Rangers Need One-Two Punch to Have Huge Seasons to Win AL West Title

The Texas Rangers have some tough competition in the AL West division, but if these two veteran hurlers do what they're known for, things should be better than finishing with a .500 record.

Nov 3, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; A view of the Texas Rangers fans and flags during the World Series championship parade at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers finished with an 81-81 record in 2025 and haven't made the playoffs since winning their first World Series championship in 2023. The 2026 team looks much different than the 2023 team, but there are still key contributors who remain.

Of those key contributors, two veteran pitchers stand out as players who need to be the rotation's crucial one-two punch if the Rangers want anything to do with winning the AL West division this year. Those players: Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi.

The 1-2 Punch

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Last season, the two were easily the best rotation pieces for the Rangers, both finishing with double-digit wins. While Eovaldi dealt with injuries, eventually getting shut down for the remainder of the season and undergoing successful surgery for a sports hernia, he remains the second-best pitcher in the rotation for 2026.

DeGrom, going into his age-38 season, looked stellar once again, as he continues to prove himself as a top pitcher in the MLB when he's healthy. Finishing his season with a sub-three ERA in 172.2 innings pitched and placing eighth in Cy Young Award voting, deGrom looks to continue that success into the new year.

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After losing Tyler Mahle this offseason to the San Francisco Giants, deGrom and Eovaldi are the starting options with more than five years of service time. According to FanGraphs, Jack Leiter, Kumar Rocker, and Jacob Lutz are projected to round out the rotation. Jose Corniell is another option, while left-hander Cody Bradford should be available at some point in 2026.

With three young pitchers looking to find their footing in the MLB, deGrom and Eovaldi must take command of their starts. Both veterans have experience in leading a rotation and with the AL West continuing to improve, the two need to turn back the clocks to keep Texas competitive.

2026 Projections

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DeGrom is projected to throw more innings in 2026 compared to what he did in 2025. FanGraphs sees DeGrom finishing with 185 innings pitched, which would be stellar for the Rangers' rotation and more so for their bullpen.

Additionally, deGrom is projected to finish with a 3.48 ERA with a strikeout percent of 28.3% and a walk percent of 5.6%.

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Eovaldi lands similar projections to deGrom, as he's projected to have a healthy season of 175 innings pitched and starting 29 games. The two-time All-Star is also projected to strike out 23.7% of batters faced while walking 6.2%.

With both projected to have ERAs in the mid-threes, the Rangers' offense will need to do what it can to win as many starts as these two have, especially with the unknown of what the other three starters in the rotation will be able to do.

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