Texas Rangers Receive Strong Offseason Grade for Wise Spending This Winter

What grade did the Texas Rangers receive for their offseason this winter?

Sep 29, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (17) pitches during the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

With the offseason coming to a close, the Texas Rangers are getting close to the start of what they hope will be a bounce-back campaign. 

It was certainly a frustrating year for the Rangers in 2024. After winning the World Series in 2023, the team looked completely different in most aspects last season. 

Injuries played a big part in the struggles, with their offense missing some key players for stretches. However, the starting rotation was where they really were lacking. 

This winter, Texas wasn’t expected to be major spenders with the luxury tax threshold in mind, but they were a very active team. Most notably, the lineup saw a couple of new faces join them with Joc Pederson and Jake Burger. 

For the rotation, getting healthy was the name of the game and the Rangers’ rotation is shaping up to be very good this coming year. 

Getting Jacob deGrom and Kumar Rocker back at the end of the season and letting them both get in some work was huge for the team and their offseason process. Now, both are ready to go and this rotation with the re-signing of Nathan Eovaldi has the potential to be very good. 

There have been some varying judgements of the offseason for Texas, but a former MLB executive gave them a strong grade. 

Jim Bowden of The Athletic recently gave the Rangers the strong grade of a ‘B-‘ for their efforts and wise spending this winter. 

“The Rangers spent wisely this offseason. That, along with the power bats they acquired, factored into their strong grade.”

There was certainly a lot to like about the winter for Texas, especially considering how wisely they spent their money. 

Bringing back Eovaldi was arguably the most important piece for them to re-sign this winter, with him being a reliable arm in a rotation that, while talented, has some question marks due to injuries. 

For the lineup, adding Burger and Pederson will provide them with the power and run production that they were lacking last season at times. 

What limited their grade was certainly the bullpen. Even though they brought in a lot of veteran arms, there is a void in the closer role that hasn’t been filled. While someone might emerge in spring training and take over, losing Kirby Yates was a significant blow. 

Even though the Rangers have been known in recent years to make significant splashes in free agency, they didn’t need to this offseason. 

Getting healthy and making a few adjustments should be what the team needs to get back into contention in 2025. Overall, it was a solid winter for Texas.