Rangers Executive Chris Young Gives Insight on Team's Early Offseason Moves

The Texas Rangers made a few moves before the Winter Meetings, and Chris Young has given some insight as to why.

Oct 24, 2022; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers general manager Chris Young speaks during a news conference introducing Bruce Bochy as team manager at Globe Life Field. | Jim Cowsert-Imagn Images

It is December 8th, which means the Winter Meetings have officially begun. Representatives from all teams are in Orlando, Florida as they look to improve their team. For the Texas Rangers, president of baseball operations Chris Young is hoping to build a playoff team for 2026.

Earlier this offseason, Texas announced Skip Schumaker as the new manager after parting ways with Bruce Bochy. In their eyes, this moment began a new era of baseball at Globe Life Field. The offseason was underway, and the Rangers were looking ahead to having a successful 2026.

Another move made by Young was trading Marcus Semien. Semien spent four seasons with the Rangers. He was an All-Star twice, and he won the American League Gold Glove award last year. Semien's bat quieted a bit last year, but his impact was felt. In return, the Rangers acquired Brandon Nimmo, who is coming off a career-high 25 home runs.

These were two of the bigger moves Texas made before the Winter Meetings. Speaking with Matt Vasgersian and Harold Reynolds on Monday Morning, Young gave some insight into his thought process behind the two moves.

"One of the things we knew coming into the offseason was that we needed to shake things up a little bit," Young said. "We really haven't lived up to our potential in terms of what we expected, making playoff runs, and we knew that some change was required."

"We needed to shake things up a little bit..."@Rangers Pres. of Baseball Ops Chris Young shares his insight on hiring Skip Schumaker and acquiring Brandon Nimmo early this offseason.

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The Rangers won the World Series in 2023, but failed to make the postseason the following two seasons. Young is showing that he has little patience for missing the postseason, and the expectation for the franchise is to compete for a championship year in and year out.

More Changes to Come

May 18, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers hat in honor of the military in the dugout during the second inning against the Houston Astros at Globe Life Field. | Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

"When you don't perform at the level you expect, changes are necessary," Young said to Vasgersian and Reynolds.

The level expected in Texas is to be in the postseason and have a chance at a World Series Championship. The Rangers finished below .500 in 2024 and exactly .500 in 2025. Even after making some moves at the deadline this past year, the Rangers failed to make it to October.

With that mindset, it only makes sense for the Rangers to make a few more changes. Of course, pitchers are always needed. Texas has a few rotation spots open, and there are plenty of free-agent starting pitchers on the market.

Additionally, moving on from Semien left a hole at the second base position. The Rangers can fill that hole in a variety of different ways, but they will have to find a permanent replacement before the season begins.

Needless to say, Texas does not seem to be done making moves this offseason.