Texas Rangers: Answering the 3 biggest questions of the off-season

Everything’s bigger in Texas, but nothing might be bigger than the importance of this off-season for the Texas Rangers.

2021 was very clearly a rebuild year in Arlington, as the team finished 60-102, their worst record since 1973.

That was by design, in case you forgot. But the dividends of a lean stretch are soon to pay off, as the farm system took a massive leap this season thanks to some trades, the 2021 MLB Draft and the advancement of top prospects. And the progress of the next young core has the Texas Rangers dreaming of big plans this off-season.

But there are still plenty of questions to answer heading into what is expected to be an active winter for GM Chris Young and President of Baseball Operations Jon Daniels.

Here are the 3 most pressing ones…

Will the Texas Rangers front office and ownership live up to their big spending promises?

Jon Daniels and Chris Young have talked the talk, and allegedly have the backing of ownership’s wallet this off-season, but will they ultimately walk the walk?

The team has roughly $28 million committed in payroll for 2022 according to Spotrac, a minimal figure that should allow for plenty of financial flexibility and the opportunity for Texas to bid on some pricey players.

Daniels speaks of spending ‘market dollars’ this off-season, and with a free agent class loaded with talent, especially at shortstop and starting pitcher, the timing seems perfect for the Rangers to make a splash.

But will they?

How many times have we heard Rangers executives make this spending promise, only to let fans down and settling for mediocrity instead? It’s time for Daniels and Chris Young to step up to the plate and prove to Ranger fans that they mean what they say and say what they mean.

That means opening up ownership’s wallet and luring in a Carlos Correa or Trevor Story, and maybe even a Clayton Kershaw or Noah Syndergaard, the latter three of whom have DFW-area roots.

There’s no better time to spend than now. There’s money, a talented farm with depth that will only improve and a shiny new stadium. It’s recruiting season in Texas.

Who on the Texas Rangers’ current roster is returning next season?

The Texas Rangers used 26 rookies in 2021. That’s a staggering number for any team, even a rebuilding one.

Some of those rookies played really well, such as AL Rookie of the Year candidate Adolis Garcia. Other rookies who shined included OF D.J. Peters, RHPs Glenn Otto and A.J. Alexy (in spurts), reliever Joe Barlow and infielders Andy Ibanez and Yonny Hernandez. Other rookies like Curtis Terry struggled.

On the more veteran side of things, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Nathaniel Lowe both proved they’re worthy of returning in 2022 and possibly beyond as they look to be part of the next winning core in Texas. Willie Calhoun was banged up most of 2021 and could be on a short leash in 2022. Jose Trevino and Jonah Heim did a solid job manning the catcher position all season.

Look for pitchers Dane Dunning, Spencer Howard and Taylor Hearn to reprise their roles in 2022 as well. Each one has varying levels of talent and upside and each could factor into a future pitching staff.

Overall, though, there aren’t any bona fide stars on this roster. Therefore, it’s quite possible that a near full-scale roster overhaul is in order for 2022. There isn’t anyone on this team that has definitively etched their place going into next season. Some are close to being locks, like El Bombi. But I expect lots of player maneuvering this off-season, so the 2022 roster could look very different than the 2021 one.