Why Texas Rangers Post-World Series Roster Moves Won’t Be Complicated

Five days after the World Series ends, the Texas Rangers face their first significant deadline of the offseason.

By that date, the Rangers must have set their 40-man roster for the offseason. The biggest hurdle are the players that Texas has on the 60-day IL. During the season those players don’t count against the 40-man roster. But in the offseason, they must be removed from the 60-day IL and put back on the 40-man roster.

Every team must do this after the World Series. The Rangers have five players that ended the season on the 60-day IL — Carter Baumler, Jalen Beeks, Jose Corniell, Jack Leiter and Cal Quantrill. Beeks and Quantrill are free agents. But Corniell, Leiter and Baumler are under team control and are unlikely to be released.

Texas must create three spots. Usually to do that, teams must trade players or designate them for assignment to get them off the 40-man roster. But not this time.

Why Rangers 40-Man Decisions May Be Easy

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jack Leiter throws a baseball. — Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jack Leiter. Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Rangers need room for those three players, but the room will be cleared the day after the World Series because that is when free agency begins. While free agents can’t sign deals until the five-day deadline passes, those free agents come off the roster right away.

Texas has up to nine free agents that are taking up space on the 40-man roster. Three of them have mutual options with the team — designated hitter Joc Pederson, catcher Kyle Higashioka and pitcher Jakob Junis. The expectation is that the Rangers won’t trigger their options.

The rest of the players are unrestricted free agents after the season — Beeks, Quantrill, pitcher Jordan Montgomery, pitcher Tyler Alexander, second baseman Nicky Lopez and pitcher Trevor Williams. It’s unclear of Texas will try to pursue any of these players in free agency. President of baseball operations Chris Young said the team will set their course in free agency by the end of October.

With just those free agents coming off the roster, the Rangers will have the space to move Corniell, Leiter and Baumler back on the 40-man roster without needing to trade or designate players for assignment.

Texas may decide to prune parts of the roster based on talent. For instance, pitcher Michael Otanez spent one day on the 26-man roster in September before he came down with an illness that put him on the IL. He never threw for the Rangers in the Majors, and they may see keeping him as not part of the plan for 2027.

But the good news is that Texas doesn’t have to face a roster crunch after the World Series. It’s one less decision it must make in an offseason that will be filled with them.

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