one of the top-five farm systems in all of baseball, and they are coming off a World Series title. With key depatures from the title run being Mitch Garver, Aroldis Chapman, Will Smith and Robbie Grossman, the Rangers really didn’t need to improve much to be competitive in 2024. That didn’t stop them from bolstering the bullpen by adding Kirby Yates, Diego Castillo (minor league deal) and David Robertson.

Tyler Mahle joined the starting rotation, but will have to wait with Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer until after the All-Star break to make his Rangers debut. Travis Jankowski became a fan favorite in 2023, and will certainly continue to play that role as he returns in 2024. And Adolis Garcia signed a two-year extension to keep him with the club through 2025; essentially buying out his remaining arbitration years.

Beyond that, it’s been all talk and very little action. Several big names remain on the free agent board and I’m not alone in hoping one of those players finds his way to Arizona this week as the club begins Spring Training Camp. Jordan Montgomery was fantastic for the Rangers in 2023, and was even more impressive during the postseason. He’s seeking a long-term deal with a high AAV and he deserves every bit of what he’s asking. With the Diamond Sports deal wrapped up, and the money for 2024 becoming a clear picture, it seems like the perfect time to reunite the Rangers and Montgomery with a four-year deal (mutual option for year five).

“As Good As I Once Was”

Cue Jacob deGrom or Max Scherzer. deGrom was sidelined in 2023 to undergo Tommy John Surgery, but was putting together some impressive starts prior to injury. The two-time Cy Young Award winner signed with Texas in the 2023 offseason, propelling discussions surrounding the Rangers as potential threats in the American League. Now coming off his second TJ surgery, fans everywhere are curious if we will ever see the peek Jacob deGrom we all hoped we were getting. Will his fastball still reach triple digits? Will the slider be as effective as it’s been in years past? Or, perhaps, when will he get hurt again?

Scherzer is a different story. We know the age, but more importantly we know his reputation. A two-time Cy Young winner himself, Max battled on and off injuries that sidelined him for most of the Rangers playoff run. He will be 40 years old this July, and is certainly seeing his career come to an end in the near future. They call him “Mad Max” for a reason; he knows his body and there’s arguably never been a competitor on the mound quite like him.

Regardless of injuries, age, or whatever reason you want to put in blame’s way, both are certainly not the ace’s of old we know them to be. However, they are still better options than most baseball has to offer. I foresee their returns being met with some road blocks, but nothing that will hinder their impact on this season. They’ve got one of the best rehab staff’s in all of MLB, arguably the best pitching coach in Mike Maddux, and a top-tier defense to support them on the field. August can’t come soon enough to watch these legends share a rotation once again.

“Who’s Your Daddy?”

This one goes out to the Astros. Could have gone with “How Do You Like Me Now?” but let’s ruffle some feathers instead. I’ll let the highlight speak for itself!

“I Wanna Talk About Me”

Dodgers, Ohtani, Dodgers, Yamamoto, Braves, Yankees….blah blah blah. It’s surely no secret that Shohei Ohtani was going to dominate headlines going into the 2024 offseason. Now that he and his fellow countrymen, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, are heading to the Dodgers, all we can hear about is how dangerous Los Angeles will be this upcoming season. Yes, that’s a talented team and they have the players in place to win a title in 2024. Let’s also not forget they couldn’t get passed the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023, even after winning 100 games in the regular season.

Juan Soto went to the Yankees in a blockbuster trade that elevates their outfield to another level both defensively and offensively. Combine that with a rotation that features the reigning AL Cy Young winner in Gerrit Cole and coveted 2023 free agent Caros Rodon. Yet again, we continue to overlook the fact that the Yankees weren’t even in the playoff field for 2023.

The Texas Rangers won their first World Series Championship. They went 11-0 on the road in postseason play, and knocked off the top-three teams in the American League (who all had home field advantage) on their way to claiming their first title. In return, they are met with minimal optimism to repeat in 2024, and presented with even less optimism to even be players in the postseason.

ESPN Bet and BetMGM both have the Rangers with the fifth-best odds to win the title, coming in behind the Dodgers, Braves, Astros and Yankees. Fanduel gives the Rangers fifth-best odds to win the title as well (tied with the Orioles) while also favoring the Astros to win the AL West outright.

Fangraphs took it to another level by giving the Rangers a 36.4% chance to even make the playoffs. 36% to even make the playoffs for the reiging champions? Not only that, they give the Mariners better than 50% odds to make the playoffs and double their chances over the Rangers to win the division. Sure the Mariners have added Mitch Haniger and Jorge Polanco to their lineup, but is that really enough to have a 20% bump over the reigning champs?

Whatever the arguments may be, I’m all in on talking about the Rangers. This is a team that posseses some of the best young talent in all of baseball including Josh Jung, Evan Carter, Wyatt Langford, and the widely underrated Jonah Heim. Their rotation is solid and looks to be dominant after the trade deadline passes. Marcus Semien and Corey Seager makeup, arguably, the best middle infield duo in the league. I may be biased, but that doesn’t sound like a team with only a 36% chance to make the playoffs, rather a team who’s floor should be the ALDS and ceiling should be a repeat title.

Toby Keith (1961-2024)

God bless Toby Keith, and may he forever rest in peace. My thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones and fans all across the world. He was a patriot who loved his country and a true fighter until the very end. As we all say our final goodbyes, I’ll leave everyone with a personal favorite of mine that is a monthly repeat and a Fourth of July must listen.