Texas Rangers batter Nicky Lopez lays down a bunt during the sixth inning before the San Diego Padres threw him out at Globe Life Field in Arlington, June 21, 2026. The Rangers won, 4-3.
Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News
The full-fledged free agency window officially begins five days after the World Series concludes, which could be as early as Nov. 1, or as late as Nov. 5. The current collective bargaining agreement will expire Dec. 1.
It could make for a hectic month of maneuvers.
Or everything you’re about to read might still be relevant after contract disputes wrap up.
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Like most things that pertain to next year’s baseball season, we don’t know for sure when free agency will hit its stride, but we do know that the Rangers have several areas of need to address. We’re going to break it down this week, and today, we’ll start with the potential bats they could seek out.
Overview: The Rangers improved in batting average, on base percentage, slugging percentage, WAR, wRC+ and nearly every other meaningful offensive stat year over year. They somehow managed to score fewer runs, 673 to 684, and were still prone to offensive dry spells and droughts that ran too long. There were strides taken, and the Rangers advanced from well below average to just below average, but there is still room to grow for this offense. More specifically, the Rangers need to be more athletic, better on the road and simply deeper than they were last season. With designated hitter Joc Pederson, second baseman Nicky Lopez, catcher Kyle Higashioka and catcher Elias Díaz all off to free agency, the Rangers once again have holes to fill. That doesn’t include the arbitration eligible corner infielders Josh Jung and Jake Burger, the lofty contract of shortstop Corey Seager or the offensively underwhelming center fielder Evan Carter.
We haven’t even gotten to the payroll discussion yet either.
Yeah, the Rangers’ offense could look different after a third consecutive season in which they missed the playoffs, though only time will tell if they’re headed for a legitimate build up or a certified tear down.
The big fish: In a different timeline, it could’ve made sense to sign outfielder Randy Arozarena, close friend of former Rangers slugger Adolis García (who, by the way, is also a free agent). The 31-year-old has made consecutive All-Star teams with the Seattle Mariners and posted 5.5 fWAR, more than any other free agent hitter, this past year. He has 20-plus home run power, 20-plus stolen base wheels and could shore up an outfield that evolved into somewhat of a weak spot for the Rangers last year. The issue is that he’ll be worth north of $20 million per season on his next deal, per Spotrac, and the Rangers already have a surplus of big-money deals and a dearth of depth. Unless the Rangers plan to spend big, which seems unlikely given their recent track record, this one may not come to pass.
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Here’s one that should be given serious consideration: second baseman Luis Arraez. You may recognize him from the three batting titles he’s won, his relationship with Rangers manager Skip Schumaker or the number of times The Dallas Morning News has linked him as a theoretical target. It makes sense given what Arraez does best and what the Rangers need. His .317 batting average is the best in baseball by a wide margin over the last four seasons. His 21 sacrifice hits are tied for the fifth-most in that span. His second base defense, once a question mark, showed significant improvements last season with the San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies.
The Rangers may need an every day second baseman, but more than that, they could use a top-of-the-order bat that gets on base and fits Schumaker’s philosophy. Arraez does. His market remains impossibly difficult to forecast. Spotrac places his value at $18 million per season, but last offseason, it only took $12 million to land him. Could a relatively deep second base market (led by Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Brandon Lowe) help the Rangers get Arraez on a fair deal? It could help address a number of issues if they did.
The middle ground: It’s entirely possible that Milwaukee Brewers first baseman/corner outfielder Jake Bauers played his way out of this tier (and out of the Rangers’ price range) after a career-best season and the NLCS MVP honor.
But, for the sake of this argument, here us out, because there’s a lot to like.
Bauers broke out last season with a .266/.389/.484 slash line and 22 home runs for the NL champions. The 31-year-old hardly struck out last season (which the Rangers did too much of down the stretch), was platoon neutral (which fits in any lineup) and evidently handles high-pressure games fairly well.
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His under-the-radar best asset is on the basepaths, though, even if he doesn’t profile as a premier athlete (see: a below-average spring speed). He ranked in the 82nd percentile league wide ase a base runner last season per Baseball Savant, has stolen double-digit bases in two of his last three seasons and posted a well-above-league-average 54% extra base taken percentage this year. The Rangers need to make base running a priority if they are no longer a slug-first team. The Brewers do that exceptionally well. Why not take a page (or player) out of their book? Is $15 million per season too much? The fit would play.
The bargain bin: Welcome to the part of the program where we cherry-pick individual traits or stats and say “huh, well, that sure would’ve helped the Rangers last season.” So how do Michael Conforto and Randall Grichuk fit this category? The two ranked 11th and 14th league wide in road OPS last season, at .888 and .881, respectively, and could both likely be had for under $10 million. Conforto is 33-years-old and fairs better vs. right-handed pitchers. Grichuk is 35-years-old and fairs better vs. left-handed pitchers. Both are corner outfielder/designated hitter options. They do not necessarily fit the athleticism mold that the Rangers need, but, that’s a little trickier to find in this winter’s free agent class.
Other players worth consideration at this tier: outfielder Cedric Mullins (he’s still a plus defender who stole 21 bases last season), designated hitter Josh Bell (the Rangers may be out of the designated-hitter-only market, but, the Dallas native continues to be serviceable at the position) and outfielder Luis Robert Jr. (he may never be what he once was, but he’s still got elite speed, and some of his under-the-hood numbers weren’t awful last season).