Chris Young's future lies in the hands of the 2026 Rangers

Exactly two years ago, Rangers' President of Baseball Operations Chris Young was basking in the sun-kissed goodness of the organization's first World Series Championship.

As the team approaches the 2026 season, however, the Princeton graduate and Highland Park native's future is suddenly somewhat precarious. He needs the 2026 version of the Rangers to succeed, or else he could be looking for work somewhere else.

The Rangers have underperformed over the last two seasons

We get it, Young can't go out there and swing the bat and throw the pitches necessary to make the team successful. Still, now that the team has parted ways with future Hall of Fame manager Bruce Bochy in favor of Skip Schumaker, the buck officially stops with him heading into 2026.

In other words, he has already sacrificed his first lieutenant, so it is time for Young to "put up or shut up" as there are no more buffers between the team's fortunes and his future.

Things need to be much better than they have been over the last two seasons, and fair or not, Young's job depends on the guys he has brought in as much as the players he and the Ranger brass have not been able to re-sign.

Shawn Armstrong was willing to return and give the Rangers a legitimate option at closer, but they let him sign a 1-year $5.5 million deal with the Cleveland Indians on Thursday. We'll see if they are going to re-sign injury-prone Tyler Mahle, who would start the season as the team's third starter out of spring training.

Three current Rangers players hold the key as to whether or not Chris Young will still be here in 2027

First, if Joc Pederson duplicates his disastrous first season in Arlington, he will officially be the worst free agent signing in club history. No one knew that the stout DH would lay such an enormous egg while earning $17 million last year, but Young decided to sign an aging player on a multiple-year deal who doesn't take care of himself physically.

Second, Josh Jung's 2026 season will likely mirror what happens to Young. These two appear to be inexorably tied together, as Young was hired before the 2021 season, and Jung broke through as the next big thing, winning AL ROY in 2023. Jung, like the rest of the lineup, has to be more consistent and selective at the plate.

Third, Young and Ranger fans can only hope that Jacob deGrom can turn in another full season and do it at the Cy Young level he did in 2025. DeGrom sets the tone for this ream's starting staff and was always the guy who righted the ship when the team had dropped several games in a row last season.

So, despite a commitment to spending less, the product that takes the field in 2026 will need to be better than last year's disappointing squad, or Young will start to feel the heat from the fan base.