Rangers future seems grim after MLB's first power rankings of 2026

The Rangers' offense was broken last season, and so far, the president of baseball operations, Chris Young, and the Rangers' management have done very little to suggest they are going to actively try to fix it.

With the exception of swapping all-star Gold Glove second baseman Marcus Semien for outfielder Brandon Nimmo, the Rangers lineup is set to look a lot like the same inconsistent bunch that turned in one of the worst offensive seasons in franchise history.

This is the thrust of why MLB.com is posting the Rangers as the 20th-ranked team in their first preseason rankings of the year.

Rangers' Chris Young is clearly being hamstrung by ownership slashing payroll

It's not like Young doesn't want to go out and send players like the Dodgers or Yankees and put the best possible product on the field. He absolutely does because he cares about the team and his job security.

Nevertheless, as ownership is set to cut the payroll by $50 million in 2026, his hands are tied. When that happens, then fans shouldn't expect much in the way of exciting additions. Sometimes in baseball, money can buy happiness. Just look at what happened right after the team went out and spent a boatload on Corey Seager, Nathan Eovaldi, and Semien. Ranger fans were rewarded with their only World Series championship.

Now, Semien is gone, and things don't feel like they're getting much better as we roll into the new season.

The Rangers should be ranked in the bottom third of the league right now

Aside from the strong top of the rotation in Jacob deGrom, Eovaldi, and Jack Leiter, there isn't a lot to get excited about.

Everyone hopes that Wyatt Langford can take that next step and become an all-star. Ranger fans can hold their collective breath and pray that Seager can play 145 games, Joc Pederson can hit .250, and that Brandon Nimmo is the spark they need at the top of the order. Still, none are a guarantee, and as such, an objective viewpoint of the Rangers as they are assembled right now is a bottom-third team.

But it's only January, and hope still abounds that meaningful additions can still be made by opening day. That's what makes this time of the year so much fun - you never know just how good or bad the product will be until the first pitch is thrown.