After back-to-back seasons of 78 and 81 wins respectively, the Rangers appear to be light years away from their 2023 World Series title. Will last year’s (literally) average performance prompt an aggressive sell-off this winter?

A Bright Spot
LF Wyatt Langford continued to progress toward his #4 overall pick expectations, posting career highs in almost every statistical category. A 2-3-4 of Langford, Seager, and Semien remains one of the better lineup setups in the game. Texas still holds 4 control years on Langford.

A Big Concern
The bullpen wasn’t a problem statistically speaking (though the Rangers lacked any sort of consistent closer in 2025), but a large majority of relievers are now slated for free agency. Retaining/replacing MLB-ready relievers is easier said than done.

Related Links
2026 Rangers Financials
MLB Offseason Guides

Pending Free Agents

9 free agents - all pitchers. It’s not hard to guess where GM Chris Young’s focus will be this winter. Most of these players have aged out of their current value, but look for Texas to attempt to bring back a reliever or two here on short-term deals.

PLAYER MARKET VALUE
Jon Gray (SP, 33) $5.5M
Tyler Mahle (SP, 31) $5.5M
Patrick Corbin (SP, 36) $5.5M
Merrill Kelly (SP, 37) $15M
Phil Maton (RP, 32) $7M
Chris Martin (RP, 39) $6.7M
Hoby Milner (RP, 34) $4M
Danny Coulombe (RP, 36) $4.4M
Shawn Armstrong (RP, 35) $4M

Option Decisions

A hand injury derailed Pederson’s 2025 campaign, setting him up to exercise this option and play out 2025 on a salary much high than his current production–level calls for.

PLAYER OPTION SALARY
Joc Pederson (DH, 34) $18.5M player option

Arbitration-Eligibility

Garcia’s OPS hasn’t reached .690 in each of the past two seasons, putting his projected salary on notice. Otherwise, this is a nice list of cost-controlled talent to keep around.

PLAYER PROJ. ARB SALARY
Adolis García (OF, 33) $12.75M
Jonah Heim (C, 31) $6M
Jake Burger (1B, 30) $3.1M
Josh H. Smith (SS, 28) $2.5M
Josh Jung (3B, 28) $2.4M
Jacob Webb (RP, 32) $2.4M
Ezequiel Duran (2B, 27) $1.75M
Sam Haggerty (INF, 32) $1.25M
Josh Sborz (RP, 32) $1.1M

Guaranteed Salary

Texas can breathe a small sigh of relief after deGrom resembled the star of old for much of 2025. He’s on the books for another 2 years, $75M. Both Seager and Semien had down power years, but still found ways to fill up the stat board in the middle of the lineup.

PLAYER CBT SALARY
Jacob deGrom (SP, 38) $37M
Corey Seager (SS, 32) $32.5M
Marcus Semien (2B, 35) $25M
Nathan Eovaldi (SP, 36) $25M
Kyle Higashioka (C, 36) $6.75M

Team Tax Projections

According to our data, Texas should finish 2025 just below the tax threshold (though final numbers are still TBD). If this is the case, the Rangers can be a little more aggressive with their upcoming offseason, especially with so many of their core players now beginning to age into the later stages of their careers. Our CBT projections put Texas just under $210M right now, giving them around $34M to work with in the coming weeks.

Spotrac's 2026 MLB Offseason Previews