2024 season: Eliminated on Sept. 20, 3rd in AL West
Let’s take a look at the season that was for the 2024 Texas Rangers, the questions the team must address this winter and the early outlook for 2025.
Read more: 2024 MLB offseason previews: What’s next for the White Sox, A’s, Pirates and more?
Things that went right
Flags fly forever, but little went right for the 2024 Rangers, who have the dubious distinction of being the first team since the 2014 Red Sox to follow a World Series championship with a losing record in the subsequent 162-game campaign.
There were few players who exceeded expectations in Texas. One bright spot was a pair of aging relievers, Kirby Yates and David Robertson, who turned back the clock and gave the club a pair of late-inning anchors. Yates primarily worked as the closer and Robertson as a setup man, but they were effective throughout the season no matter how they were deployed.
Corey Seager couldn’t repeat his eye-popping 2023 stats, which included a 1.013 OPS, but he continued to be an effective hitter who combined plus power skills with a strong ability to reach base. Josh Smith was another small bright spot, as he earned a larger workload while continuing to play multiple positions.
Things that went wrong
When a team slips from World Series champion to postseason pretender, there’s no shortage of things that went wrong.
Marcus Semien wasn’t a massive disappointment, but his offensive game experienced a notable year-over-year decline. At the same time, to Semien’s credit, he continued to be one of baseball’s most durable players. His decline was less stark than that of Adolis García, who was one of the biggest catalysts of Texas’ World Series run. García was terrific in April this year before batting under .200 each of the next three months.
Veterans weren’t the only problem in the batting order, as youngsters Wyatt Langford, Evan Carter and Josh Jung failed to deliver on lofty expectations. Langford was supposed to be one of baseball’s most exciting rookies, but he struggled in April, missed most of May due to a hamstring injury and was largely ineffective the rest of the way.
Carter was an even bigger disappointment. The outfielder was terrific in September and the postseason last year, but he posted a .633 OPS this season and was limited to 45 games due to a back injury. Jung suffered a fractured wrist four games into the campaign, which kept him out of action until July 29.
Meanwhile, aging starters Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom failed to make any real impact. Scherzer returned from a season-opening back injury in June but went back to the IL after eight starts due to shoulder fatigue. DeGrom was expected to give the rotation a shot in the arm down the stretch, but the team was out of the playoff race by the time he was ready for a rehab start.
Offseason plans
The good news is that a team that was good enough to win the World Series a year ago can get back on track quickly.
Seager and Semien are both in the midst of long-term contracts and will remain the double-play duo. García will be counted on to bounce back, and Langford and Carter need to take a step forward. Those three players can join Leody Taveras to form a deep outfield group. Jung will be the team’s third baseman, and if he can reverse a two-year decline, Nathaniel Lowe can continue to start at first. Jonah Heim is another player who will be counted on to recover from a down year, in which case he will remain the No. 1 catcher.
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While the offense is counting on existing players to turn things around, the solutions for the pitching staff are more complicated. Scherzer, Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney are all heading to free agency. DeGrom could return to being a staff ace but will be a major question in his first full season after Tommy John surgery. Tyler Mahle is even more uncertain, as he made three starts in his return from Tommy John before returning to the IL due to a shoulder injury. Cody Bradford showed flashes of potential this year and should be part of the rotation, along with Dane Dunning, who endured a down year. As a result of all that, the Rangers should seek to add two reliable starters via free agency or the trade market.
The bullpen will need as much help as the rotation. Yates is heading to free agency, and Robertson has a mutual option for 2025. The team will also need to replace José Leclerc, who will become a free agent after an inconsistent eight-season tenure in Texas. Adding at least two relievers will be the minimum expectation for general manager Chris Young.
Prospects on the horizon
With Langford and Carter having graduated from the prospect pool, the team lacks notable prospects who are close to the majors.
The club’s top prospects have terrific long-term potential but are unlikely to debut next year. The third overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, Kumar Rocker has been slowed by 2023 Tommy John surgery and is most likely to debut in 2026. The best prospect among position players is Sebastian Walcott, who is just 18 years old.
Justin Foscue doesn’t have a high ceiling but fared well in Triple-A this year. The 25-year-old briefly played with the Rangers and spent time on the IL due to an oblique injury. He is blocked at second base by Semien but could be a utilityman who can play both corner infield spots. Foscue could also be a valuable trade chip in the Rangers’ search for pitching help.
Emiliano Teodo could help the rotation in the second half of 2025. The 23-year-old has advanced to Double-A, and like many prospects, he has shown better swing-and-miss abilities than control skills. Teodo turned heads at the 2024 Futures Game.
Goals for 2025
The Rangers should have postseason aspirations again in 2025. The team will need several position players, including Semien, García, Langford, Carter and Jung, to make much bigger impacts next year. That might sound like a lot to ask for, but the veterans on that list have done it before, and the youngsters were recently among the most coveted prospects in baseball.
Also, the front office will need to spend some money to improve the pitching staff. Without adding arms, the team will not be able to outscore its pitching problems.
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Fantasy focus
Seager is one of baseball’s best hitters and will be a second-round fantasy pick whose only drawback is his inability to steal bases. The rest of the Rangers will give fantasy managers headaches. Will García reclaim the success of his 39-homer season? How many innings is deGrom ready to throw? Are Langford and Carter finally ready to deliver on the expectations we had for them this year?
DeGrom should be selected in the range of Rounds 3-5, depending on how he looks in spring training. García, Langford, Carter, Semien and Jung will all be selected in Rounds 6-12.