3 division rival moves Rangers' fans should be jealous of

As expected, the Rangers haven't been very active this winter, with the exception of trading Marcus Semien for Brandon Nimmo. Meanwhile, their AL West rivals have each made a handful of moves that have Ranger fans asking, "Why couldn't we have pulled that one off?" Here are three moves that appear to have made it tougher for the Rangers to win the division in 2026.

3 division rival moves Rangers' fans should be jealous of

Grayson Rodriguez - SP Angels

The Rangers still have question marks at the tail end of their starting rotation as Tyler Mahle remains a free agent, Kumar Rocker continues to struggle with his stuff, and Patrick Corbin appears on his way out of Arlington.

Adding a quality starter like Grayson Rodriguez would have gone a long way to shoring up some of those questions, but the Angels beat the Rangers to the punch and traded for the right-hander. Rodriguez missed 2025 with an elbow injury, but he has proven middle-of-the-rotation stuff, compiling a 20-8 record, 4.11 ERA, and 1.29 WHIP with the Baltimore Orioles in 2023 and 2024.

At just 26 years old, Rodriguez still has plenty of upside, and now that he is in the AL West, the Rangers will get a good look at what they missed out on in 2026.

Josh Naylor - 1B Mariners

Ranger baseball insiders were clamoring for months before 2025's trade deadline about Josh Naylor and how he would fill a position of need at first base.

But instead of acquiring the slugger when he was made available by the Arizona Diamondbacks last season, the Seattle Mariners opened up their wallet and spent on the .269 career hitter who has averaged 23 homers and 95 RBIs over 162 games during his career.

When Naylor became a free agent this winter, having already signed him at the 2025 deadline gave the Mariners the inside track to retain him, and they re-signed the 28-year-old to a 5-year deal.

Instead, the Rangers will stick with the underachieving Jake Burger as the starting first baseman in 2026 after he turned in a below-average season of .236 with 16 homers and 53 RBIs. He was also on the injured reserve list three times.

Jeff McNeil - 2B Athletics

Just how envious Ranger fans will be over the Athletics' acquisition of second baseman Jeff McNeil is yet to be fully realized. The Rangers are now looking to replace Gold Glove stalwart and World Series hero Marcus Semien, and the Athletics now have a proven middle infielder to slide into the position.

The Rangers will likely give veteran utility man Josh Smith the first shot at 2B, but whether he will be as productive as an everyday player and elite defensively like Semien remains to be seen.

Semien was one of the premier second basemen in the league, and after trading him away to the New York Mets for OF Brandon Nimmo, the team has a question mark surrounding who will fill his shoes moving forward.

McNeil isn't necessarily an All-Star-level player, but he is a proven major league starter with some power and a career .284 batting average.