One Offseason Mistake the Texas Rangers Cannot Afford to Repeat

The Texas Rangers cannot afford to make this mistake again this offseason. The good news is that leadership already knows it.

Texas Rangers General Manager Chris Young. Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

Of all the things that went wrong for the Texas Rangers, president of baseball operations Chris Young identified one he has some control of.

Roster depth and competition are two areas where the Rangers came up short in 2026. Many of the position players they invited to spring training didn’t make the team and eventually left the organization after being assigned to Triple-A because Texas had so many holdover players there really wasn’t much competition for jobs. They were there in case someone got hurt.  

Young knows he must change that in 2027. The question is how?

Rangers Can’t Repeat This Mistake Again

Texas Rangers third baseman Jonah Bride. Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Texas brought in position player competition in spring training that included some with Major League experience, including Jonah Bride, Richie Martin Jr., Andrew Velazquez, Tyler Wade and Mark Canha. None made the opening day roster. Only Bride stuck around long enough to play with the Rangers during the season.

In some cases, the depth wasn’t good enough to make the team. But Texas also appeared to have a good idea of what its opening-day roster would look like for its 13 position players and those veterans that failed to make the roster knew there wasn’t much chance of making it in Texas.

Most exercised free agent clauses and left. Texas’ best depth was acquired in-season, including catcher Elias Diaz, infielder Nicky Lopez and outfielder Jarred Kelenic. But those signings were made after the Rangers lost players to injury and had to scramble for more depth. They got lucky with Diaz and Lopez especially, who had offensive seasons above their career averages.

The lack or roster depth combined with the Rangers’ holdover players to create a mix in which even when players underperformed, they remained in the lineup.

Young acknowledged the failure earlier this week.

“It's one of the jobs of the front office to create competition and to build out the depth of the team in a way that does provide competition when there's underperformance, and that's an area where we need to be accountable,” he said. “We did not provide those options to the level that was needed this year.”

How to Fix the Problem

Texas Rangers center fielder Ezequiel Duran. Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Young and his staff need to approach the offseason by acquiring players that can make the roster in 2027 even if a player doesn’t get hurt. If the best player is supposed to play, as Young said, then the players that are signed or traded for should be those that can make the team.

For instance, center field is a problem because Evan Carter batted under .200 cannot consistently hit left-handed pitching. The Rangers should sign or trade for a player that can compete there and take the job if Carter doesn’t improve. That would also apply to internal options. If Alejandro Osuna plays better there, then play him.

The same could be said for second base, where there is no candidate to take the job though it’s likely Ezequiel Duran will start there. But what if Duran regresses after a terrific 2026? The Rangers need to sign or trade for a player that could push him. The same goes for first baseman Jake Burger and the projected tandem behind the plate, Danny Jansen and Logan O’Hoppe.

The Rangers can’t fear competition, even if it displaces players that have been with the team. Three years of failing to make the playoffs is wearing on Young. His job is to bring in depth and competition. This offseason, that competition must include players that can take someone’s job — and he can’t be worried about benching who isn’t getting it done.