Texas Rangers offseason reviewed

After spending big in the previous two offseasons, the Rangers took a much more conservative approach this winter due to concerns over their broadcasting revenues.

Major league signings

• Tyler Mahle, SP: Two years, $22M
• David Robertson, RP: One year, $11.5M (includes $1.5M buyout of $7M mutual option for 2025; $5M of Robertson’s salary deferred until 2027)
• Michael Lorenzen, SP: One year, $4.5M
• Kirby Yates, RP: One year, $4.5M
• Andrew Knizner, C: One year, $1.825M
• Travis Jankowski, OF: One year, $1.7M

2024 spending: $24.525M
Total spending: $46.025M

Option decisions

• Jose Leclerc, RP: Rangers exercised $6.25M club option for 2024

Extensions

• Adolis Garcia, OF: Two years, $14M

Trades and claims

• Acquired minor league RHP Tyler Owens from Braves for OF J.P. Martinez
• Claimed IF Jose Barrero off waivers from Reds
• Selected RHP Carson Coleman from Yankees in the Rule 5 Draft
• Acquired RP Daniel Duarte from Reds for cash considerations (Duarte was later designated for assignment and claimed off waivers by the Twins)

Notable minor league signings

• Diego Castillo, Jared Walsh, Danny Duffy, Chasen Shreve, Austin Pruitt, Jose Urena, Andrew Knapp, Shane Greene, Elier Hernandez, Adrian Sampson, Derek Hill, Blake Taylor, Jose Godoy, Jesus Tinoco, DJ Peters, Braden Shipley, Jonathan Holder, Alex De Goti, Matt Duffy (exercised opt-out clause)

Notable losses

• Mitch Garver, Aroldis Chapman, Martin Perez, Will Smith, Austin Hedges, Chris Stratton, Robbie Grossman, Brad Miller, Jake Odorizzi, Jordan Montgomery (unsigned)

The Rangers were one of the 14 teams whose games were aired on the Bally Sports regional sports networks owned and operated by the Diamond Sports Group, until DSG filed for bankruptcy last year.  The situation manifested itself in a few different ways for the various teams involved, but for the Rangers, Guardians, and Twins, it wasn’t until late January that the three clubs reached one-year agreements with Diamond to continue airing games on Bally Sports for the 2024 season.  The three teams will reportedly earn roughly 85% of what they previously received annually from DSG in the pre-existing contracts, which in Texas’ case represents around $94.35M rather than $111M.

It remains to be seen if Diamond Sports Group or Bally Sports will even exist in its current form by 2025, as the fate of the company may hinge on a restructuring deal that includes an investment from Amazon.  However, as it currently stands, the Rangers don’t know where their games will be airing once the 2024 season is over, and figuring out that future is arguably the organization’s key goal this year, much more so than anything that happens on the field.

With this uncertainty in mind, the Rangers’ first World Series title was even more of a relief for the long-suffering fan base — if Texas had lost the Series to the Diamondbacks, imagine the compounded frustration if the Rangers had followed up that loss with a low-key set of offseason moves.  This isn’t to say that the Arlington faithful are entirely thrilled with how the winter has played out for their team, and yet comparatively speaking, there were fewer holes to be filled on what was already a championship roster.

GM Chris Young was up front with his team’s plans in late November, telling media that the focus was on “looking for additions to kind of shore up” what was already “a great returning core group.”  Acknowledging the TV revenue uncertainty and “a responsibility to be financially prudent,” Young said that the Rangers “expect to be active in free agency, but probably not spending at the level that we have spent in previous offseasons.”

Considering that Texas spent roughly $846.35M on free agents during the 2021-22 and 22-23 offseasons, some kind of step back was maybe inevitable even in a world where the broadcast rights situation was more stable.  And, it isn’t as if the Rangers reduced payroll — RosterResource estimates Texas has a current payroll of around $224.1M and a luxury tax number of $247M, both up slightly from their $214M payroll and $237.1M tax figure in 2023.

