It has been an off season for the Rangers. That’s not true to the same extent as their infamous billion dollar signing season Corey Seager, Marcus Semien again Jon Graybut Texas still changes one big trade (Semien for Brandon Nimmo), signed four free agents to major league deals (Danny Jansen, Chris Martin, Alexis Diaz, Tyler Alexander) and makes many claims for waivers (Michel Otañez, Willie MacIver, Zak Kent).
Retooling the team’s offense has been a major focus, but president of baseball operations Chris Young strongly suggested over the weekend that his club is unlikely to add to its roster. In meeting the Texas rhythm, Young said that “pitching is the main focus” and that the Rangers “feel pretty good” about their bat group heading into the season (link via Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News). Young didn’t make it clear that he would make another bid and noted that he will continue to be “opportunistic” as the final stages of the market converge, but it was a clear and concise description of where his baseball team is focused right now.
On the other hand, it’s not a complete shock. Texas successfully tied Nimmo to no-bid Adolis GarciaA place on the list, solves one place that the team wants to improve. The aforementioned Jansen will get plenty of reps behind the plate, replacing another undrafted veteran, Jonah Heim. Texas already signed after trading Semien to the Mets that second base could be filled in; Josh Smith it has been a favorite of the reps there ever since.
Most of the rest of the list is set. Seager again Wyatt Langford they were the team’s best batsmen last year and will return to the heart of the order in 2026. Evan Carter he didn’t repeat his great rookie numbers from 2023 but he was a hitter when healthy (a big caveat the last few seasons). A junior third baseman Josh Jung may be a candidate for a scene change next to sluggers Jake Burger again Joc Pedersonbut it seems that all three will get a chance to bond again. In Pederson’s case, there was almost no choice; he’s owed $18.5MM in 2026, and no team was going to pick up much of that salary after Pederson hit .181/.285/.328 last season.
Given the struggles in the middle infield corners last year and a suspect bench group, the Rangers could undoubtedly use at least one bat in the infield/designated hitter mix. Anyone who can play a combination of first base, second base and third base would seem to fit the bill. At the same time, it was also clear throughout the winter that the Rangers were working to reduce their salary. RosterResource currently projects a cap hit of $176MM, which puts Texas about $40MM south of the $216MM cap they have to open the 2025 season.
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It’s unclear exactly how much ownership is willing to spend on the 2026 team, but a major acquisition on both sides of the ball doesn’t seem likely. It’s clear that teams are missing out on free agents alike Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette and some may test Rangers’ willingness to sell low on Jung – perhaps to get a chance to put the top forward in the same scenery setting – but so far, that doesn’t seem to have happened. Texas was reportedly looking for a right-handed bat and rotation help in mid-December after signing Jansen, Diaz and Alexander. That right bat might be on the wish list but it doesn’t seem to be very important at the moment.
It’s not that hard to see why. The Rangers rotation features an impressive top three, with Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi again Jack Leiter they contested those positions. Left hand Cody Bradford will be out for the second half following UCL surgery in June. As things stand right now, the Rangers will need two Kumar Rocker, Jacob Latz, Jose Corniel and an unregistered invitee Nabil Crismatt increase in circulation.
Rocker is a notable prospect but has yet to put things together in the big plans. Latz excelled in both relief and the starting role last year, but his 2.84 ERA is not supported by the rest of his profile (21.8 K%, 10.6 BB%, 4.37 SIERA). Both deGrom and Eovaldi, of course, have notable injury histories. The starter bounced back with 172 2/3 innings after making just nine MLB starts in 2023-24. The latter was limited to 22 starts due to elbow and shoulder problems; he also had sports hernia surgery in the offseason.
A top-heavy team with questionable depth. One injury to either deGrom, Eovaldi or Leiter would leave the Rangers reeling. The two could put them on the edge of an almost untested rotation. Even meeting again Patrick Corbin or a similar veteran who has returned to a one-year contract (eg Chris Paddack, Aaron Civale) would have given the Rangers more stability.
Some relief certainly wouldn’t hurt, either. Holdovers Robert Garcia again Cole Winn he will be joined by free additions such as Diaz, Alexander and Martin (who also signed a one-year deal with Rangers, his hometown club). Diaz and Alexander have been signed as candidates. Winn’s average statistics suggest that his ERA below 2.00 is due to some significant decline. The Rangers currently have two undrafted spots and arguably three, if you don’t think it’s a Rule 5 pick Carter Baumler it has a closed area. There should be several veteran arms looking for inexpensive, one-year deals late in free agency.
