Over the 2022-23 offseason, the Rangers concentrated their attention and resources on the rotation. They signed , the biggest name on the market, and , a World Series champion and postseason hero. They re-signed , an 11-year veteran and a 2022 All-Star. They took a chance on the injury-prone , who flashed dominant strikeout stuff over the second half of the season. Suffice it to say, very little went according to plan. deGrom went down at the end of April. Eovaldi looked like a Cy Young contender through the All-Star break, but a forearm strain ruined the second half of his season. Perez, meanwhile, struggled so badly through the first four months that he wound up in the bullpen after the trade deadline. Heaney was a similar case; he lasted longer in the rotation but never quite found his groove, and he landed in the bullpen in September. , who signed with Texas a year prior, was reliable for much of the season but suffered a forearm strain of his own in late September. Thats a whole lot of misfortune for a team that still finished fifth in the AL in rotation ERA and FanGraphs WAR, not to mention a team that made the playoffs and swept its way to the ALCS. While the pre-season plan didnt exactly work out, the Rangers made the best of some tough breaks with depth and aggre sive trades at the deadline. Now, as they prepare to take on the Astros, the rotation could be as strong as its been since April. Eovaldi has put his rough September far behind him with two phenomenal Josh Reaves Jersey postseason starts. Acro s 13 2/3 innings, he has given up just two runs while striking out 15 and walking none. The righty is harkening back to his performance with the 2018 Red Sox, but even then, he was never quite as effective as hes been over his last two outings. Meanwhile, trade deadline acquisition has been superb, pitching to a 2.79 ERA in August and September and a 3.27 ERA in the playoffs. While he has had a few rough starts, including his performance against the Orioles on Sunday, he has looked dominant more often than not, such as in his gem against the Rays last Tuesday. Those two will lead the way in the ALCS, and with several off days between their victory last night and Game 1 on Sunday, the Rangers can set up their rotation however theyd like. That means Montgomery in Game 1, Eovaldi in Game 2, and no need to piggyback Heaney and to open the series. In fact, Texas might not need to piggyback Heaney and Dunning at all. , another deadline addition for Texas, is approaching a preternatural return from a teres major strain. He seemed like a long shot for the playoffs until relatively recently, but he has been ramping up his throwing program in October, and now it looks like he could make the ALCS roster. As , the three-time Cy Young winner threw a simulated game on Wednesday, and he feels good about his chances to pitch against the Astros. Grant had a similarly positive update about Gray, who plans to ramp up his rehab this week. He is not as far along as Scherzer, but he also didnt mi s as much time. If he gets back on a mound in the coming days, he, too, could be ready for the ALCS. Neither Scherzer nor Gray is likely to pitch deep into a game. Its a good thing, then, that manager Bruce Bochy has several converted starters in his bullpen. Not all of them will make the roster if Scherzer and Gray both return, but even so, the Rangers have plenty of options to pitch the middle innings. A rotation of Montgomery, Eovaldi, Scherzer, and Gray (with Heaney, Dunning, and Perez providing depth) should give Texas a chance to win every time out. The starting rotation was supposed to be a strength for the Rangers this year. At the best of times, it has been just that, but more often than not, its been a large, looming question mark instead. The questions will remain until Scherzer and Gray actually take the ball, but all the same, this rotation is in a better place than it has been for quite some time. Boban Marjanovic Jersey