The Rangers’ offseason doesn’t just start with adding talent. It starts with untangling money.
Texas has a stack of payroll calls to make before the 2027 season, and several of the biggest ones involve players already on the books. Some are locked in.
Some can only be moved if the player signs off. And for the Rangers, that makes every path a little messy.
Jacob deGrom sits near the top of the list. He’s in the final stretch of his five-year, $185 million deal and is set to make $37 million in 2027.
Texas also holds a 2028 club option worth $20 million, though he would be 40 that season. After the trade deadline, deGrom said the Rangers had asked him about waiving his no-trade clause for a deal that was ultimately reported to be with the Atlanta Braves.
He turned it down and said he wanted to “win in Texas.” Whether that feeling has changed after the Rangers missed the playoffs for the third straight year is part of the question now.
The obstacle is simple and significant: deGrom has a full no-trade clause. If Texas wants to move his salary, he has to approve it. Any trade partner would also be taking on a contract that comes with age-related risk and the possibility that the production doesn’t match the price tag.
Corey Seager is in a similar spot, even if the context is a little different. He’s halfway through the 10-year, $325 million deal he signed before the 2022 season, and he’ll make $31 million in 2027.
Because he now has 10 years of service time and five years with the same team, he has full no-trade protection too. Texas does have the advantage of his age - he’ll be 32 - but injuries have followed him since the 2023 World Series championship season.
That leaves the Rangers with a tough call: keep Seager and live with the contract, or seriously explore a trade and find a team that can absorb the salary and accept the injury history. Either way, Seager has to agree. Like deGrom, this is not a one-sided decision.
Nathan Eovaldi is the third big contract issue, and while his deal is smaller, the same basic problem applies. He’s coming off his worst season since arriving in Texas in 2023, and he’ll make $24 million in the final year of the three-year, $75 million contract he signed in 2024. He’s heading into his age-37 season, and it seems unlikely the Rangers would bring him back once he reaches free agency.
Eovaldi also has full no-trade protection, so Texas can’t just ship him out if it wants the money off the books. The Rangers would need a trade partner willing to take on his deal and accept the same age and durability concerns that come with deGrom. Eovaldi has generally been dependable, but he’s also spent about a month on the injured list each season in Texas.
Then there are the mutual options, which give both sides a say. Texas has three of them to sort through: designated hitter Joc Pederson, reliever Jakob Junis and catcher Kyle Higashioka. That’s a different setup from the player option Pederson had last year, when he triggered it and the Rangers had to honor it for 2026.
Pederson’s mutual option is worth $18.5 million, and the Rangers appear highly unlikely to pick it up. Higashioka’s $7 million option also looks like an easy pass, especially with Logan O’Hoppe in place as the backup catcher. Junis is the more interesting one at $4 million, because it’s manageable and it lines up with a clear area of need: the bullpen.
In Other News...
Former Rangers Names Just Got Hard To Ignore This October
With the Wild Card Series now in the books, October has already produced a familiar sight for Rangers fans: a cluster of former Texas players still grinding through the postseason with other clubs. The Division Series field is set, and among the names carrying a little extra relevance in Arlington are Tyler Mahle and Rowdy Tellez with the Braves, along with Shawn Armstrong, Matt Festa, Austin Hedges and Nathaniel Lowe in Cleveland.
What makes the list hard to ignore is how many different ways these ex-Rangers have stayed in the spotlight, from recent performances to the moves that put them on new rosters in the first place. For a Texas club that knows how narrow October windows can be, seeing so many former pieces still alive in the bracket is a reminder that the Rangers reach this time of year extends well beyond their own clubhouse. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Face A Costly DH Decision They May Have To Solve Internally
The Rangers are already looking at a tricky offseason question at designated hitter, and the answer may have to come from inside the clubhouse. Joc Pederson is unlikely to return because of cost, which leaves Texas weighing a handful of familiar names as it tries to piece together an everyday bat without spending heavily to fill the spot.
Justin Foscue is one possible fit after showing he can handle left-handed pitching, though his issues against right-handers complicate a straightforward answer. The club is also considering a second-year outfielder with steady on-base skills but limited power, along with Logan O'Hoppe, who brings some DH appeal but still needs work on both sides of the ball. Rather than hand the job to one player, the Rangers may end up rotating options through the role and hoping the collective production is enough. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Offseason May Come Down To One Ownership Decision
The Rangers have not yet gotten far enough into the offseason to know what kind of financial lane they will have to work with, and president of baseball operations Chris Young said the club is still waiting on ownership to settle payroll and spending decisions. The front office is doing its usual planning, but the real scope of the winter remains tied to internal discussions that are still ongoing.
For a team that already has significant payroll commitments on the books for 2027, the near-term picture still could leave room to operate, with more than $100 million potentially available under the competitive balance tax threshold depending on player options and arbitration outcomes. Even so, how aggressively Texas can act may come down to ownership approval and the broader labor climate between MLB owners and the Players Association, which gives this offseason a different kind of uncertainty than a simple shopping list. [Read more 🡒]