Chris Young hints at offseason full of bold Rangers moves we’re not sure we believe

Chris Young had his annual postseason state-of-the-team address on Monday following another disappointing Texas Rangers season, punctuated by a disappointing final week when they failed to overtake the Astros and win the AL West. He was unusually candid and hinted that some sweeping changes are on the way. Still, we're concerned that this is just lip service from the president of baseball operations.

Young has said that changes were coming before, but on Monday, he seemed to take aim at the club's older veterans like Corey Seager, Jacob deGrom, and Nathan Eovaldi. These are all players with no-trade clauses, so moving on from them will be much more difficult than simply saying that he wants the team to get "younger and more athletic".

Chris Young hinted at some radical changes in store for the Rangers' 2027 roster

Of the notable things that Young touched on, it was this that caught our attention: "We need to get younger, we need to get more athletic, we need to get more dynamic." He also said the organization was facing "some challenges in terms of our roster construction".

That immediately seems to indicate that the team is no longer focusing on the core group of aging players, including Seager, deGrom, and Eovaldi. And while we don't expect Young to come out and say they are going to commit to a complete overhaul, it is noteworthy because it is a paradigm shift. He appears to recognize that their current course is no longer viable if they want to win consistently and be a postseason threat.

Moving on from three stalwarts like that won't be easy. All three have years remaining on their contracts and no-trade clauses. It would take a lot of negotiating and possibly having to eat quite a bit of money to make it happen. After deGrom used his no-trade at the deadline this year, it is hard to envision him going anywhere next year. He is still owed $37 million in 2027, with a club option for $20 million in 2028.

Seager could be the hardest to move, as he still has 5 years left on a 10-year, $325 million deal and just established his 10-5 no-trade at the deadline this season. Anyone who wants Seager would definitely want the Rangers to take on a hefty portion of the $155 million that remains. His health also remains an enormous question mark regardless of where he plays next year.

Eovaldi is owed $24 million next year before he becomes a free agent in 2028. He is likely the most movable of the "big three", even if he is a fan favorite.

Then there is the Joc Pederson conundrum. If you want to get younger and more athletic, then Pederson is about as far from that as possible. He will be the litmus test on Young's claims. It's an $18.5 million mutual option, so if the team really wants to move away from older, one-dimensional players, they will opt out. Watch out for how they handle Pederson.

Young made overtures that he is ready to put the 2023 vibes behind him. He is likely just as frustrated by the underperformance and injuries of his roster over the last three seasons as the fans are, and knows that he and Ray Davis have milked as much as they can get out of the massive investment made back in 2021 to get all these high-priced players (including Marcus Semien) to Arlington.

There is a core group of younger and more athletic players on the roster: Wyatt Langford, Ezequiel Duran, Cody Freeman, Jack Leiter, and even Evan Carter. Which of these players he has faith in to buy into as part of the team's future is another question worth monitoring. We're no longer sure that Langford is worth the big contract he will be seeking this winter.

Help is on the way in minor league studs like Sebastian Walcott, Dalton Pence, Rafe Perich, and Dylan Dreiling. All of these farmhands will be given every opportunity to break camp with the major league squad. Even if they aren't ready in April, they will be on a short list to be called up soon.

It is encouraging that Young and the ownership group may be prepared to retool the roster and usher in a new era of Rangers baseball. We remained unconvinced, however, that an overhaul will be possible in just one offseason. Particularly one in which an owner's lockout appears imminent if they don't reach a deal with the players by December 1.

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