The Texas Rangers have already shown a willingness to make noise, but the next move that actually makes sense might be the biggest one yet: trading Corey Seager.
That’s the kind of deal that changes the shape of a roster, and it’s also the kind of move the Rangers would have to approach with real precision. Seager is under a 10-year contract, and when Texas signed him, the expectation was that he’d finish that deal in Arlington.
But that’s not always how these things go. Of the five veterans the Rangers have under contract, Seager carries the most value, which means he could bring back the strongest return.
The fit with Texas’ current situation is obvious. The club needs a better hitting outfielder, a starting pitcher and a reliever.
It also needs a team willing to absorb most of Seager’s salary. That immediately narrows the field.
On top of that, Seager now has 10/5 rights, so he can veto any trade.
This is where the Atlanta Braves come into the picture.
The Rangers should circle back to the team that had previously inquired about Jacob deGrom. Atlanta has a hole at shortstop, and Mauricio Dubon, who can play just about everywhere, is heading toward free agency.
Ha-Seong Kim can handle shortstop, but his bat was unresponsive this season, and he is also a free agent. The Concord, N.C., native could step in for the Braves, and Atlanta has the payroll space to make the money work.
The harder part is extracting enough value from a Braves farm system that isn’t especially top-heavy. Ronald Acuna Jr. and Michael Harris II are already locked into long-term deals, and Spencer Strider is too risky for Texas to target given his injury history.
If the Rangers are going to do this, they should push for three prospects, with the emphasis on players who are already at Double-A or higher. One name to demand would be one of Atlanta’s Top 3 prospects: outfielder Eric Hartman, left-handed pitcher Cam Caminiti or middle infielder Tate Southisene. Southisene may be the cleanest target because of the shortstop opening Seager would leave behind.
If Southisene isn’t part of the package, Texas could instead ask for Caminiti to help strengthen the pitching pipeline, plus shortstop Alex Lodise and another pitcher who can give the Rangers a future option for either the rotation or the bullpen.
It may not be the flashiest version of bold, but it’s the smart version. Texas has already taken swings at major roster moves, including last offseason’s Marcus Semien-for-Brandon Nimmo trade and the five-prospect deal for MacKenzie Gore. Those moves were aggressive, but they didn’t deliver the playoff berth the Rangers wanted.
Now the better play might be to act before Seager’s value slips. A trade would help fill the shortstop gap - if it isn’t Sebastian Walcott - and bring in pitching that could matter by 2028, when Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi come off the books.
In Other News...
Rangers Future Is Taking Shape And Some Familiar Names May Not Fit
The Rangers next roster reset is starting to come into focus, and it sounds a lot like a shift in identity as much as a change in personnel. Chris Young has made it clear the club wants to lean into younger, more athletic players and back away from older veterans whose versatility has faded and whose salaries leave less room to maneuver. For a team trying to chart its next winning core, that means the conversation is no longer just about who produced last season, but who fits the shape of what comes next.
Cody Freeman, Justin Foscue and Wyatt Langford are the kinds of players who fit that blueprint, giving Texas a trio of younger names to build around as the roster takes on a different look. On the other side of the ledger, familiar veterans such as Joc Pederson and Corey Seager are part of the broader question facing the front office, along with another unnamed player whose place is less certain as the Rangers weigh age, cost and performance. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Face One Big Offseason Question Before Free Agency Opens
Chris Young is heading into the winter with one of the most important questions in front of the Rangers still unanswered: how much room will there be to spend. The president of baseball operations said he does not yet know the teams budget for 2027 and needs to sit down with ownership to sort that out, a reminder that the clubs offseason plans will be shaped as much by finances as by baseball needs.
The current estimate for Texas 26-man opening day payroll in 2027, based on existing contracts, arbitration projections and minimum salaries, sits around $171.13 million before benefits and dead money are added. There is also another layer to consider, since the next collective bargaining agreement between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association will help determine what free agency spending looks like once it is ratified, leaving the Rangers waiting on both internal and league-wide answers before the market fully opens. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Already Face One Tough Offseason Call On A Veteran Bat
MLB Trade Rumors has already put some early offseason pressure on Texas, projecting arbitration numbers for a cluster of Rangers players and kicking off the kind of roster debate front offices usually try to delay until winter gets closer. The exercise is a useful reminder of how quickly the conversation around the club can shift from the stretch run to player control, age, and which pieces fit a roster that still wants to get more athletic.
One name drawing particular attention is Jake Burger, who could find himself in danger of becoming a non-tender decision as the Rangers sort through a veteran bat and a broader push toward youth. At the same time, the projections point in a different direction for Wyatt Langford and Jacob Latz, both of whom were flagged as extension candidates, leaving Texas with one of those familiar offseason balancing acts: reward the right players, trim the wrong fit, and decide how much patience there is for a bat that may no longer line up with the clubs next move. [Read more 🡒]