The strength of the Texas Rangers in 2025 was their pitching staff.
Their starting rotation led MLB with a 3.42 ERA, and truth be told, that was the biggest reason they flirted with a playoff spot as long as they did in the American League before fading. The good news is they should have plenty of those arms back for 2026, too.
They are slated to return a talented group unless some trades are made. Right now, Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker are all expected to be back. They do have some players hitting free agency — Merrill Kelly, Tyler Mahle and Jon Gray — but that was expected.
There is bound to be some changes for first-year manager Skip Schumaker throughout the roster, but as much as he could use additions to help bolster the lineup, he could use another starting pitcher.
Could the Rangers look to pluck an in-state rival’s ace in free agency?
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Houston Astros ace Framber Valdez is expected to test free agency, and Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report listed 10 potential free agent landing spots for the left-hander, with Texas among the teams.
Valdez going to the Rangers would be fascinating this winter. It would give Schumaker a bona fide top-of-the-rotation ace to pair with deGrom and Eovaldi to strengthen a rotation that is already good. One question as to whether or not this could become realistic would be money.
“One bright side is all the payroll space that is about to come free, and it wouldn’t be the biggest surprise if GM Chris Young used it to fill his rotation. To this end, Valdez is a familiar face who would work well in tandem with an infield that had 14 Outs Above Average this season,” wrote Rymer. “Then again, there has also been talk of financial uncertainty in Arlington. Rather than a big signing, all the payroll space set to open up might simply result in a lower payroll in 2026.”
According to Spotrac, Valdez’s expected market value is $33.3 million a year. That seems like an overpay if anyone gives him anything close to that, but stranger contracts have been handed out. A bigger market team might pony up that type of cash, which would make it hard for the Rangers to match.
However, if Texas is able to land Valdez this winter, that would shift things in the American League West and the AL as a whole.