Texas Rangers 2025 offseason preview: With one of the top rotations in baseball, can the Rangers get back to the playoffs in 2026?

2025 season: Eliminated Sept. 23

With the Rangers eliminated from the 2025 postseason, let’s take a look at the season that was in Texas, the questions the team must address this winter and the early outlook for next year.

Things that went right

The Rangers will likely finish the season with the lowest team ERA in MLB. Their rotation was as effective as any in the sport, and despite a lack of high-priced relievers, their bullpen was terrific as well.

Everyone expected Jacob deGrom to pitch well on a per-inning basis, but few would’ve predicted that he would make 30 starts. The 37-year-old no longer averages 99 mph on his fastball, and he won’t rank among the league’s strikeout leaders, but he continues to limit baserunners as well as anyone. And until he went on the IL in late August due to a rotator cuff strain, Nathan Eovaldi could make a case that he was even more valuable than deGrom. The 35-year-old was steady in recent seasons but enjoyed an outstanding 2025 that included a memorable streak of allowing one or fewer runs in 13 of 14 starts from April 25 to Aug. 5.

Behind them, Tyler Mahle was also outstanding, albeit over just 14 starts before he landed on the 60-day IL due to a shoulder injury. Finally, Patrick Corbin and Jack Leiter were useful innings-eaters, and Merrill Kelly arrived at the trade deadline to make a good group even better.

Most fans would’ve needed help identifying the relievers at the start of the season, but this group deserves plenty of credit for exceeding expectations. Robert Garcia led the team in saves and was among the leaders in holds. Hoby Milner and Chris Martin were terrific setup men, as were Jacob Webb and Shawn Armstrong. Phil Maton and Danny Coulombe were acquired at the trade deadline to give manager Bruce Bochy plenty of options in late innings.

Things that went wrong

The Rangers’ offense got off to a slow start and ranked 22nd in runs scored at the All-Star break. The lack of production was a big reason the team was playing catch-up with a last-gasp wild-card push down the stretch. A crew of youngsters — dubbed the “Little Rascals” and consisting of Cody Freeman, Michael Helman, Alejandro Osuna and Dustin Harris — kept the Rangers in the hunt the first few weeks of September. But in the end, these unheralded players couldn’t replace the expected production from big-name veterans who were injured or ineffective.

Corey Seager might’ve been the only hitter to meet expectations, though he also endured two first-half IL stints due to a right hamstring injury and underwent an appendectomy in late August. Marcus Semien was hoping for a bounce-back season; instead, he sunk to even greater depths before a broken foot on Aug. 21 ended his season early. The same can be said for Adolis García, who owned a .655 OPS when he landed on the IL due to an ankle injury in the middle of August.

Acquired in an offseason trade, Jake Burger was expected to provide power in the bottom half of the lineup. Instead, he was hitting .190 with three homers when he was optioned to Triple-A on May 2. He fared better after being recalled on May 12 but still didn’t make a notable impact. Josh Jung was also expected to contribute but fared so poorly that he owned a .648 OPS when he was sent to Triple-A on July 2. But offseason signee Joc Pederson was arguably the biggest disappointment. After producing 23 homers and a .908 OPS with Arizona last year, Pederson reached the All-Star break hitting .131 with two homers and six RBI in 122 at-bats.

A pair of young outfielders were disappointing as well. Wyatt Langford wasn’t awful, but he didn’t make the improvements expected from a 23-year-old who was once an elite prospect. And Evan Carter endured a second consecutive frustrating season, as he logged time in the minors and endured three IL stints for separate injuries.

Offseason outlook

The Rangers have plenty of pieces in place for 2026, but they need many of them to fare better than they did this year. The club has a solid pair of catchers in Kyle Higashioka and Jonah Heim, who are each under contract for one more year. The rest of the infield is set, with each player hoping for a bounce-back year. That includes Burger at first base, Semien at second, Seager at shortstop and Jung at the hot corner. Ezequiel Duran gives Bochy a versatile utilityman off the bench, and Pederson will likely exercise his player option to return as the primary DH.

The ideal outfield setup will consist of Carter in center field, Langford in left and García in right. Of course, to make that a reality, García will need to play better, and Carter must be more durable. The front office will need to make a decision on García, who is heading into his last year of arbitration on the heels of two disappointing seasons.

The 2026 Rangers will be able to match the aces of any opponent, assuming deGrom and Eovaldi continue their late-career success. Leiter will be counted on to take another step in his development, which must include lowering his walk rate. Corbin, Mahle and Kelly are headed to free agency, which means Texas’ front office needs to add at least one starter this winter. Kumar Rocker could help the situation by becoming a reliable starter, as he still has the upside that made him the third overall pick of the 2022 MLB Draft. Cody Bradford is another name to remember. He posted a 3.54 ERA in 2024 before missing all of this season due to an elbow injury that required internal brace surgery in June.

The bullpen requires a massive makeover. Martin, Milner and Armstrong are heading to free agency, while Coulombe and Maton were available because their contracts are up at the end of the season. That leaves Robert Garcia and not much else. On a positive note, the team will lose Jon Gray, who failed to meet expectations after signing a four-year contract in 2022.

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Prospects on the horizon

In Sebastian Walcott, the Rangers have one of baseball’s best prospects knocking on the door. Just 19 years old, Walcott held his own in Double-A this year. Players of his pedigree tend to improve quickly, and Walcott could open next season in Triple-A before debuting in Texas during the summer. His clearest path to playing time would be to displace Jung at third base.

The other two prospects nearing their debuts are pitchers Jose Corniell and Winston Santos, perfect fits for an organization looking for depth in the rotation and bullpen. Corniell has looked terrific since returning this summer from Tommy John surgery. Santos hasn’t pitched since April due to a back injury, which makes him more of a question for 2026.

Goals for 2026

The Rangers will enter 2026 with postseason aspirations. However, they are in a unique spot, as the strength of their team (pitching) is losing several players, while their weakness (hitting) is counting on many returning players to improve.

To catch up to the Astros and Mariners in the AL West, multiple hurlers will need to be signed. There’s also a scenario in which general manager Ross Fenstermaker shakes up the roster by trading away some underachieving position players. But with Seager, deGrom and Eovaldi on the roster, Texas will surely remain in win-now mode.

Fantasy focus

The Rangers have some star power, which means we will see some Texas players in the early rounds of 2026 drafts. Seager and deGrom will be the first Rangers off the board, likely in the range of Round 4. They both come with injury concerns but are among the top options at their respective positions.

Langford was a bit of a disappointment this year, but there’s no doubt that he has a terrific skill set for fantasy contests, which will make him an exciting option in Round 5. Eovaldi will be valued as a No. 2 fantasy starter and will come off the board in Round 7-8. The rest of the Rangers are best suited as boom-or-bust picks in the late rounds of drafts. That group includes Carter, Burger, Semien, Jung, Rocker and Leiter.

Texas Rangers 2025 offseason preview: With one of the top rotations in baseball, can the Rangers get back to the playoffs in 2026?

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