The largest expenditure came on a pitcher who probably won’t be making his Rangers debut until after the All-Star break.  Texas signed free agent Tyler Mahle to a two-year, $22M contract that is largely backloaded, as a nod to how Mahle will miss the bulk of the coming season rehabbing from his Tommy John procedure from May 2023.  Obviously the Rangers are pretty comfortable in Mahle’s ability to recover on a normal timeline and then contribute to rotation down the stretch, even if there is some uncertainty about the fact that Texas is expecting the same from several members of the pitching staff.

Max Scherzer will be sidelined until at least June and probably closer to the start of July after undergoing back surgery in December.  Like Mahle, Jacob deGrom also had a Tommy John surgery last year and is projected to return by the second half.  If all three recover as planned, this is quite the set of reinforcements coming for the pennant race, yet that is also admittedly a best-case scenario considering how deGrom, Mahle, and (to a lesser extent) the 39-year-old Scherzer have all been hampered by injuries in recent years.

The in-house quintet of Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray, Andrew Heaney, Dane Dunning, and Cody Bradford will try to hold the fort until the injured trio are ready, and even a second-choice version of the Texas rotation is still pretty solid.  The Rangers added to this mix just within the last week by signing Michael Lorenzen to a one-year, $4.5M deal and ending the right-hander’s long sojourn in free agency.

Lorenzen will probably need some time in extended Spring Training to get fully built up after going so long without a proper offseason camp, yet it wouldn’t be surprising to see the veteran supplant Bradford as the fifth starter.  Lorenzen’s return to starting pitching in 2022 saw him amass 97 2/3 innings with the Angels, and he far surpassed that total by tossing 153 frames with the Tigers and Phillies in 2023.  His quality first half with Detroit resulted in an All-Star berth, though Lorenzen seemed to wear down after being traded to the Phillies, and he ended up relegated to the bullpen during Philadelphia’s postseason run.

Jose Urena, Adrian Sampson, and Danny Duffy were among the starter/swingman types added for even more depth on minor league contracts, though Duffy could potentially opt out of his deal since he won’t be on the Opening Day roster.  Prospects Owen White, Cole Winn, or Jack Leiter could also factor into the picture, but the bottom line is that Texas should have enough pitching to at least make do until the team gets more clarity on when deGrom, Mahle, and/or Scherzer will all be ready to roll.

This isn’t to say that the Rangers didn’t at least test the waters on some other bigger-name pitchers over the winter.  Texas reportedly discussed a Dylan Cease trade with the White Sox before Cease was dealt to the Padres, and they also had interest in Yariel Rodriguez and Clayton Kershaw before the two pitchers respectively signed with the Blue Jays and Dodgers.  In Kershaw’s case, he’ll also be out of action until around midseason after undergoing shoulder surgery, yet the Rangers’ interest in the local product has been a running storyline for the last few years, though Kershaw has continually re-signed with Los Angeles on a series of short-term contracts.

The biggest pitcher on the Rangers’ radar was, of course, postseason hero Jordan Montgomery.  After being acquired from the Cardinals at the deadline, Montgomery had a 2.79 ERA over 67 2/3 regular-season innings and then a 2.90 ERA over 31 innings during the playoffs.  Montgomery’s huge role in the Rangers’ championship boosted his stock considerably heading into free agency, yet the left-hander still remains unsigned at the time of this post.  As of early March, Montgomery and his representatives at the Boras Corporation were reportedly still seeking a seven-year deal, and the most recent reports indicate that some “long-term” offers are still a possibility.

Montgomery, Cody Bellinger, Blake Snell, and Matt Chapman became known as “the Boras Four” this offseason, as the Scott Boras clients all had extended stints in free agency that (for the latter three) concluded in short-term deals with opt-outs after the 2024 season.  It isn’t yet clear if Montgomery will also end up signing such a contract, yet this might be the only realistic chance at a reunion between Montgomery and the Rangers.  The Lorenzen signing may hint that Texas has simply moved on from Montgomery, but until the southpaw puts pen to paper with another team, the Rangers can’t be completely ruled out given their successful shared history last fall.

