The Rangers failed to score enough runs for the second straight year. After making a few unsuccessful changes around the core last winter, they should be up for a more radical overhaul of the lineup.
Guaranteed Contracts
- Corey Seager, SS: $186MM through 2031
- Jacob deGrom, RHP: $75MM through 2027 (deal includes club/vesting option for '28)
- Marcus Semien, 2B: $72MM through 2028
- Nathan Eovaldi, RHP: $57MM through 2027 (including $12MM in unpaid signing bonus)
- Joc Pederson, DH: $18.5MM player option
- Kyle Higashioka, C: $7.75MM through 2026 (including buyout of '27 mutual option)
Option Decisions
- DH Joc Pederson haș $18.5MM player option (deal includes matching mutual option for '27)
2026 guarantees (assuming Pederson opts in): $146.25MM
Total future commitments: $416.25MM through 2031
Arbitration-Eligible Players (service time in parentheses; projected salaries courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)
- Jonah Heim (5.097): $6MM
- Adolis García (5.095): $12.1MM
- Josh Sborz (5.055): $1.1MM
- Jacob Webb (5.046): $2MM
- Sam Haggerty (5.007): $1.4MM
- Josh Smith (3.129): $3MM
- Jake Burger (3.127): $3.5MM
- Ezequiel Duran (3.050): $1.4MM
- Josh Jung (3.023): $2.9MM
Non-tender candidates: Heim, García, Sborz, Haggerty, Burger, Duran
Free Agents
- Merrill Kelly, Patrick Corbin, Tyler Mahle, Hoby Milner, Shawn Armstrong, Phil Maton, Chris Martin, Danny Coulombe, Rowdy Tellez, Jon Gray, Dylan Moore, Donovan Solano
The Rangers followed up their championship season with a 78-84 showing in which they finished 18th in scoring. They signed Joc Pederson and swapped out Nathaniel Lowe for Jake Burger, hoping to add some power and do more damage against fastballs. Neither Pederson nor Burger stepped up, and the Rangers dropped to 22nd in scoring this year. An improved pitching staff pushed them to .500, but they finished with a whimper despite buying at the trade deadline.
Bigger changes are in order. That already began in the manager's office. The Rangers parted ways with Bruce Bochy after three seasons. It took less than a week to hammer out a four-year contract with Skip Schumaker, a former NL Manager of the Year who returns to the dugout after a season working as a special assistant in the Texas front office. Schumaker should be working with a much different lineup than the one that closed Bochy's tenure.
The broad focus is to improve the offensive approach. Only the Rockies, Guardians, Angels and White Sox had a lower on-base percentage. Texas was in the bottom third of MLB in walk rate. At the end-of-season press conference, general manager Ross Fenstermaker said the team could prioritize "stable skills, on-base percentage, the ability to make contact, execute situationally" in their external additions (link via Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News).
Before that can happen, they'll need to move on from a few players. Rowdy Tellez is their only impending free agent hitter of any note, so the significant work will happen via trades and/or non-tenders. They're unlikely to find a taker for Pederson, who'll exercise a $16.5MM player option after hitting .181/.285/.328 during his first season in Texas. It's hard to imagine they'd move Corey Seager, who remains the team's best hitter and whose contract (another six years at $31MM annually) would only work for a couple large-market teams. Wyatt Langford, Josh Smith and Evan Carter should be back as affordable building blocks.
The Rangers might try to get out from under a portion of the Marcus Semien contract. He's owed $72MM over the final three seasons of his seven-year free agent deal. Semien was phenomenal during the World Series season but has tailed off over the past two years. He's coming off a career-worst .230/.305/.364 slash line with 15 homers and ended the year on the injured list with a Lisfranc issue in his left foot.
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What would Tampa want for Fairbanks and J.Lowe I wonder?
Once again this same guy writes about the Rangers and it’s clear he has no sense of reality about what the team is doing. It’s just bad reporting.
Burger isn’t going to be non-tendered — he played for Schumaker in Miami and Skip loves him.
You also said “start from scratch” at catcher? That’s sheer stupdity. The club was very pleased with Kyle Higashioka.
Trade deGrom and Eovaldi? Laughable. I’m sure the new manager would be all on board for that nonsensical suggestion.
MLBTR needs to find a real reporter — who actually pays attention to what the club and its players are saying — to cover the Rangers.
