Could Texas Rangers Trade Former All-Star Infielder After Recent Struggles?

After a big trade of Marcus Semien, could they trade a recent top prospect Josh Jung next?

Sep 19, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung (6) hits an rbi single during the second inning against the Miami Marlins at Globe Life Field. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

After not reaching the playoffs in the two seasons following their World Series win, the Texas Rangers have gotten off to a busy start to the offseason. They hired Skip Schumaker to lead them into the future to kick it off and have since made multiple big roster moves.

In a pretty surprising move, they released postseason hero Adolis Garcia before the non-tender deadline, along with catcher Jonah Heim. Following that, in a shocking move, they traded Marcus Semien to New York in exchange for Brandon Nimmo.

The Rangers are likely far from done. They have a great pitching staff and clearly want to build their roster around that and are in for a bit of a retool this offseason. MLB.com's Mark Feinsand recently named the next trade candidate for Texas, mentioning Josh Jung as the player on the chopping block.

Will the Rangers Give Up at Jung This Soon?

Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

There was a lot of hype surrounding Jung after he was drafted in 2019. He made his debut in 2022, playing 26 games, but his real debut came during the World Series run in 2023.

As a 25-year-old that season, he hit 25 doubles, 23 home runs and drove in 70 runs on his was to a .781 OPS and 113 OPS+. Jung finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting and made the All-Star team. It looked like the Rangers had found their third baseman of the future in a post-Adrian Beltre world, but it quickly soured.

The third baseman had a rough go of it in 2024, hitting the 60-day injured list on April 8. He was activated at the end of July and while playing, hit .264 with seven home runs and a .719 OPS. He went back on the IL with a wrist injury in September.

Things got worse in 2025, despite staying healthy. He struck out 25.2 percent of the time while only walking 5.3 percent. He hit 23 doubles, 14 home runs and posted a .684 OPS. It hit rock bottom in August when he was benched, with president of baseball operations Chris Young citing inconsistency.

After the benching and current retooling by the team, it seems clear that Jung's time in Texas may be coming to a close. As Young said, there hasn't been any consistency to Jung's game despite some nice power potential.

"Jung turns 28 in Februrary and is only entering his first year of arbitration, so a change of scenery may help rejuvinate his career," Feinsand wrote.

Texas has become a tough place to hit in and Jung has a .736 OPS on the road compared to his .714 mark at home. Getting out of Texas might be the best option for both sides, as the Rangers have No. 1 prospect Sebastian Walcott waiting in the wings.

Although it looked like Jung could be a mainstay after his rookie season, top prospects don't always work out. However, he'll always be known as the third baseman on the franchise's first World Series team.