Chris Young may have found an offseason market that matches the Rangers’ goals.
Texas’ president of baseball operations said the club will keep a flat payroll from 2026, which sat around $190 million. That means the Rangers can still shop in free agency, but only at the lower end unless Young is willing to subtract something meaningful from the roster first.
And that’s where the trade market starts to matter.
Young told reporters earlier this week that he’d be open to deals that bring back multiple players. With the Rangers’ current payroll structure, that kind of return would almost certainly require moving one of their biggest salaries: Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi or Corey Seager.
The timing could help him.
MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, along with the rest of baseball, is heading to Las Vegas for the annual general managers meetings. Normally, that’s a place where the industry starts laying the groundwork for free-agent signings and trades. This year, though, the possibility of a work stoppage in December has people expecting more action than usual, with moves potentially beginning there.
Morosi said the looming work stoppage, which would eventually lead to a new collective bargaining agreement, is pushing teams away from trading players with one year of team control for prospects. He named Miami Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara, Seattle Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert and Cleveland Guardians center fielder Steven Kwan as examples. General managers don’t know what the next financial setup will look like, and they don’t want to risk losing players earlier than expected.
Instead, Morosi reported, clubs are more likely to swap veterans on expiring contracts for other veterans in similar situations. That kind of trade could line up neatly with what Young wants: a younger, more athletic roster with more competition at the big-league level.
If that’s the way the market goes, Texas may have a better shot at getting MLB-ready help back in a deal rather than a package built around prospects. That matters for Young, because his offseason aim points toward players who can help right away, not in 2028 or later.
There are still hurdles, including the money involved and the no-trade clauses attached to some of those contracts. But if other front offices are thinking the same way, the Rangers may be looking at a trade market that fits their plan better than it first appeared.
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Rangers Trade Talks Could Put One Familiar Name In Play
With the General Manager Meetings set for Nov. 10-12 in Las Vegas, Chris Young is heading into the kind of week that can quietly shape a roster for months to come. The Rangers president of baseball operations is expected to be in the room for trade conversations, and as always at this stage of the calendar, familiar names can start surfacing in speculative talks as clubs explore what it might take to improve.
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 🡒]