How Chris Young Outlined Rangers’ Offseason Trade Goals in One Quote

Texas Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young talked with reporters on Monday. In doing so, he gave up some good information.

Young keeps things close to the vest most of the time when it comes to offseason plans. For instance, he said the Rangers expect to have a similar payroll to a year ago, which is good news given that Young was asked to trim payroll for 2026.

He also conceded that the roster won’t look the same in 2027. While he has no mandate to trade players, it’s hard to escape the fact that four players make more than $100 million — and that Young might want to move them.

Turns out, he may have parameters in mind.

How Rangers Could Trade Talent This Offseason

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi throws a baseball to a hitter during a game. — Texas Rangers starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi. Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If Young makes a move with one of his big four contracts — pitcher Jacob deGrom, pitcher Nathan Eovaldi, shortstop Corey Seager and outfielder Brandon Nimmo — it’s likely the contours of a deal like that won’t look like the deal that was floated in August when the Rangers were getting interest on deGrom from the Atlanta Braves.

“That's where trades are made,” Young said of this offseason’s market to reporters, including The Dallas Morning News (subscription required). “You oftentimes trade one player to make yourself stronger in two different spots, and that's what we're looking to do.”

Those four players are the only ones on the roster likely to fetch multiple players via trade. When the Braves were interested in deGrom, it was a one-for-one flip for Braves starter Spencer Strider. It doesn’t sound like that return will work this time around.

Young’s desire is to build a team that is younger, more athletic and more versatile. The pipeline from the minor leagues isn’t as fertile as it used to be and many of the young players on the team underperformed in 2026. He made it clear in September that his patience with players like Evan Carter, Wyatt Langford, Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker is wearing a bit.

Flipping one of those big contracts for multiple players that could help the Rangers in 2027 is the easiest — and the hardest — way to do it. All four players could command multiple players in a deal due to their talent and payroll. But all four have full no-trade clauses, which means any of them would need to approve a deal. deGrom vetoed the potential deal with the Braves in August.

Young is also working with a compressed calendar. If the MLB Players Association and MLB owners are unable to reach a new collective bargaining agreement by Dec. 1, then the owners are expected to lock the players out. At that point, no business can be conducted.

That gives Young a month to get to work and remake the Rangers for 2027. It may require him to part with some of his biggest stars.

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