The Rangers are back in the middle of the trade chatter at the General Manager Meetings, and this time around the stakes feel a lot higher than the last time Texas made a move at this event.
League executives are gathered in Las Vegas for the 2026 General Manager Meetings, which started Monday night and run through Thursday. Agents for current free agents are there too, and with that crowd in one place, the trade market usually starts to heat up. Texas is already being viewed as a team to watch.
That brings up the Rangers’ last GM Meetings trade, which turned into a dead end for both sides. In 2022, Texas landed right-handed starter Jake Odorizzi from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for left-handed pitcher Kolby Allard.
At the time, Odorizzi was coming off a 2021 season in which he posted a 4.40 ERA in 22 starts between the Houston Astros and Braves. He also carried a career 3.99 ERA across 241 appearances, 237 of them starts. But that resume never translated into anything for Texas, because Odorizzi never threw a regular-season pitch for the Rangers.
Shoulder surgery before the 2023 season wiped out his year, and that was the end of his time as a factor for the club. Texas, of course, didn’t need him anyway. The Rangers went on to win the first World Series title in franchise history.
Atlanta didn’t get much out of the deal either. Allard appeared in just four games for the Braves in 2023 before departing the organization.
So when you look back at that swap, it was basically a trade that went nowhere for both teams. If Texas makes another move during this year’s meetings, the Rangers will be hoping for a much better return.
The bigger question now is whether the Rangers actually pull the trigger on anything significant. If they do, it could involve one of their highest-paid stars. Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reported that Texas may be willing to consider moving players like Corey Seager and Jacob deGrom.
That idea comes with a major catch: both veterans have no-trade clauses. If they want to stay in Texas, the Rangers can’t deal them.
President of baseball operations Chris Young said the Rangers want to remain competitive next year with a similar payroll. But with Seager, deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi set to account for $92 million of Texas’ roughly $190 million 2027 payroll, it’s hard to see how the club stays in top-contender territory unless it sheds at least one of those contracts.
There’s also the looming labor situation hanging over everything. The CBA expires on Dec. 1, and the lockout is expected to begin then.
Owners want a salary cap, players do not, and that means the 2027 season could be delayed or even canceled. With the Winter Meetings in danger, the pressure is on to get business done now in Las Vegas.
If the Rangers make a deal this week, it will need to be a lot more meaningful than their last early trade.
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For Texas, the chatter naturally circles back to a few players who would draw attention if the Rangers decided to listen. Nathan Eovaldi remains the sort of established arm that could interest contenders, while Sebastian Walcott gives the organization a premium young piece whose value is easy to imagine in bigger conversations. Nothing is settled, and these are still just possible frameworks rather than actual deals, but the fact that both veterans and prospects could enter the discussion is enough to make Las Vegas a place worth watching for Rangers fans. [Read more 🡒]
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Seagers appeal is obvious enough for a club trying to stabilize the position, but any pursuit would have to clear two hurdles: the price and the fit. He is under contract for five more years, and after a down season, Boston would have to decide whether the upside of adding a proven shortstop outweighs the risk of taking on a major commitment for a player coming off a rough year. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers May Be Heading Toward A Corey Seager Crossroads
The Rangers are entering the offseason with a difficult question hanging over Corey Seager, and the answer may start taking shape at the general managers meetings in Las Vegas. Texas is expected to gauge the trade market for its star shortstop, a move that reflects both the clubs desire for payroll flexibility and the reality that Seagers contract and injury history make any deal complicated from the start.
Seagers full no-trade rights give him control over where this goes, and the financial commitment attached to him means any conversation will be about more than just baseball value. If the Rangers do decide to explore moving him, it could open a path for Sebastian Walcott, the prospect many around the organization see as a possible long-term answer at shortstop, but the first step is simply finding out whether there is real interest at all. [Read more 🡒]