Which of these former Rangers could return to Arlington in 2026?

If the Texas Rangers wants to turn around their recent misfortunes and find success next season, they have to be willing to not erase anything off the drawing board this winter. That includes a reunion with some old faces.

Basically rebuilding their bullpen from scratch and having a lot of glaring issues offensively, there is a ton of questions to answer before new manager Skip Schumaker and the Rangers kick off the season in Philadelphia next March.

There are a lot of free agents that could fit the bill of what the team is looking for. Even some old faces could return if they appropriately fit the strategy Texas is looking to achieve.

3 former Texas Rangers the team can attempt to bring back to Arlington next season

Grant Anderson, RHP

One of the more recent departures, Anderson was released by Texas this past offseason and claimed off waivers by the Milwaukee Brewers. Which up to this point has been a wildly benficial move for Anderson and the Brewers.

In the middle of a 97-win season, the 28-year-old Anderson appeared in 66 games out of the pen for the Brew Crew. He went 2-6 with a 3.23 ERA, 74 strikeouts, 29 walks, 1.26 WHIP and a .226 opponent batting average in 69.2 innings.

A positive turnaround from his '24 campaign with Texas with a skyrocketed 8.10 ERA in 23 games. However, he is not a free agent. Matter of a fact he is in pre-arbitration so Texas would have to trade for him. Do they deem that worthy?

Jose Leclerc, RHP

At one point, Leclerc was the longest-tenured Ranger on the roster and when he departed prior to the 2024 season it was for sure the end of an era in Arlington.

Depends on how you look at it as well, Leclerc is a free agent after "one season" with the Athletics. I use quotes because the righty only pitched 10 games with them after experiencing a plethora of arm injuries. He ultimately underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in July.

The Rangers team doctor performed the surgery and he is rehabbing in the Dallas area so that's a potential advantage for the Rangers. Leclerc spent eight years with Texas, recording 41 saves and striking out 473 batters in 360.1 innings.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa, SS

The 31-year-old all-around infield utilityman once traded upon the signings of Corey Seager and Marcus Semien is a free agent again and is looking for a new locker room to call home next spring.

Since he was traded before the 2022 season, IKF has now been on three different teams, most recently the Toronto Blue Jays, who are getting set to host Game One of the ALCS on Sunday against Seattle.

Once he hits free agency, he will be looking to find a place where he can play pretty consistently but has gotten used to the fill-in role with Toronto down the stretch this year. No idea what his market might be but if Texas departs with Semien this offseason, they could be looking for a cheaper alternative to platoon with Cody Freeman at second base.