3 Rangers who survived the 2026 trade deadline but will be gone in the offseason

The Rangers had a fairly unproductive trade deadline, making only two minor deals for Angels reliever Chase Silseth and Logan O'Hoppe and lefty reliever Adam Macko from the Blue Jays. The only player at the major league level who didn't survive and keep their locker at Globe Life Field was utility man Josh Smith, whose mail is now being forwarded to Toronto.

Still, there are a handful of Texas players who could have, and maybe should have, joined
Smith at the deadline guillotine. Here are three veteran players who, due to trade- friendly contracts and lack of production, should also be packing their bags before the team breaks camp in Surprise, Arizona, in 2027.

3 Rangers who need to get the boot after surviving the trade deadline

Jake Burger - 1B

For Jake Burger, it's fairly simple - too much chase, too many whiffs, and too many unproductive outs. One of the biggest mysteries regarding the 2026 Rangers is how a guy like Burger, who is an all-or-nothing hacker, can lead the team in RBIs (68) despite also leading the team in strikeouts by 20 (124) and being among the worst in the league in whiff %. Burger has produced, but there have been too many key situations where he has come up empty and looked completely overmatched and lost at the plate.

You know that rush after a Ranger gets a base hit and the team looks like they're rallying, only to be followed by that sense of dread when you remember that Burger is the next man up? Yes, you've had that feeling, haven't you? It's because you know he won't work the count or make the struggling opposing pitcher work in favor of swinging from his heels, trying to hit a five-run homer. His OPS of .699 is unacceptable for a guy with 19 home runs. It means he isn't doing anything else at the plate to help the team win. Burger is arbitration-eligible, but is a relatively cheap asset.

Joc Pederson, Ezequiel Duran, and Justin Foscue can all play first base and do it just as well as Burger moving forward.

Evan Carter - OF

Whoever is making the day-to-day personnel decisions for the Rangers must be being blackmailed by Evan Carter. What is it going to take for him to cede his everyday position and valuable at-bats to someone who will hit at least .200? Carter is a feast-or-famine hitter with an emphasis on famine. For instance, in August he is 2-for-30 (.066) with zero extra-base hits. In July, he raised his average from .172 to a season-high .207 by going 17-for-54 (.315)

There is way too much emphasis being put on his defensive ability in center field and not enough on his futility at the plate. We all want to see the diamond-in-the-rough homegrown golden boy of the 2023 World Series make good, but this is getting ridiculous. Carter's batting average is currently back down to .192, and if history is an accurate predictor of future events, it's likely to stay below the Mendoza line. Add that he is unusable against left-handed pitching, and it is more than clear that the Rangers are wasting a roster spot on him. Move Wyatt Langford over and call up Alejandro Osuna, or give Cameron Cauley a shot at hitting better than .192.

Danny Jansen - C

Welp, Chris Young, you went out and took a swing at finding your starting catcher. We'll give you credit for stepping up and being ready to spend. However, signing former Blue Jay Danny Jansen to two years at $16 million for 2 years with a club option in 2028 was a gigantic whiff. And look, Young can't swing the bat for this guy or ensure his health, so it looked like a decent signing based on his prior production, but it hasn't worked out that way.

The combination of either Kyle Higashioka and Elias Diaz or Logan O'Hoppe should be good enough moving forward. Jansen was hitting just .172 when he went on the IL three months ago, and he was a defensive liability with his subpar arm. The only obstacle here is the money he's due and whether they can find someone to take on some of it in the offseason.

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