The Rangers’ 2026 season never really found a clean rhythm, and that was the problem. It drifted through stretches of ordinary baseball, threw in a few walk-off highs and some tape-measure homers, then closed with a lousy final week that left Texas at 80-82 and just short of a return to the postseason.
Still, four moments stood out as the ones that actually shaped the year - some for the better, some for the worse.
Jacob Latz ended up becoming one of the biggest bright spots. Entering spring training in Surprise, the Rangers planned to split the closer job between Chris Martin and Robert Garcia.
That idea never really took hold, and Latz took control after moving out of the starter/swingman lane. His first save came on April 25 against the Athletics at Globe Life Field, a 4-3 Rangers win, and he never gave the job back.
By season’s end, he had 30 saves, a 2.13 ERA, a 0.81 WHIP, 2.6 bWAR and 83 strikeouts across 72 high-leverage innings. It was enough to earn him his first All-Star Game nod and put him in the conversation for one of the best closing seasons in franchise history.
The other side of the season’s turning point came when Josh Jung’s calf injury ripped the middle out of the offense. Jung had been steady all year, if not flashy, and for most of the first half he was hitting .300 while helping hold together an inconsistent lineup.
With Corey Seager and Wyatt Langford battling injuries and uneven production, the Rangers leaned on Jung for quality at-bats. Then he left the July 21 game against the White Sox with what looked like a minor, day-to-day calf strain.
Instead, he landed on the injured list for seven weeks, and the offense lost its anchor. From there, the group slid and spent the entire second half trying to stay near .500.
The trade deadline brought another big swing, and this one never happened. Jacob deGrom told Chris Young and the Rangers’ brass that he would not waive his no-trade clause for a deal to the Braves, a decision that reflected confidence in the current clubhouse but also shut the door on a chance to land Spencer Strider in the trade. Strider is a 20-game winner and All-Star at 27, though he is rehabbing an injury and is expected to get back to form next season. deGrom stayed in Arlington, but the results after the deadline were rough: a 4-4 record and a 4.77 ERA the rest of the way, which fed into a 4.20 ERA overall - the worst ERA season of his career.
Then came the final blow. In the first game of the last series against the Twins, the Rangers had deGrom on the mound and knew they likely needed a sweep to catch the Astros and win the AL West.
Instead, he allowed a season-high eight earned runs on eight hits and three walks in four innings, and the season effectively ended right there. It was a brutal finish for a team that needed its biggest names to carry the load.
Instead, deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Corey Seager all came up short when the pressure was highest, and the Rangers were left with one more disappointment in a season full of them.
In Other News...
Rangers Prospect Mason McConnaughey Is Giving The System A Tough Timeline Decision
Mason McConnaugheys return to the mound has already given the Rangers something worth watching as the fall gets rolling in Arizona. The pitching prospect, back from Tommy John surgery, reached the Arizona Fall League with the Surprise Saguaros after logging eight minor league appearances this season, where he posted a 3.48 ERA and held hitters to a .224 average.
The organization sent him there primarily to keep building innings without overtaxing him, but his AFL debut only sharpened the conversation around how quickly his timeline should move. McConnaughey opened with 2.1 scoreless innings and five strikeouts, the kind of outing that can make a development plan suddenly feel a little more complicated for a club trying to balance patience with the temptation to push a promising arm. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Face A Corey Seager Decision Atlanta Could Reignite
The Braves interest in Rangers stars does not appear to have gone away, even after a 2026 season that already included an attempted swing at Jacob deGrom. DeGrom shut that door with his no-trade clause, but the more intriguing name for Texas now is Corey Seager, a player Atlanta looked into last offseason and could circle back on again as the winter market opens.
For the Rangers, that is where the decision gets uncomfortable. Seager still carries the profile of a difference-maker when healthy, but the recent injury history and uneven production have complicated his value, and any renewed push from Atlanta would force Texas to weigh present-day roster needs against the long view of keeping one of its most recognizable hitters in place. [Read more 🡒]
Sebastian Walcott Is Giving Rangers Fans A New Reason To Watch
Sebastian Walcott is giving Rangers fans a fresh reason to keep an eye on the Arizona Fall League. Through three starts for the Surprise Saguaros, the Texas prospect has been splitting time between shortstop and designated hitter, offering a glimpse of the kind of impact bat and athleticism that has made him one of the organizations more intriguing young names.
Walcott is still working his way back after internal brace surgery on his right UCL, and the Rangers have been easing him into more field work as the fall goes on. His next steps in the system remain important for a club that likes his ceiling, with a likely stop at Triple-A Round Rock waiting once the minor league season opens again. [Read more 🡒]