The Rangers went from the top of the MLB mountain to missing the playoffs in the span of one season, due in no small part to an offense that sputtered throughout the season. Adolis Garcia and Jonah Heim were among the regulars who struggled at the plate, while Texas was plagued by injuries to Corey Seager, Josh Jung and Evan Carter, among others. As Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News points out, the Rangers floundered against four-seam fastballs in particular.
Be that as it may, president of baseball operations Chris Young’s end-of-season press conference struck an optimistic tone regarding the in-house hitters the Rangers currently possess. “The biggest remedy, in my opinion, is improving the guys we currently have,” Young said (via Grant). The recently extended Rangers baseball ops leader called internal improvements to the lineup a “heavy priority” heading into next season.
With regard to outside additions, those will come more on the pitching side of the roster. MLB.com’s Kennedi Landri writes that Young specifically mentioned that he’d like to retain impending free agents Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney. Eovaldi triggered a $20MM player option this season when he reached a combined 300 innings between 2023-24, but he’s widely expected to decline that in favor of a return to the market (barring a hypothetical extension from his current club). Heaney exercised a player option following the 2023 season and returned to make 31 solid starts in this year’s rotation.
“As far as Evo and Andrew go, those are priorities for us,” said Young. “We love those guys. They helped us win a World Series. We would love to bring those guys back, and we’re going to explore every way we can to make that happen.”
Entering the 2025 season, Texas won’t be short on rotation options. Jacob deGrom should be the Opening Day starter now that he’s recovered from Tommy John surgery, though counting on him for a full slate of 30-plus starts doesn’t feel realistic when he hasn’t reached that total since 2019. He’ll be joined by Jon Gray, Tyler Mahle (also in his first full season post-Tommy John) and some combination of Dane Dunning, Cody Bradford, Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter. With deGrom and Mahle both facing workload concerns and the bulk of the team’s other options yet to pitch a full season in a big league rotation, it’s understandable that the Rangers feel it not just prudent but pivotal to fortify the starting staff.
Reunions with Eovaldi and/or Heaney won’t come cheaply, however. Eovaldi’s two-year, $34MM deal proved to be a bargain, even as incentives ballooned his guarantee to a total of $38.5MM over his two years. He signed that deal coming off an injury-shortened year with the Red Sox, who’d issued him a qualifying offer and thus tied him to draft pick compensation. Now healthy and unencumbered by the weight of a QO, he should be able to top that $34MM guarantee even though he’s two years older than during his last trip to the open market.
Heaney, similarly, was coming off a season of just 72 2/3 innings with the Dodgers. He hasn’t looked as dominant in Texas as he did during that abbreviated run with L.A., but he just gave the Rangers a combined 307 1/3 innings of 4.22 ERA ball with more promising strikeout and walk rates of 23.2% and 7.6%, respectively. He could find another two-year deal in the market, and it’s possible that would come with a larger guarantee than the $25MM term on his last pact.
The extent to which Texas will be able to spend in free agency is not yet clear. RosterResource pegs them with about $148MM worth of 2025 commitments, and that’s not including arbitration raises for Dunning, Heim, Sborz, Nathaniel Lowe and Leody Taveras — a group that MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects for a combined $25.5MM. Add in a slate of league-minimum players, and Texas is looking at around $185MM in total projected salary for next year’s 26-man roster. That’s $40MM shy of where they opened the 2024 season, so there’s clearly some room to spend, but that $40MM could dry up quickly if the Rangers are intent not only on adding at least one starter, but also on replacing effectively their entire late-inning relief corps.
To say Texas is likely to be active in the bullpen market would be putting things mildly. Kirby Yates, David Robertson, Jose Leclerc and Jose Urena — their top four relievers by innings pitched — are all free agents. Deadline acquisition Andrew Chafin has a $6.5MM club option ($500K buyout) that is not a lock to be exercised. Robertson has a $7MM mutual option ($1.5MM buyout) and will very likely decline his end of it. Yates, Robertson, Leclerc, Chafin and Josh Sborz — who missed most of the season due to shoulder problems — were the team’s go-to options in high-leverage spots.
