Deciding who stays and who goes from Rangers impending options decisions

After a season of missed opportunities and fizzling out when it mattered most, it's fair to say that we'll see an offseason full of changes for the Texas Rangers. The club has a number of free agents that it must make decisions on, but beyond the simple unrestricted guys, there are also a handful of option decisions that will come across Chris Young's desk.

To be specific, there are three players that Texas must make decisions on, but all three of these players have mutual options. That means that ultimately, the Rangers don't fully control the outcome. If either side declines the option, the player becomes a free agent, regardless of whether the other side accepts.

Of course, if the Rangers pick up the option on a player and the player declines, the two sides can still negotiate a new contract for either more years or a higher salary. With that said, let's take a look at the three players with mutual options and whether or not Texas should want them back.

Deciding whether the Rangers should retain their three pending mutual option players

Joc Pederson - one year, $18.5 million option

After a disastrous first year of his two-year, $37 million contract in 2025, Joc Pederson bounced back in 2026. The lefty slugger hit 26 dingers, held down the leadoff spot for a large chunk of the season, and hit .235/.329/.487, good for a 128 wRC+. Unfortunately, Pederson went down with a fractured hand when the Rangers needed him most, and his absence was certainly a factor in how things ended.

The bottom line here is that $18.5 million is an awfully large sum of money to commit to a player who is very limited. The 34-year-old doesn't play against lefties and really can't play the field, either. He logged just nine games at first base and three games in right field last season. For a team that feels the need to build a deeper roster and is unsure of the 2027 budget, tying up that much money to a player like Pederson feels like a mistake.

On top of that, an open DH spot could make a lot of sense for the Rangers in order to keep the key cogs healthy. It would certainly help Corey Seager, as well as Josh Jung, who has struggled with both injuries and defense. Brandon Nimmo and Wyatt Langford could both benefit from extra DH days, too, for various reasons.

Verdict - decline and let him walk

Kyle Higashioka - one year, $7 million option

Catcher is a weird position for the Rangers because it feels as if they both have enough at the position, but still could use an upgrade. Or, at least, that's how it seems in the context of bringing back Kyle Higashioka.

The 36-year-old hit .218/.306/.370, showing a decrease in batting average and power production from the previous season, but also getting on base more often thanks to a career-best 10.2% walk rate. At the end of the day, that was good for a 94 wRC+ that was identical to the mark he put up in 2025. Usually, that would be good enough from the catcher spot, but Higashioka's defense has really fallen off, and despite beginning a rehab assignment in early September, he was not activated down the stretch and last played in the majors on July 20.

That kind of tells you all you need to know. Texas has Danny Jansen under contract for $8 million for 2027, and while the 31-year-old was awful in the first half, he hit .257/.329/.500 from August 18 onward when he came back from an injury of his own. Then there's Logan O'Hoppe, whom Chris Young acquired at the trade deadline and smartly held down in Round Rock to gain an additional year of team control. Plus, there's a chance that the team could bring back Elias Diaz, a much better defender, to fill the third catcher role.

Verdict - decline and let him walk

Jakob Junis - one-year, $5 million option

The wheels sort of fell off for Jakob Junis as the season wore on, as the veteran right-hander posted a 2.80 ERA in the first half and a 5.21 ERA in the second. That doesn't tell the whole story, though, as his 2.84 ERA in August was still very good, but allowing eight earned runs over eight September innings sort of torpedoed his second-half performance.

Injuries were also a bit of an issue for the 34-year-old. He missed 26 games in total due to a pair of hip issues, including a right hip impingement in early July and a left adductor strain suffered on July 30. Still, he managed to make 53 appearances and toss 54 1/3 innings.

The price is reasonable for Junis, and one has to wonder if he'd get more on the open market. He made $4 million in 2026 and was coming off a stronger performance in 2025. On top of that, he doesn't possess the kind of strikeout stuff that gets relievers big dollars.

He could be a valuable member of the pen, but it should be in a lower-leverage role than what we saw in 2026. Often, he worked as Jacob Latz primary setup man, but really he should be pitching in the middle innings, which would also help Texas bridge the gap that was often its undoing this season.

Verdict - pickup the option and/or re-sign, but ensure other high-leverage bullpen additions are made

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