Rangers Focused On Pitching, Unlikely To Pursue Additional Bats

It’s been a relatively active offseason for the Rangers. That’s not true to the same extent as their infamous half-billion dollar offseason that saw them sign Corey Seager, Marcus Semien and Jon Gray, but Texas has still swung one major trade (Semien for Brandon Nimmo), signed four free agents to major league deals (Danny Jansen, Chris Martin, Alexis Diaz, Tyler Alexander) and made multiple waiver claims (Michel Otañez, Willie MacIver, Zak Kent).

Reshaping the team’s offense has been a focal point, but president of baseball operations Chris Young strongly suggested over the weekend that his club is unlikely to add further to its position player group. Meeting with the Texas beat, Young said that “pitching is the main focus” and that the Rangers “feel pretty good” about their group of bats heading into the season (link via Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News). Young didn’t expressly rule out another addition and noted that he’d continue to be “opportunistic” as the late stages of the market come together, but it was a pretty clear and candid description of where his baseball operations group’s focus currently rests.

On the one hand, it’s not entirely a shock. Texas has effectively plugged Nimmo into the non-tendered Adolis Garcia’s spot in the lineup, resolving one position the team sought to upgrade. The aforementioned Jansen will get the bulk of the reps behind the plate, stepping in for another non-tendered veteran, Jonah Heim. Texas already signaled after trading Semien to the Mets that second base was likely to be filled internally; Josh Smith has been the favorite for reps there since that point.

Much of the remaining lineup is set. Seager and Wyatt Langford were the team’s two best hitters last year and will be back in the heart of the order in 2026. Evan Carter hasn’t replicated his brilliant 2023 rookie numbers but has been a solid hitter when healthy (a major caveat the past couple seasons). Young third baseman Josh Jung could’ve been a change-of-scenery candidate alongside sluggers Jake Burger and Joc Pederson, but it seems all three will get the chance to rebound. In Pederson’s case, there was likely little choice; he’s owed $18.5MM in 2026, and no team was going to pick up much of that salary after Pederson hit just .181/.285/.328 last season.

Given the struggles at the infield corners last year and the suspect composition of the current bench group, the Rangers very arguably could use at least one more bat in the infield/designated hitter mix. Anyone who could play some combination of first base, second base and third base would seemingly fit the bill. At the same time, it’s also been clear throughout the winter that the Rangers are working to scale back the payroll. RosterResource currently projects a roughly $176MM payroll, which puts Texas about $40MM south of the $216MM at which they opened the 2025 season.

[Related: The Rangers’ Wide Open Infield Mix]

It’s not clear exactly how much ownership is willing to spend on the 2026 group, but a major acquisition on either side of the ball certainly doesn’t seem likely. It’s plausible that teams missing out on free agents like Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette and others might check in on the Rangers’ willingness to sell low on Jung — perhaps in exchange for a former top pitching prospect in a similar change-of-scenery setup — but to this point, that seemingly hasn’t happened. Texas was said to be seeking a right-handed bat and some rotation help in mid-December after signing Jansen, Diaz and Alexander. That righty bat may still be on the wishlist but doesn’t appear to be a top priority at the moment.

It’s not all that hard to see why. The Rangers’ rotation features an impressive top three, with Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Jack Leiter claiming those positions. Left-hander Cody Bradford will be sidelined into the second half following June UCL surgery. As things currently stand, the Rangers would need two of Kumar Rocker, Jacob Latz, Jose Corniell and non-roster invitee Nabil Crismatt to step up in the rotation.

Rocker is a notable prospect but has yet to put things together in the majors. Latz pitched well in both a relief and starting role last year, but his 2.84 ERA isn’t 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 former bounced all the way back with 172 2/3 innings after making only nine MLB starts from 2023-24. The latter was limited to 22 starts thanks to elbow and shoulder troubles; he also underwent sports hernia surgery in the offseason.

It’s a top-heavy group with questionable depth. One injury to any of deGrom, Eovaldi or Leiter would leave the Rangers reeling. Two would put them on the verge of fielding an almost entirely untested rotation. Even reuniting with Patrick Corbin or a similar back-of-the-rotation veteran on a one-year deal (e.g. Chris Paddack, Aaron Civale) would give the Rangers some more stability.

Another reliever certainly wouldn’t hurt, either. Holdovers Robert Garcia and Cole Winn will be joined by free agent additions like Diaz, Alexander and Martin (who re-signed on a second one-year deal with the Rangers, his hometown club). Diaz and Alexander were signed as rebound candidates. Winn’s rate stats suggest his sub-2.00 ERA is due for some notable regression. The Rangers currently have two unsettled spots and arguably three, if you don’t assume that Rule 5 pick Carter Baumler has a spot locked down. There should be several seasoned arms looking for low-cost, one-year deals late in free agency.