Young didn’t comment on what level of increase will or won’t be possible. He plans to meet with majority owner Ray Davis in the near future to outline a spending plan. While Young avoided any firm declarations on payroll, he spoke about uncertainty regarding the team’s endeavors to create a proprietary regional sports network and pledged to build a “very good roster with whatever resources we have.”
On the surface, that’s a far cry from his Aug. 2021 comments wherein he pledged to be “very active” in free agency — and then followed through with blockbuster signings of Seager and Marcus Semien. More context on the Rangers’ potential spending figures to come to light as the onset of free agency draws nearer, but given the team’s current financial obligations and needs up and down the pitching staff, it’s hardly a shock that Young is prioritizing arms and hoping to see a talented core of hitters rebound at the plate next season.
Steve, I think you meant August 2021 at the end, not August 2024?
D’oh! Sure did. Thanks for that. Updated.
You’re a crap writer. You forgot to fix “similarly.”
Dude really needs to have an editor. Mistakes all over his writing.
Trade Lowe he lacking power for first baseman. Let Heaney walk trade Taveras or move to bench role and get a legit DH to hit behind Seager at 2 or Langford at 3. So most likely hit cleanup move Adolis back in lineup to like 6th
The Yankees will take Lowe. It’s kind of silly as Lowe isn’t part of the Rangers’ problem and a positive contributor as a cost-controlled 120 OPS+/123 wRC+ bat.
Yeah I don’t understandd the noise to trade Lowe. Not sure how you get that kind of production at that offordable price.
One of the best all-round players on the team
What a run-on sentence.
Also, we are not trading a Gold Glover & Silver Slugger.
It will be a year ending in an odd number, so look for Semien to have a monster 2025.
They can have Montgomery back. I’m sure a deal can be worked out.
Here’s a thought: Don’t give older /broken down pitchers like Scherzer & deGrom a bag of money.
We won the WS. Worth every penny of that investment.
That was more about eovaldi and Monty and a bullpen that stepped up huge. Degrom contributed nothing, scherzer barely anything. And he cost us acuna
Please resign Heaney. So the Angels don’t pull an Angels move and give a multi year contract.
He was our most reliable pitcher this year. The Angels would be lucky. He’d be there Ace.
I think Eovaldi is back. Uncertain on Heaney as chances are Rocker or Leiter may eventually be better. They need Oniell who mashes lefties and KIttredge possibly Scott from FA. I would see if St. Louis would swap Helsley for Lowe, since they are losing Goldie. That would mean Rangers would have to sign Bell, Walker or Goldie to replace Lowe, but in Helsley you are getting a fairly cost controlled effective reliever. Probably should also see about acquiring Crochet from White Sox..On a lesser note they need to resign Kelly.
There *might* be some competition with BOS for Nate. At the time he was interested in returning until the now-departed front office screwed things up.
The rotation will need some fortifying, he did have success in Beantown, it should be a relatively short pact, and, not huge $$$. All things Breslow would like. There’s also some intriguing young players that will come up during next season, which, from a competitiveness standpoint, has to hold more appeal than prior boston offseasons.
I think Nate’s market should prove an interesting one to watch, and, wonder if after the last debacle he signs more quickly as well
I highly doubt the Red Sox go anywhere near Eovialdi nor should they. The sox need young reliable pitchers not injury prone starters on a continued crash course to the back 9.
Every team needs young reliable pitchers.
Reality says that means either developing them yourself, trading massive piles of young talented prospects, or, once every few years dropping a massive contract on the rare case such a player is a free agent.
Option 1 is out for now. Nobody is close.
Option 2 *should* be out, because you don’t undo the pain of the last 5 seasons by giving up the young position players now when they’re almost ready to contribute.
Option 3 isn’t in play, both due to spending constraints and who is available.
So, you pivot to short term vets who sometimes work, sometimes don’t, but can’t hurt you for long due to contract structure
Eovaldi has shown time and again to not be reliable. Reliable means healthy and available to pitch on a consistent basis. That’s not Eovaldi. The sox should put those resources elsewhere.
Such as where?
