The Rangers’ hiring of Skip Schumaker as manager was the biggest news out of Arlington yesterday, but some other items emerged from the club’s end-of-season press conference that took place on Friday hours before Schumaker’s deal was announced. President of baseball operations Chris Young and GM Ross Fenstermaker gave some hints about the managerial search when speaking with the Dallas Morning News’ Shawn McFarland (multiple links), MLB.com’s Drew Davison, and other media, as Young said the club wasn’t yet looking at external candidates and had “a lead candidate internally that we’re focused on.” Sure enough, the Rangers ended up promoting senior advisor Schumaker into the manager’s chair as Bruce Bochy’s successor, an outcome that was widely predicted if Bochy wasn’t returning for 2026.
More continuity could exist within the coaching staff, as Young said that the team is open to retaining all of its coaches for next season. Schumaker’s familiarity with the organization could help in this regard, but naturally the new skipper will have some say in bringing in some of his own choices for the 2026 staff.
Speaking of pitching coach Mike Maddux in particular, Young said the Rangers want to retain Maddux either in his current position or in some other role within the organization. The well-respected Maddux has now logged three seasons in his second stint as the Texas pitching coach, after previously working in that same job during the 2009-15 seasons. Given how the Rangers’ rotation excelled in 2025, it would seem like the ball is in Maddux’s court about whether he wants to return to Arlington in any capacity, or perhaps seek out a new challenge elsewhere.
Texas led all of baseball in rotation ERA (3.41) and overall ERA (3.49), but a lackluster offense doomed the club to an even 81-81 record. While the Rangers’ lineup never truly got clicking, the club’s numbers in some categories did improve as the year went on, which Young attributed to more of a contract-driven approach under hitting coach Bret Boone (who was hired in early May after offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker was fired). This emphasis on putting the ball on play and not over-focusing on launch angles will continue, as Fenstermaker said the club will look for players with “stable skills, on-base percentage, the ability to make contact, [and] execute situationally” when weighing new additions.
A full winter and Spring Training under Boone should also help, Young noted, rather than the lineup having to somewhat adjust on the fly after Ecker was let go. “The philosophy did shift. The players have not had an offseason to adjust,” Young said. “I think they’ll be asked to do different things in the offseason in terms of their training, and not just simply working on one specific swing, but being able to do multiple things that may allow them to be more successful and contribute to a team-type of approach that is necessary.”
Fenstermaker also provided updates on several Rangers players who were bothered by injuries down the stretch, noting that Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Wyatt Langford, Evan Carter, and Cole Winn are all expected to have normal offseasons and will be ready for the start of Spring Training. Jake Burger should also be ready to go for spring camp following his recent wrist surgery, as Fenstermaker said Burger’s recovery timeline is around 6-8 weeks.
Nathan Eovaldi’s offseason prep work could be delayed by a sports hernia surgery in the near future. Fenstermaker said Eovaldi is visiting a specialist next week to determine if a surgery is necessary, with a timeline to be determined if the veteran righty ends up going under the knife. Sports hernia surgeries have a fairly broad recovery period of roughly 6-12 weeks depending on the nature of the procedure, so there could be some impact on Eovaldi’s regular throwing build-up, which in turn would possibly delay his availability for Spring Training.
More will be known when and if the surgery takes place, though there is some good news in that Eovaldi’s arm seems fine. Eovaldi’s season was ended after he was put on the injured list with a rotator cuff strain at the end of August, but Fenstermaker said the right-hander’s throwing program should proceed as planned once the matter of the sports hernia procedure is cleared.
Between the rotator cuff strain and an earlier IL stint for posterior elbow inflammation, Eovaldi was limited to 130 innings and 22 starts in 2025. Such injuries have to be a concern given Eovaldi’s lengthy past health history and the fact that he is turning 36 in February, but the veteran righty still looked like an elite arm when he was able to pitch. Eovaldi posted a 1.73 ERA over his 130 frames, with a superb 4.2% walk rate and host of other impressive metrics backing up that tiny ERA.
Cody Bradford is also expected to be set for the start of Spring Training, which counts as a bit of a surprise given that Bradford underwent an internal brace procedure in late June. Brace procedures do come with a shorter timeline than Tommy John surgeries, so the initial thought was that Bradford was would be out until late June 2026 at the earliest. The fact that Bradford is expected to participate in all of spring camp doesn’t necessarily alter that timeline since he’ll still need a lot of ramp-up time, though it’s a positive sign that Bradford seems to be making good progress in the first few months of his rehab.
