Arm race is real in AL West

In an MLB trade deadline where most teams seemed content to do just enough to improve their rosters, leave it to the Lone Star state to go all-in to improve their rosters.
By the time the dust settled on Tuesday’s trade deadline, the stars were indeed bigger and brighter deep in the heart of Texas.
If you missed it, the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers made it a point to do everything they could to ensure their best shots at World Series championships.
For the Texas Rangers, their acquisition of Max Scherzer from the New York Mets is the cherry on top of a roster that has surprised most fans and gave them a high-end ace for a rotation that has punched above its weight all season.
Make no mistake, the Rangers have had their focus on making themselves major contenders the past two offseasons with signings like Corey Seager, Marcus Semien and pitcher Jacob DeGrom.
When DeGrom went down to Tommy John surgery earlier this season, the rotation stepped up in a big way and has kept the Rangers on top of the AL West standings all season.
That and an offense that has sported the best run differential in the American League throughout the season made sure that Texas wasn’t going to go anywhere even before the Scherzer acquisiton.
Even now, at 39-years-old, Scherzer was the prized arm on the market and the Rangers made sure he ended up theirs.
Not to be outdone, the in-state rival and defending World Series champion Houston Astros had their own move to make.
Theirs, though, was a lot more familiar and represented a homecoming of sorts.
Justin Verlander had just left Houston this past offseason for an end-of-career megadeal with the Mets.
He was supposed to pair with now division rival Scherzer to give the Mets an all-in and unbeatable duo as they chased a ring of their own.
When it didn’t happen, the Mets sold high on both assets.
And because of New York’s misfortune, Houston is hoping Verlander has one final 2017 playoff run inside his arm.
To be honest, neither superstar pitcher has felt like their usual dominant selves throughout this season.
Verlander, however, has been better of late. And Scherzer, despite his underachieving, is still sporting an ERA near 4.00 this year.
The message from both teams is clear. In an era where people seem to think hitting and homers are king, two big-time contenders are sending the message that frontline pitching is still of utmost importance in October.
The reason why they feel that way is clear. If you can hold teams to fewer runs, the game gets easier.
For the Astros, they’ve struggled to stay healthy in the rotation all season. Perhaps this moves the team to a six-man rotation in preparation for the postseason and save some of Framber Valdez’s best innings for late in the game.
And at the end of the day, these trades make it clear that both teams believe they have what it takes to win a World Series right now.
It’s going to be a fun ride in the AL West for the remainder of the season.
May the biggest star shine brightest.