Limit your responses to potential free agent short term deals of 2 years, maybe a 3rd option, that a pitcher would accept, including the dollar cost you think you can get them for that fits into ownerships spending constraints.
Who is on the market in a 40-50m 2-3 year pact who is young and reliable while turning in good results, 5.xx and 6.xx eras need not apply
why should the response be limited to free agents only? you’ve dismissed two avenues as “unrealistic” when they need not be Trading for a young pitcher is a more realistic avenue to improve the rotation. the red sox should focus on that and not waste time on an eovaldi especially when 5 an 6+ eras are realistically in his future.
Because the red sox NEED the young cost-controlled prospects on the field.
Any team with a young but demonstrated reliable pitcher will be asking for multiple of boston’s top 100 in return.
Apparently you cannot identify FA avenues that fit an affordable upgrade?
You regularly attack DD for trades like Sale, which, is what your advocacy for such a trade upgrade would be comparable to.
Who would you offer, to what team, for whom, that you think is a fair trade they’d consider accepting then?
I’m not suggesting they trade massive amounts prospects for a player like Sale. This will boil your blood for sure but I’d investigate trading someone for the outfield who’s on their MLB roster. Seattle comes to mind as a team that is desperate for offense and has a lot of MLB pitching that should be had.
Also you’re arguing in bad faith by trying to ask “gotcha questions” Perhaps the red sox shouldn’t bother wasting money this free agency period on older pitching. That’s an option you didn’t consider
lastly. I never criticized the sales trade I criticized the extension that was given to him
Minimum 2 years and 40M$ for Eovaldi.
They need to prioritize getting a hitting coach that doesn’t suck.
Two-thirds of the league need one of those.
I would non tender Sborz and Dunning. Trade Lowe and Taveras. That will free up a chunk of money. CY should be able to address the pitching needs and a bat with 50-60 million.
Lowe isn’t expensive. Unless you go get Alonso and shell out a huge bag of bucks I’m not sure how you can improve there. I think maybe add a good DH/ corner bat and keep Lowe
He’s projected to get a raise to 10 million next year. I’d rather spend that money elsewhere and let Josh Smith play first. It really depends on what end of the pool they want to play in. Depth starters and average relievers won’t cost much but if you want a Corbin Burnes or Eovaldi plus relievers and a bat that’s going to add up fast.
Josh Smith doesn’t play first… I could see them moving Josh Jung over there to keep him healthy and letting Josh Smith play 3rd.
I think Nathaniel is controllable for one more year. I believe Lowe leaves via free agency in 2026, and Seager moves from ss to 1b/dh. I think the Rangers fumble through internal options at SS until Walcott forces his way onto the major league roster shortly after the All star break.
If Lowe can play first I’m sure Smith will be fine.
Walcott will have to earn it. Seager has been just fine at SS
I think it has more to do with protecting the longevity of Seager. Ultimately this is the best way to keep Corey healthy. He’s a big body that is playing a very demanding position at SS.
We would all like to see 150+ starts a season from our 325m superstar.
It’s not really fumbling, Smith will just be the SS until Walcott is ready if Seager decides to move.
I doubt any of this is really going to happen, there is no way Smith plays first base on a full time basis, you would just be trading one high OBP 1B with low power potential for another one.
Reality is probably Smith stays the utility guy, Lowe stays at 1B until he is a FA in 26’ and the Rangers try to find a righthanded RF/DH bat to help the offense next year, maybe Santander?
Santander fits really well on paper, but might be out of our reach financially for an outfield bat. He is coming of a career high 44 hr season and turns 30 this week.
I feel they have their sights on Sasaki if available, and want to bring back Evo. These will be The Rangers top off-season priorities imo.
They need a SP or two for sure but the bullpen is a train wreck without Robertson and Yates. They need at least 3 late inning type of arms.
Let Leclerc and Heaney go. Maybe Eovaldi will stay. Find a good bat vs. lefties, because we are atrocious against them.
What kind of awful writing is this? “Heaney, similarly, was coming off a season of just 72 2/3 innings with the Dodgers.” START the sentence with “similarly.” It’s dumb to split up subject and verb unnecessarily.