In 2023, the Texas Rangers made the postseason for the first time in seven years, going on to win the franchise’s first World Series title. In 2024, the team fell well short of expectations, failing to defend their title. Plagued by injuries, regression, and roster holes, the team finished 78-84, missing the playoffs by a wide margin. This offseason, Rangers’ General Manager Chris Young and the rest of the front office have buckled down and made multiple key additions to build an AL West favorite in 2025, and bring optimism back to Arlington.
Kyle Higashioka – C ($12.5M / 2 Years)
Heading into this offseason, catcher posed a position of need for the Rangers following the decline of Jonah Heim and the loss of 2024 deadline acquisition Carson Kelly. Coming off a season with a career high full-season OPS of .739 with the Padres, the 34-year-old Higashioka looks to bring a veteran presence to the Ranger’s 2025 batteries. Higgy’s solid bat alongside his plus framing should make him a solid rotational piece throughout the season, as FanGraphs projects him to play about half of Texas’ games this season.
Joc Pederson – DH ($37M / 2 Years)
In 2023, the Rangers ranked 3rd in MLB in offensive production. In 2024, they dropped all the way to 22nd. Many factors contributed to this decline, but a major reason proved to be the loss of DH Mitch Garver following the team’s 2023 championship run. The Rangers ranked dead last in production out of the DH spot in 2024, with nine different players starting 10 or more games at the position. Now with the thirty-two year old Joc Pederson stepping into the everyday DH role, this issue should be solved in 2025. The lefty slugger posted an astounding career-high .908 OPS last season with the Diamondbacks, making him one of the best hitters in baseball. Proven by his 90+ percentile placement in average exit velocity and walk percentage, Pederson’s bat contains immense power and his plate discipline seems better than ever. Joc should be one of the Ranger’s premier bats in 2025, and likely a fan favorite alongside names like Adolis Garcia and Corey Seager.
Jake Burger – 1B/3B/DH (Trade)
Jake Burger, a former first-round pick, played third base throughout his career but will now take Nathaniel Lowe’s spot at first, a position he also served at throughout his career. He could also fill in at DH in a platoon role alongside fellow newcomer Joc Pederson. Acquired from Miami in exchange for three prospects, Burger provides a big power bat to help bolster the Rangers’ lineup. The 28-year-old profiles as a typical two-true-outcome kind of hitter, smashing 63 homers over the last two seasons alongside a strikeout percentage in >25% of his at-bats. The former first-round pick also boasts four more years of team control. Burger should be a more than serviceable bat in Rangers’ lineups for years to come, and projects to finish with a solid .756 OPS this upcoming season (via FanGraphs).
Robert Garcia – RP (Trade)
Acquired via trade prior to the 2021 season, first baseman Nathaniel Lowe was one of the longest tenured Rangers, and a major contributor to the 2023 championship team. Following a trade with the Nationals though, Lowe was sent away, a tough hit for many fans. This move makes sense though. Lowe’s 2023 and 2024 seasons were good, but not necessarily great. First base is a deep position in MLB, and it doesn’t make sense to pay Lowe upwards of $10 million for the next two seasons and onward when you have a cheaper, suitable replacement in Jake Burger. The return for Lowe, lefty reliever Robert Garcia, makes this trade worth it though. Although he didn’t have the surface numbers to show for it last year due to some bad BABIP luck, Garcia showed off some of the best peripherals in MLB, with an expected ERA of 2.53 (97th percentile). The 28 year-old reliever also holds five years of team control before he becomes a free agent, making the combination of him and Jake Burger a much more economical situation for Texas’ front office relative to Lowe’s. Lowe will likely continue to succeed in Washington and will be missed by Rangers fans, but Garcia’s elite strikeout stuff and ability to miss barrels should prove that Texas made the right move.
Chris Martin – RP ($5.5M / 1 Year)
It feels like the Rangers’ bullpen has been an issue for long as we can remember, especially last season. The Rangers ranked 26th in MLB in RP ERA in 2024. The 2023 squad infamously blew 33 saves, leading all of baseball. It’s no question that help is needed. A former Ranger, Chris Martin should be a reliable relief arm for Texas. Martin has maintained a FIP under three for the past three seasons with Atlanta and Boston, and FanGraphs projects the 38-year-old to finish with a solid 3.31 ERA this season. Martin excels at producing soft contact and limiting walks, two extremely valuable qualities. His veteran presence in the Rangers’ bullpen should prove useful in 2025.
Hoby Milner – RP ($2.5M / 1 Year)
Like Garcia, Hoby Milner is another reliever who didn’t have the surface level numbers to show for it last season, but excelled from a purely peripheral standpoint. Milner, a soft throwing lefty, posted a 1.82 ERA with Milwaukee in 2023 before dramatically regressing in 2024. His numbers under the surface stayed consistent though, pointing towards some bad luck in 2024 rather than an actual decline in ability. This is proven by his FIP staying consistent the past three seasons. The Rangers front office evidently seems to think similarly, snagging the 34-year-old on a cheap deal. As previously stated, Milner is one of the few pitchers in baseball who still wields a sub ninety mile per hour fastball, but his ability to induce soft contact and ground balls make him a great out-getter. Milner will likely be the Rangers number two left-handed reliever behind newcomer Robert Garcia, speaking to the Rangers newfound bullpen depth.
Nathan Eovaldi – SP ($75M / 3 Year)
Nathan Eovaldi did not post an ERA above 3.9 in a full season since his time as a Yankee, 2016 to be exact. Since becoming a Ranger in the offseason prior to 2023, the Texas native pitched his way to becoming a fan favorite. He served one of the key contributors to the Rangers’ first championship in 2023 and pitched a gem in the conclusive Game 5 of the World Series. For most fans, it would feel weird to see Eovaldi no longer in Texas. Bringing him back was clearly a top priority for Rangers’ General Manager Chris Young and his team this offseason. In the midst of Jacob DeGrom’s absence, Eovaldi stepped up as Texas’ ace, and will look to continue his consistent quality pitching into next season. The 34-year-old will likely have a big workload in 2025, but it’s nothing “Big Game Nate” can’t handle.
