For the 24th season in a row, we will not have a repeat World Series champion. The Texas Rangers are out of the playoff race at eight games below .500 as of September 16. It's been a steep fall for the team that hoisted the Commissioner's Trophy just last October.
Despite a disappointing 2024, the Rangers signed general manager Chris Young to an extension last week. He was in the final season of his deal.
“Chris Young’s impact on the Texas Rangers organization has been immense over the last four years,” managing partner and majority owner Ray Davis said in a press release. “His leadership and vision were instrumental in helping bring a World Series championship to Arlington for the first time, and he is passionate about producing a consistent winner on the field year in and year out for our fans. Our baseball operations group, from scouting and player development to the Major League team, is in great hands with CY at the helm for many years to come.”
With a new contract in tow, Young has his work cut out for him in the offseason. His first task would have been to re-sign Nathan Eovaldi, but Eovaldi needs to pitch only four more innings for his 2025 option to vest. He should get that in his next start.
The Rangers' roster fell flat across the board this year, with injuries to pitchers like Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer not helping. Thankfully, there are clear targets the team can look at that could help bring Texas back to the postseason.
And it starts by re-signing one of their own.
The Rangers should re-sign Andrew Heaney to bring stability to the rotation
Even with everything that has gone wrong for the Rangers this year, Andrew Heaney has been a bright spot. The 11-year veteran is finishing up one of the best seasons of his career, making 29 starts to date with 152 strikeouts in 150.1 innings pitched. With only 142 hits allowed, his 5-14 overall record seems mostly to be a product of him pitching for a bad team.
Heaney is in the second year of a two-year deal he signed with Texas prior to last season. He made $13 million this year and, given the glut of pitching talent that could be on the market this year, should stay relatively affordable for the Rangers.
Spotrac projects him to be worth a two-year deal at $10.9 million per year. The Rangers won't have to break the bank for someone who has already shown he's comfortable with the organization and has been part of a World Series team.
Texas can buy low on Danny Jansen
In terms of bringing in new players, the Rangers' first priority has to be upgrading the lineup. That could start at catcher.
Jonah Heim cratered after an All-Star season in 2023, returning to who he was before that. In 121 games, he has hit for a 67 OPS+ with a .259 OBP. His defense hasn't exactly made up for it, either. Statcast reports his pop time as static from last year but with poorer pitch framing and a run value of -5.
Catcher Danny Jansen, meanwhile, is going to hit free agency also coming off a rough year by his standards. Only, he has more of a track record to show what he's capable of. When healthy, he's generally been an above-average hitter (120 OPS+ from 2021-23). His injury history is concerning, but also keep in mind he's had two extended IL stays in the past three seasons resulting from a broken finger on a hit by pitch. That's more bad luck than anything.
His injury history and poor performance in his free agent year should knock Jansen's value down considerably. And yet, he's still probably the best catcher on the market.
Anthony Santander could give the Rangers some needed pop
The Rangers' starting outfield of Adolis Garcia, Wyatt Langford, and Leody Tavares has combined to hit 43 home runs this year. Anthony Santander has 41 on his own. Texas ranks in the bottom third of baseball in home runs and OPS, and Santander would help in both categories.
The Orioles will surely try to bring Santander back, but their first priority will be to re-sign Corbin Burnes. If the Rangers swoop in and grab Santander, it will come at a cost — not that money has prevented Texas from making a splash before. He will likely be looking for a deal in the five year range, which would take him to age 34. As an average outfielder, however, his future may be at DH, anyway.
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