These are all sensible goals. The lineup has struggled in 2025 and they’ve already deducted two notable righty bats. They acted Marcus Semien to the Mets for Brandon Nimmo and non-tendered outfielder Adolis Garciawho has now signed with the Phillies. Nimmo effectively replaces García in the Texas outfield, but Nimmo swings from the left side. The most likely replacement for Semien in second place is Jos Smitanother lefty.
In addition to Nmmo and Smith, the Rangers have lefties Corey Seager, Game Pederson And Evan Carter in the setup. Nimmo and Seager are regular guys. Smith has had a fairly modest platoon split thus far in his career. However, Pederson and Carter both struggle against southpaws. Manager Skip Schumaker has suggested that Carter could get a longer look against lefties, but could also be protected against some of the tougher players.
A right-handed hitter who could play some outfield could help the club on the grass and also in the designated hitter spot. Ezequiel Duran And Michael Helman are on the 40-man roster, are right-handed and can play in the outfield. Sam Haggerty is a switch hitter. However, all three generally profile themselves as light utilities.
The free agent market features Harrison Bader, Austin Hays, Miguel Andujar, Rob Refsnyder, Tommy Pham, Austin Slater, Randal Grichuk and other right-swinging outfielders. No one in that group should command a major deal, but several reports have indicated that the Rangers are reportedly dealing with a tight budget and have other things on the to-do list. Luis Robert Jr. appears to be available in trades, but the White Sox are setting a high asking price. Nick Castellanos is out there, but he hasn’t been an impact bat for a few years. The Astros want to turn things around Jake Meyers but he’s more of a glove-first outfielder. There’s also the intra-division aspect and the fact that Houston wants an immediate rotation upgrade that Texas can’t really provide.
Speaking of the rotation, the Rangers have a top-heavy group right now. Nathan Eovaldi And Jacob de Grom are a strong one-two punch up front, but it falls away afterwards. Tyler Mahle, Patrick Korbin, Merrill Kelly And Jon Gray at the end of the season they all became free agents. Jack Ladder has had a decent season, with a 3.86 earned run average over 151 2/3 innings. Kumar Rocker‘s season didn’t go as smoothly, as he had a 5.74 ERA over 14 starts. Jacob Latz had a decent year as a swingman, but still lacks Major League starting experience. There are a few other starters on the 40-man, but they are all younger and even less experienced than Leiter and Rocker.
It would be wise for the club to add a mid-rotation player, someone who would ideally slot behind the duo of Eovaldi and deGrom. Financial limitations can also play a role here. Apart from the Dylan stops signing, most of the top free agents are still there, but the Rangers probably aren’t looking at that market. Maybe someone loves Chris Bassitt, Luke Giolito or Zack Littell may be feasible depending on how much powder is dry and how the club attacks other areas. Boys like it Kris Bubic, Edward Cabrera, MacKenzie Gore, Kodai Senga, Mitch Keller and others could be in the trading bloc, with varying degrees of trading value.
Budget concerns were a factor in the club’s bullpen building strategy a year ago. They indicated one-year contracts Chris Martin, Hobby Milner, Luke Jackson, Jacob Webb And Shawn Armstrong. The group ultimately performed quite well, but almost the entire relief corps entered free agency after the 2025 season. As mentioned, they added Alexander and Díaz, but they will likely continue to look for more bullpen bargains. Wilson says the club is not expected to target the top end of the aid market.
Grid source currently, the Rangers are projecting a payroll of $175 million next year. That’s almost $50 million south of last year’s $224 million, but all indications are that the club will spend less on the 2026 club, although it’s unclear exactly where they’ll end up.
Photo courtesy of Tim Heitman, Imagn Images
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