Ezequiel Duran gave the Rangers something rare in 2026: a player they could plug into almost any spot and trust the result. He wound up as Texas’ team MVP in a season defined by injuries and uneven production, and his value came from being there every day to cover for whatever Skip Schumaker needed.
That’s exactly why the Rangers should be careful not to box him into second base next year.
Duran was the best option at the position for Texas, with the possible exception of Nicky Lopez, and he’d have every reason to look like the obvious answer for the everyday job after a breakout year. He could even be in line to win both a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger as a utility man. But locking him in at second would strip away the very thing that made him so valuable in the first place.
The bigger issue is what happens when the inevitable absences hit. Corey Seager gets hurt, and it’s not a matter of if so much as when - and likely more than once.
Wyatt Langford misses time in left field. Josh Jung goes down.
Jake Burger, described here as out of shape, ends up unavailable. The Rangers have spent the last three years dealing with that kind of churn, and Duran has been the answer all along.
In 2026, he finally paired that defensive versatility with a real offensive breakthrough. He set career highs in at-bats, hits, doubles, home runs, RBIs and stolen bases, giving Texas a dependable everyday presence while still moving all over the field. Last season, he logged at least 14 games at five different positions, and that kind of flexibility is not something a club should casually give away.
The cleaner path is to keep Duran movable and build around him, not around a permanent second-base assignment. Bringing Lopez back and pairing him with Justin Foscue at second would preserve Duran as the fix-it piece for all the cracks that open over a 162-game season. If everything somehow stays intact, Duran can work at DH or shift around the diamond to give regulars a breather.
Foscue’s split matters in that setup, too. He hit lefties hard last season, posting a .324/.395/.586 line, but his .512 OPS against right-handers points to the need for a cheap left-handed complement like Lopez, or someone with a similar profile.
Texas was only average in 2026, but Duran was the one player nobody else in the league could quite replicate. That’s why Schumaker could be seen wearing a T-shirt that said “The Solution” during interviews and pressers. He knows what Duran gives the roster, and Chris Young likely does too.
In Other News...
Rangers Face A Bullpen Decision That Could Define Their Budget
Jakob Junis has become a tricky little piece of the Rangers' bullpen puzzle, and not just because of what he did on the mound in 2026. Texas holds a $5 million mutual option for the 2027 season, a structure that gives both sides a say in whether the relationship carries on, and it comes at a time when the club is already trying to manage a tight payroll while keeping the relief corps competitive.
The decision is complicated by the shape of Junis' season, which was far better in the first half than in the stretch run, leaving the Rangers to weigh the early return against the late fade. With high-end bullpen additions difficult to chase under current budget limits, this is the kind of call that could quietly say a lot about how Texas plans to build around its pitching staff moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Already Face A Payroll Squeeze Chris Young Can't Ignore
The Rangers are already staring at a 2027 payroll picture that could get tight fast, even before they know exactly how the front office wants to attack the roster. Texas has multiple needs to address, and the bigger issue may be how much room Chris Young will actually have to maneuver while trying to stay under the luxury tax threshold, especially with the organization still not having a clear public answer on its long-term budget.
Complicating matters is the uncertainty around the next collective bargaining agreement and the possibility of an MLB lockout, which makes planning even trickier. The bullpen is also one area that could demand attention, and with key relief help nearing free agency, the Rangers may be forced to balance immediate roster fixes against a payroll that does not look especially forgiving. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Free Agency Just Became A Tough Test Of Chris Young
Free agency is shaping up as a different sort of test for Chris Young, one that may have less to do with how aggressively the Rangers can shop and more to do with how precisely they can spend. Texas is headed toward a tighter payroll picture for 2027 after owner Ray Davis trimmed expenses, which puts even more pressure on the president of baseball operations to make every move line up with the clubs broader roster plan.
Young has already made it clear the Rangers do not want to chase names just for the sake of activity. The focus is on players who fit the teams preferred profile, especially hitters who get on base and pitchers who can coax weak contact, and that approach could define how Texas navigates the market. In a winter where flexibility looks limited, the bigger challenge may be finding the right kind of fit without overextending for the wrong one. [Read more 🡒]