Chris Young Talks New Direction Rangers Are Taking Following Marcus Semien Trade

The Texas Rangers recently traded away a former franchise cornerstone, and now, they seem to be looking to go in a new direction in 2026 to some degree.

Oct 28, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers General Manager Chris Young before the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks in game two of the 2023 World Series at Globe Life Field. | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers have had a difficult last two seasons when it comes to comparing them against expectations, and with that, some changes are set to be made this winter.

One of the bigger moves that could have been made has already occurred as well, with Marcus Siemien being dealt to the New York Mets, as the Rangers acquire Brandon Nimmo.

After a somewhat lackluster season from Siemien at the plate, Texas felt it was time to move on from him in favor of a more offensive-minded player. So, they got Nimmo, and now will likely continue to make moves over the next few weeks to supplement the roster with more talent.

President of baseball operations for the Rangers, Chris Young, had a decent amount to say about the decision to move on from Siemien, as well as why he believed it was necessary to do so. A lot of it wound up being tied back to expectations, but also the desire to build even more in 2026 and try to get back to a competitive level.

What Did Young Have to Say About the Current Direction of the Rangers?

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Kennedi Landry of MLB.com recently posted a quote from Chris Young discussing the trade and expectations for the franchise moving forward. In the post, Young was quoted as saying the following:

"I don't take that lightly. I do think that we are focused on winning moving forward. The last two years have been very difficult as we feel like we have not lived up to our expectations, and when you don't meet expectations, you have to make tough calls, and that's part of this."

Rangers POBO Chris Young acknowledged that the last week has been tough as Texas parted ways with a number of players that were major contributors during the World Series run in 2023.

But he also acknowledged how frustrating the last two years have been. Change felt necessary pic.twitter.com/4XFrXG0k79

— kennedi landry (@kennlandry) November 24, 2025

Acknowledging that the team has not lived up to expectations is a good first step towards building it back to where it was in 2023. While actions speak a lot louder than words, it is at least positive that the front office recognizes its failures to build a competitive roster over the past few seasons.

Trading away Siemian despite his past success could end up being a positive move or a negative one; it will all come down to how he ends up playing in 2026 compared to 2025.

While his glove is still elite, his contact at the plate has been less than impressive. Overall, Nimmo should be a more reliable contributor in that aspect for the next few years, so it will be interesting to see how the two perform in their new environments.