The Rangers recorded their third straight sub-.500 season in 2026, yet their 80-82 record was almost enough to win the lackluster American League West. The division ultimately went to the 81-81 Astros, who became the first team in the 31-year-old Wild Card era to clinch a playoff spot without finishing over .500. After his team was unable to clear a low bar in 2026, Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young met with the media to discuss the club’s shortcomings and offseason plans on Monday.
“We need to get younger, we need to get more athletic, we need to get more dynamic,” said Young, who added that the Rangers did not show enough “grit and toughness” on the road the past two seasons (links via Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News). They went 33-48 away from Arlington in 2025 and a nearly identical 35-46 this year.
It is unclear how Young plans to address those problems, and the amount of money he’ll have at his disposal is also unknown. However, Young said he’ll have answers on the Rangers’ Opening Day payroll before free agency begins, per Jeff Wilson of DLLS Sports. They spent well north of $200MM to start the 2024 and ’25 seasons, but the figure dropped to $185MM and change this year.
Despite holding a two-game lead in the AL West as the Aug. 3 trade deadline neared, the Rangers operated without much financial flexibility. They were around $27MM below the competitive balance tax threshold (they paid the CBT in 2023 and ’24) and could have dipped under even more had they dealt right-hander Jacob deGrom. But deGrom invoked his no-trade clause, and unless he accepts a deal over the winter (if the Rangers shop him), he’ll play out the last guaranteed year of his contract in Texas in 2027 for $37MM.
The Rangers also reportedly approached shortstop Corey Seager about waiving his NTC before the deadline, but he joined deGrom in staying put. Seager, who is under contract through 2031 on the 10-year, $325MM pact he signed in 2021, missed 60 games for the second season in a row in 2026. In light of that, Young told Kennedi Landry of MLB.com and other reporters that the Rangers “did not get enough from Corey Seager and Wyatt Langford in terms of being out on the field, in terms of games played. Any team that loses their two biggest contributors offensively is likely going to fall short of their goal. And it happened too often this year”
Seager took 436 trips to the plate and hit .227/.312/.424 (106 wRC+) with 20 home runs and 2.2 fWAR. Decent numbers, but a far cry from the .284/.358/.503 line and 130 wRC+ the five-time All-Star has produced since he debuted with the Dodgers in 2015. A bone spur in Seager’s elbow may have had something to do with the drop-off. He dealt with the injury “for a few months” and could undergo minor offseason surgery to address it, Young said (via Landry). As of now, though, the Rangers are not concerned surgery would affect Seager’s availability for spring training.
Texas is also determining whether third baseman Josh Jung will have surgery on his hand, McFarland reports. Jung suffered a fracture on a hit by pitch from the Twins’ Joe Ryan last Friday, ending his season after just 104 games. Meanwhile, injuries held Langford out of 52 contests. Regardless of the offseason moves Young and general manager Ross Fenstermaker pull off, healthier years from Seager, Langford and Jung should improve the Rangers’ chances of ending a three-year skid in 2027.
