3 roster improvements that have Opening Day feeling a lot different for Rangers in 2026

After the Texas Rangers shocked the baseball world by winning the 2023 World Series, the team has disappointed fans in the last two seasons by missing the postseason both years. While 2024 was a rough season on both sides of the ball for Texas en route to a 78-84 finish, 2025 was a different story.

Last season, the Rangers had an 81-81 record despite holding the best ERA in MLB (3.47). Texas missed the playoffs last year because of its lack of offensive production, finishing the season with a poor .683 OPS, which ranked 26th out of 30 teams.

Despite the Rangers' recent decline, the team's key offseason moves have generated optimism among fans.

3 roster improvements that have Opening Day feeling a lot different for Rangers in 2026

Trading Marcus Semien to New York Mets for Brandon Nimmo

Semien is undoubtedly a valuable player because of his strong defense at second base. In 2023, he led the American League in bWAR (7.7) while slashing .276/.348/.478 (126 OPS+). His OPS+ dropped to 103 in 2024 and 97 in 2025, yet he still posted 4.1 and 3.3 bWAR, respectively.

Still, while Semien was a valuable player the last two seasons despite his offensive regression, the Rangers desperately needed to improve offensively during the offseason. Trading Semien for Nimmo, who had been an above-average hitter each season dating back to 2017, should significantly bolster the Rangers' lineup.

Acquiring MacKenzie Gore via trade with Washington Nationals

The Rangers' starting rotation was the team's strength last year, but trading for Gore still helps the team significantly after the loss of starting pitchers Tyler Mahle and Merrill Kelly.

Gore will be part of a strong starting rotation that consists of Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, Jack Leiter and most likely Kumar Rocker.

Gore hasn't reached his potential yet, but the Rangers hope to unlock that. And even though he still hasn't reached his full potential, Gore had a solid season last year, making the NL All-Star Team and posting 3.0 bWAR and a 4.17 ERA while collecting 185 strikeouts over 159 1/3 innings. The fact that Texas was willing to surrender five prospects for Gore shows the Rangers' brass is determined to return to the playoffs this year.

Non-tendering Jonah Heim, Adolis García

As much as we Rangers fans appreciate what Heim and García did for the franchise, moving on from them should put the team in a better position to succeed this season.

In 2023, Heim posted 3.1 bWAR and a 106 OPS+ before hitting three playoff homers as the Rangers' starting catcher. Unfortunately, Heim has regressed significantly since 2023, posting 1.1 bWAR and a 75 OPS+ in 2024, and 0.4 bWAR and a 77 OPS+ in 2025. Rangers fans should be content with catcher Danny Jansen being on the roster over Heim, who is now with the Atlanta Braves.

As for García, the outfielder has also fallen off since his strong 2023 season, where he posted 4.5 bWAR and a 127 OPS+. Since then, García posted a 98 OPS+ in 2024 and a 93 OPS+ in 2025.

Since the Rangers' main issue last season was their poor offensive performance, the decision to non-tender Heim and García makes Opening Day feel a lot different than last year- in a good way.