Which of the Rangers arbitration eligible players are worth committing money to?

The time is nearing where the Texas Rangers will have to officially start making offseason moves to counter their two straight losing seasons and with the downward trajectory on the offensive side of the game this season, plenty of conversations will be had.

Mixed in among the offseason is the arbitration process. Mostly known as the in-between phase of players controlling their own contractural fate, is offered to players with three to six years of service time. This season, the Rangers have nine players eligible for arbitration over $33 million.

With the cutting of payroll being stated plainly and simply by the front office multiple times since the final out of Game 162, the Rangers can trim a signficiant amount of money all while improving at the same time.

Rangers can trim payroll by not offering arbitration to those unworthy of it

Tier A - The arbitration stars

One of the known goals from President of Baseball Operations Chris Young during the 2025 exit interview with media members last month was the trimming of the Rangers' payroll, which was the ninth-highest in Major League Baseball this season.

Some venture that will come from trading star players, including Gold Glove second baseman Marcus Semien, who is owed $26 million for the next three seasons. While that would take heavier lifting getting an opposing team to agree taking on that salary, the easiest way Rangers can get cheaper is through arbitration.

It starts by departing with the two projected highest arbitration earners this year in Adolis Garcia ($12 million) and Jonah Heim ($6 million). Not only have both players been poor on both sides of the ball since 2024, they are not worth a combined $18 million in Rangers' payroll.

The 2025 season was perhaps the worst of Heim's career, taking drastic dips as a hitter and catcher. In 124 games, Heim slashed .213/.271/.332 with 11 homers and 43 RBIs, which were worse than his previous career-lows from 2024. Addition to that, Heim was one of the worst qualified catchers in the league this season.

For Garcia, it didn't go much better for him. A 2.7 WAR player, the 32-year-old had his worst homer and RBI marks of his career and struck out 135 times in 135 games. His .665 OPS was the worst of his career and just like Heim, all those other career-lows were set in 2024, so the falloff continues for both.

What other Rangers' players are eligible for arbitration?

Tier B - Mr. Burger

Beyond Garcia and Heim the list stays pretty calm in terms of salary, with none of the seven remaining projected to make over $4 million. The highest earner would be first baseman Jake Burger at $3.5 million. Despite the injuries, it would still make sense for Texas to agree to a deal with Burger. They even have an opportunity to negotiate for a little bit lower of a contract giving his tough 2025 season.

Tier C - The Josh's

The next two players on that list include the Josh's, Jung and Smith. The 27-year-old Jung is projected for a $2.9 million price tag, which is not breaking the bank to easily justify extending him a contract. It does also make it easier for Texas to deal him elsewhere but I don't see who they can utilize for that everyday 3B spot in his place. As for Smith making $3 million next season, 100% no problem with doing.

Tier D - It can go either way

The final four players are what can easily be considered as the true in-betweeners. Extending a contract to them could be 50/50 since they are for low money and smaller implications. Those four include: Jacob Webb ($2M), Ezequiel Duran ($1.4M), Sam Haggerty ($1.4M) and Josh Sborz ($1.1M). All of these players will likely get extended a contract and for all intense and purposes would agree to them.

The Rangers need to rebuild their bullpen and if they didn't offer Webb and Sborz a deal, they' have two contracted relief arms. As for Haggerty and Duran, both play integral roles off the bench that for a combined price of nearly $3 million, there's no harm done in rostering them for next year.