Scott Boras doesn’t often hand out clean answers, and at this year’s MLB General Manager Meetings, he stayed right in that lane when the Texas Rangers came up.
Asked about the club, Boras told reporters the organization is trying to “utilize ownership to create depth, to grow more; that’s kind of what they’re doing,” according to The Dallas Morning News’ Shawn McFarland. He didn’t offer much more on Corey Seager, either, saying the decision to waive or not waive a no-trade clause is something “a GM discusses with a player.”
That’s not much to grab onto, which is pretty much the Boras experience. Still, the comment has at least opened the door to speculation about what Texas might be lining up this winter.
The likeliest read is that if the Rangers move veterans on long-term deals - Seager, Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi - it would be about bringing back talent, not simply clearing money. In that scenario, Texas could be willing to absorb salary in a deal if it means maximizing the return.
Whether that’s exactly what Boras meant is another matter. What is clear is that president of baseball operations Chris Young has said he expects Texas to be competitive next year on a payroll similar to this season’s. That points toward the Rangers having to get creative, and likely means veteran trades are part of the plan to shore up other parts of the roster.
Any deal involving Seager, deGrom or Eovaldi would still require the player to waive a no-trade clause. DeGrom reportedly passed on doing that at the trade deadline, when the Rangers had a deal lined up with the Atlanta Braves.
That doesn’t lock anything in for the future, though. Circumstances can change.
The contract situations are different for each of the three. Seager has five years and $155 million remaining.
DeGrom is owed $37 million for one more year and has a $20 million club option for 2028. Eovaldi is set to make $24 million for another year.
If Texas gets only one of them to agree to a move, Eovaldi would seem the most likely candidate. He’s the one with the most obvious history of bouncing around.
Seager and deGrom, by contrast, have each played for only two teams in their careers. All three already own World Series rings, though deGrom’s came in 2023 without him on the postseason roster after Tommy John surgery.
Rangers fans have every reason to be annoyed by ownership’s reluctance to push payroll higher for next season. Even so, the front office appears intent on finding a different path. The current roster doesn’t look like a World Series contender, but if Texas can turn those big contracts into multiple younger pieces, it could put itself back in the mix as one of the American League’s better teams.
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