3 essential pieces of the Rangers future, 3 players on the discard pile

Chris Young's statement to the media following a third season in a row without playoff baseball in Arlington was clear. The Texas Rangers will be looking to keep younger, more athletic players and also try to move on from some of the older veterans who are limited in versatility and are making too much money for what they give the organization.

With that in mind, we took a look at the roster that finished 2026 and decided to highlight some of the younger players who appear to have a future with the Rangers and three guys well into their thirties whose time with the club could be perilous.

3 Rangers who should be key pieces moving forward

Cody Freeman - 2B

Freeman, 25, has placed himself firmly within the organization's long-term plans due to his versatility, upward trajectory, and hustling style of play. He is a natural second baseman, but can play on the left side of the infield in a pinch. At the plate. He has shown the willingness to alter his approach when he gets down in the count, shorten his swing, and put the ball in play, forcing the defense to make a play on him or advance runners into scoring position.

He has also shown that he can hit for power in the minor leagues, hammering 19 homers in 2025 at Round Rock. He will typically look to drive the ball early in counts and then adjust throughout the at-bat according to the circumstances and runners on base. You can never have enough young players who can do a little bit of everything to help the team win games.

Justin Foscue - 2B

Foscue, 27, finally shed the dreadful "4-A" player label and used the 2026 season to prove that he is a full-time major league player. He did it by destroying left-handed pitching, slashing .324/.395/.586 with 8 jacks and 27 RBIs spanning 145 at-bats. He was easily the team's most consistent hitter vs. southpaws over the second half and needs to be a part of things moving forward.

He will have to improve against right-handers because, right now, he is showing promise as a platoon utility man, but he has proven he can handle righties in the minors. You can tell Foscue has a competitive edge that the current clubhouse may have lacked over the last several seasons. That will be a most welcome addition.

Wyatt Langford - LF

Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice...you know how the rest goes. Everyone knows what the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 draft is capable of because he has had stretches where he looks like the light bulb has clicked on, and he can be one of the best power hitters in the league. We're not quite ready to throw in the towel on the 24-year-old outfielder just yet, because we'd hate to see him put it all together somewhere else.

Now, though both the team and player have shown at least some sort of interest in a long-term partnership, nothing has truly materialized. Langford has got to be willing to really dissect why he goes on these extended slumps because his anemic productivity really cost the Rangers down the stretch in 2026. Do the Rangers need to move on from hitting coach Justin Viele? Because the amount they are going to have to invest to keep Langford in Arlington means that Viele is more likely to go before the speedy outfielder.

3 Rangers who don't appear to be part of the Rangers' future plans

Joc Pederson - DH

Pederson enjoyed a nice comeback season in 2026 following a disastrous 2025 campaign. He proved to be an advantage as a leadoff hitter with power who would often give the Rangers an early 1-0 lead. Still, Joc will be entering his age-35 season and has become pretty much a full-time DH who can occasionally play some first base, so the lack of versatility hurts him.

Young's statement regarding youth and athleticism seemed to be aimed directly at guys like Pederson. He is the opposite of "young and athletic" and, despite being well-liked in the clubhouse, will be too expensive to extend at close to $19 million for 2027.

Corey Seager - SS

Seager will turn 33 during the 2027 season and is midway through a monster 10-year, $325 million deal. We have been very straightforward about wanting to see Seager moved for younger pieces, and his 2026 campaign made us even more sure that the time is nigh. Still, the team owes the oft-injured slugger roughly $155 million, and his production has slipped to a point that finding someone to take on part of that hefty number will be the challenge.

The Rangers simply cannot continue to expect to be a playoff contender with Seager taking up so much payroll. Young, Skip Schumaker, and the fanbase have had it with his lack of availability and his less-than-enthusiastic body language when he is able to suit up. We will be forever thankful for the 2023 championship, but this relationship has eroded into a bad marriage. Both parties need to go their separate ways. Can they find a taker, however?

Jacob deGrom -SP

Young and the team tried to part ways with the two-time Cy Young Award winner at the trade deadline, but were stymied when deGrom used his no-trade clause to nix a deal with the Atlanta Braves. deGrom has made a triumphant return from a second catastrophic arm injury and put in two solid seasons, but the 38-year-old showed signs this year that he is no longer the dominant pitcher he once was.

deGrom, along with Seager and Nathan Eovaldi (who could easily be here in deGrom's place), are the three highest-paid players on the team. None of them showed up when the postseason was within reach in the final several weeks of the season. There are teams out there that will deal younger players to be able to insert the big right-hander into their rotation, hoping he can hold up physically and find his dominant stuff for one more season.

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