The Texas Rangers are trying to win now, but the organization is also staring down a pretty clear transition on the mound after 2027.
That’s when the shape of the rotation is expected to shift. Jacob deGrom will be in the final year of his contract, though Texas does have a $20 million team option for 2028.
Nathan Eovaldi is headed for free agency, and so is MacKenzie Gore. That’s three-fifths of the current rotation potentially gone, which leaves the Rangers with a gap they’ll have to manage.
Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker are the only two starters under team control or contract beyond next season. So if Texas wants to bridge the veterans to the next wave, it may need help from outside the organization. The encouraging part for the Rangers is that the pipeline already looks crowded with arms.
MLB Pipeline recently ranked Texas ninth among all farm systems for pitching, and the list explains why. The Rangers’ top two pitching prospects are both among the Top 100 in baseball and sit in the organization’s Top 3 overall, according to MLB Pipeline: right-hander Caden Scarborough, the No. 2 prospect at High-A Hub City, and left-hander Gio Rojas, the Rangers’ 2026 first-round pick.
The depth keeps coming after that. Right-hander AJ Russell, the club’s second-round pick out of Tennessee last year, checks in at No.
- Two-way prospects Seong-Jun Kim and Josh Owens, both recently promoted to Class-A Hickory, are No. 8 and No.
- Left-hander Dalton Pence, a former North Carolina standout who just moved up to Triple-A Round Rock, is No.
Texas also has more pitching talent tucked just outside the top 10. Lefty Brody Bumila, another 2026 draft pick, is No.
- Right-handers David Davalillo, Winston Santos and Jacob Johnson sit at Nos. 15, 16 and 17.
Davalillo and Santos are already on the MLB roster, and Santos debuted earlier this year.
Farther down the list, the Rangers still have more arms to watch: Jose Corniell at No. 24, Emiliano Teodo at No.
25, Izack Tiger at No. 26, Leandro Lopez at No. 27 and Mason McConnaughey at No.
- Corniell and Teodo have both pitched in the Majors, and Corniell is currently on the injured list.
There’s a path here for Texas to fill future roles without having to buy every answer on the open market. Pence, Davalillo, Santos and Corniell are all close enough to factor as starters by 2028.
Teodo could fit in as a reliever, and Lopez, who is at Double-A, could get there as well. That gives the Rangers six possible options.
MLB Pipeline’s broader assessment lines up with the talent on the board. “They have 13 total arms on their top 30 with an average overall [scouting] grade of 45, tying them with the Giants for eighth-best among all 30 systems,” the site’s analysts wrote.
Texas has spent heavily on pitching in recent years, through both the draft and international signings. If that investment keeps paying off, the Rangers may have the kind of homegrown wave they’ll need right when the rotation starts turning over.
In Other News...
Rangers Face A Real Josh Jung Dilemma When He Returns
Josh Jungs calf injury has stretched on since July 21, and the Rangers still do not have a firm timetable for when their third baseman will be back. In the meantime, Ezequiel Duran has handled much of the work at the hot corner and given Texas a steady option on both sides of the ball, which has at least softened the blow of missing Jung.
When Jung is finally ready, the Rangers will have a real roster puzzle on their hands. They will have to decide how to fit him back into a lineup that has found some balance with Duran at third, while also keeping enough defensive strength on the field and preserving the offense that has helped fill the gap. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Suddenly Have A Jack Leiter Decision They Didn't Want
Jack Leiters rehab assignment at Triple-A Round Rock has quickly turned into more than a routine checkpoint for the Rangers. After working just one inning and allowing three runs on three hits, the organization now has to weigh what comes next for a pitcher they still view as part of the bigger picture, but who is not yet forcing an easy decision on timing or role.
Leiters outing leaves Texas sorting through two issues at once: how ready he is to rejoin the major league roster and whether he should keep building back up as a starter or spend some time in the bullpen. For a club trying to manage the season as it goes, the hope was probably for a cleaner path back, and now the Rangers have a little more to think about before making the next move. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Let Another Winnable Game Spiral Into A Frustrating Blowout
The Rangers had a chance to turn a sloppy afternoon into something manageable after drawing multiple walks early and getting a two-run home run from Joc Pederson that briefly pulled them even. Instead, the game began to tilt the wrong way as the White Sox took advantage of defensive mistakes and gradually separated themselves, turning what had looked like a winnable contest into a lopsided loss.
Texas never found a way to stop the slide once Chicago settled in, and the final margin reflected how quickly the game got away. Managerial decisions and player substitutions kept coming into play as the Rangers tried to steady things, but the damage kept building over the next few innings and left them staring at another frustrating result. [Read more 🡒]