3 other Rangers who won't be back in 2025 after Winter Meetings moves, rumors

Chris Young and the Texas Rangers were busy last week at the Winter Meetings, re-signing veteran right-hander Nathan Eovaldi to a three-year, $75 million deal, trading for infielder Jake Burger, and signing reliever Jacob Webb to a one-year contract to bolster a bullpen that lost several key pieces to free agency.

Pitching will be the team's primary focus the rest of the offseason as the Rangers continue to look at possible free-agent fits and explore the trade market. Texas ranked 24th in team ERA last season, so some new blood wouldn't be the worst thing in the world as the club looks to get back in the fight in an American League West they lost by 10.5 games to the Astros in 2024.

What could come next for the Rangers after their Winter Meetings moves and the rumors that continue to come out of Dallas?

Take advantage of a seller's pitching market and trade Jon Gray

I know, I know. I just said the Rangers need to solidify the pitching staff and I'm telling you they need to trade one of their starters. But hear me out.

The market for free agent starting pitching this winter has been hot, to say the least. After all, Matthew Boyd, who made just eight regular-season starts coming back from Tommy John last season and hasn't thrown 100 innings in a single year since 2019, bagged a two-year, $29 million deal from the Chicago Cubs.

Another prime example, Alex Cobb, who missed most of the 2024 season recovering from offseason hip surgery and a shoulder issue, made three starts and got a one-year, $15 million deal. Gray is heading into the final year of his contract at a $13 million salary.

Last season, the veteran right-hander struggled and was limited by injuries, but still worked to a 3.70 FIP in 102 2/3 innings of work. In his three seasons with the Rangers, he's averaged a 4.05 FIP and 129 innings — solid numbers for a back-end starter. With top pitching prospects Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter waiting in the wings (not to mention Emiliano Teodo right behind them), Young should capitalize and shop Gray, and perhaps get some bullpen help coming back in a trade.

Let Andrew Chafin walk in free agency, despite his glorious mustache

If there was ever a player made to wear a Texas Rangers uniform, it was Andrew Chafin. The burly, mustachioed southpaw came over at the deadline from Detroit and ran into trouble almost immediately, struggling to hit his spots and keep the ball in the yard down the stretch.

Both his home run and walk rates were roughly double his career averages and a 5.44 FIP isn't exactly confidence-inspiring. He doesn't have the velocity on his fastball to survive letting hitters get under balls anymore, and while he may level back off next year (he's played this up-and-down game for awhile now) the Rangers need more stability in the pen.

Set to turn 35 next summer, Chafin will get interest from teams in free agency because of his track record and probably come away with a multi-year offer somewhere. But this is one reunion the Rangers should steer clear of. It's time to let "The Sheriff" ride on out of town.

The market will keep Michael Lorenzen from returning to the Rangers

Teams love what Michael Lorenzen brings to the table. A reliever early in his career, the right-hander has almost exclusively started over the last three years bouncing around, playing for five different clubs.

Now a free agent heading into his age-33 season, Lorenzen has done nice work, putting himself in a position to capitalize on his reliability. Over the last three seasons, he's averaged a 3.90 ERA and just under 130 innings a year. Again, that makes me think he's going to sneakily get a nice payday on a multi-year deal this winter, despite hardly getting a mention so far.

Last season with the Rangers and Royals, he worked to a 3.31 ERA across 130 frames, a perfect platform season for the 2013 first-round pick out of California State. He's always outperformed expected metrics, but at this point, it's hard to call it a fluke because he's done it for awhile now.

He's a valuable guy, sure, but if he wants to remain a starter (no reason to suggest otherwise), I think a better use of the dollars the Rangers have is in the 'pen, where there are glaring holes and a mix of arms that can hardly be considered even somewhat solid given the mass exodus via free agency.