Texas won its World Series despite a relief corps that was shaky at best for much of the season, so it isn’t surprising that Young targeted the relief market.  Aroldis Chapman, Will Smith, and Chris Stratton all departed in free agency, and the Rangers were linked to such names as Hector Neris, Robert Stephenson, Ryan Brasier, and Jordan Hicks.

The search for relief help ended with the signings of David Robertson and Kirby Yates to one-year deals, though Robertson’s contract has a (rarely-exercised) mutual option attached for 2025.  The veterans are each coming off solid, if unspectacular, 2023 campaigns, and Robertson in particular brings a wealth of playoff experience.  Robertson and Yates will be slotted in as set-up men behind closer Jose Leclerc, whose $6.25M club option was unsurprisingly exercised by the team.

Much like with the rotation, the Rangers are relying more on depth and quantity of arms rather than true elite quality to carry the bullpen.  It wouldn’t be surprising if Texas again makes relief pitching a priority at the deadline, though if the injured starters return at midseason, Dunning or Bradford could then be bumped to help out the bullpen.

Though Mitch Garver had a big year at the plate in 2023, his injury history and increasing limitations as a DH-only player rather than as a catcher kept the Rangers from issuing a qualifying offer as Garver entered free agency.  This decision might come back to haunt Texas if Garver helps the Mariners take a run in the AL West, yet the Rangers instead addressed their catching situation by signing Andrew Knizner as Jonah Heim’s new backup.  Garver and defensive specialist Austin Hedges were let go in free agency, and Sam Huff and minor league signing Andrew Knapp are likely the top depth options at Triple-A.

Continuing with the position player mix, the Rangers didn’t do much to tinker with an already powerful lineup.  Travis Jankowski was re-signed to continue in his role as the Rangers’ primary backup outfielder, while Robbie Grossman and Brad Miller departed in free agency since the club is seemingly pretty comfortable with letting younger players (i.e. Ezequiel Duran and Josh Smith) handle part-time or bench roles.

Then again, some early-season injury concerns could open the door to more playing time.  Nathaniel Lowe is likely going to start the year on the 10-day IL due to an oblique strain, while Corey Seager (sports hernia surgery) and Josh Jung (calf strain) have only just started playing their first Spring Training games.  Seager and Jung might need just minimal 10-day IL stints to get them fully recovered and ramped up, and Lowe isn’t expected to miss too much of April, even if oblique injuries are sometimes hard to gauge.  Lowe’s injury in particular might open the door for minor league signing Jared Walsh to make the roster as a first base fill-in, and Texas also added former Reds top prospect Jose Barrero on a waiver claim just in case Seager or Jung can’t go by Opening Day.

Multiple players could take turns rotating through the DH spot, yet Wyatt Langford might end up getting the bulk of those at-bats as part of his meteoric rise to the majors.  Langford was the fourth overall pick in last year’s amateur draft and he amassed only 200 total plate appearances in the Rangers’ farm system last season.  However, Langford was shredding opposing pitching to such an extent that he was promoted all the way to Triple-A by the end of his first pro season, and the Rangers have already announced that the phenom will be part of the Opening Day roster.

There’s no guarantee that the 22-year-old will continue his exceptional hitting now that he’s facing big league hurlers, but Langford has already engendered such trust from the Texas player development staff that he is already considered ready for the challenge this early in his professional career.  If Langford is able to even somewhat replicate his minor league numbers, the Texas lineup will be even more dangerous.

For as much money as the Rangers spent to build their World Series team, the contributions of homegrown prospects (i.e. Jung, Leclerc, Evan Carter, Leody Taveras) and unheralded acquisitions (such as Adolis Garcia) have been just as critical as the higher-priced free agents.  The Rangers’ confidence in its pipeline might be another reason why the team was comfortable in dialing back the spending, as Texas might already have enough to make a run at a second consecutive title.