I agree that MLBTR writers seem to know very little about the Rangers at times, but in their defense they are trying to cover 30 teams, but a little more investigation and a more fair response to questions about the Rangers would help. They all get tied up answering questions about a handful of teams and chunk in one or two questions about the Rangers in the chats just to say they answered one.
As a Rangers fan, I have the following opinions.
1. Completely agree.
2. Higashioka is alright, but I would like an upgrade at catcher.
3. The most ridiculous (At the trade) idea I’ve seen in this article.
All the Rangers are looking for this off-season is to maintain their top-notch pitching (Which they were never really good at) and to fix their offense (Especially right-handed bats that can hit lefties.)
MLBTR writer Anthony Franco appears almost completely clueless on all the Rangers needs preparing for next season. Following the 2021 MLB season, owner Ray Davis invested a huge amount on a core of star players which earned us a championship. Thank you, Mr. Davis! But maintaining this talent appears more than Mr. Davis is now willing to commit. It will take a magic wand to replace all the underperforming talent and free agents to be replaced this offseason and remain within team budget. Enter Texas Rangers President of Baseball Operations Chris Young. Godspeed.
Completely agree.
Cut Burger and replace him with… ? The Rangers are on a budget and I think it’s smart for them to reset their luxury tax obligations (assuming they weren’t able to do that this year- not sure I’ve heard definitively, only speculation). Where exactly could they hope to get better production at first for a similar price? Better to roll the dice on Burger’s youth and a return to form with better health.
I’m also not sure that there are great upgrades to be had at catcher either, and Higashioka is perfectly solid. (Saw Jeffers and Caratini mentioned below- not sure they’re that big of an upgrade. Maybe something makes sense there, but we’re not talking about difference-making moves at this point. And both Higgy and Heim are excellent behind the plate.)
Texas needs to prioritize a catcher and go after Jeffers and if not Caratini, Then go after the Rightfielder. Cut or trade Duran, Heim and I hate to say it but Adolis García. Put Walcott at third at the farm to audition for the bigs in June or July it it’s working out for him and us.
Is there any chance Seager gets traded to Yankees? Are the Rangers looking to reduce salary?
@mlbnyyfan
Texas brought in Seager and Semien to stabilize the horrific infield we had, it’s working, We had the number 1 defense last year,Seager is the catalyst for this team and I don’t see him leaving anytime soon, lots of rumors on Semien but I don’t see him leaving either. They went one the luxury tax again for the third time. That’s when you get penalized the most, They now will have to lower payroll to reset the luxury taxes. How much ? Below $244 million
Don’t hate to say it, Garcia needs to go. He’s a liability at this point.
He was amazing defensively last year, but the declining bat speed worries me greatly. We might give him one more half-season at this point.
“$150M tied up in 6 players” and the team still stunk. Teams gotta start thinking real hard about limiting contracts to 3, maybe 4 years. Doesn’t usually work out to be team friendly, to go longer than that.
The problem is that you probably don’t get Seager without a big offer, same with Semien. Also Texas was firmly in the playoff hunt until well into August, this was not a bad team they just need to find some consistent offense again.
I think the Rangers would give Semien to anyone willing to assume his contract…in a New York minute.
1-As Okie said, you don’t get these guys unless you give them the best offer.
2-The Rangers didn’t stink. They were .500 with a Py W/L of 90. It feels like they never even considered getting a closer.
IMHO, I’d see if they can add Mahle, Kelly, and Williams on contracts that have terms favorable to the Rangers irt salary, but favorable to the players in terms of opt-outs and options. They are only in salary trouble in 2026, and it loosens up after that.
Williams?? Who is that
I would see what a trade to Pittsburgh would look like to acquire some combination of Santana, Bart and Reynolds’s or Keller. Perhaps see if Rays would agree to some type of trade framework involving Heim and J Lowe or B Lowe. Abreu from Boston would serve as a nice replacement for AGarcia. FA wise depending on trades I would seek out AHays,Lane Thomas,Miquel Andujar or Grichuk to help against lefties. If they choose to make one big expenditure Bellinger is perfect fit and Ranger Suarez has to be a Ranger doesn’t he.
I love the Pittsburgh trade idea
Some good ideas, but not sure I agree on the FA outfielders you mentioned, especially with needing to cut payroll. Bellinger will likely be too expensive, and even though those other guys are cheap, it makes a little more sense to save that few million and see what you’ve got with the cheaper options of Osuna, Helman, Dustin Harris, etc (if they go the cheap route).