The end of the World Series triggered the beginning of free agency, and before the Texas Rangers can move forward, they need final word on the 2027 payroll.
The payroll figure for the 2027 Texas Rangers is going to be announced by the club, and no one should expect that one will be. Club officials, historically, have categorized past payrolls as more than last season, less than last season, about the same, or enough.
Occasionally under Jon Daniels, a ballpark figure would come out. As tight-lipped as the former president of baseball operations could be on financial matters, his replacement, Chris Young, is even tighter.
And that’s fine. As of earlier in the week, though, he didn’t know the final number.
An answer is needed, urgently. The Brewers’ World Series clinch Wednesday opened free agency, and Rangers front-office brass were hoping to have a firm number by the end of the week before heading into the marketplace.
Yes, a lockout appears to be a certainty a month from now, when the current collective bargaining agreement expires at 11:59 p.m. Dec. 1, but the Rangers are proceeding with a business-as-usual mindset until MLB owners cease all business at midnight Dec. 2.
Free agents can begin negotiating with all teams Tuesday. If the right deal is there, the Rangers plan to strike.
They likely won’t do so at the same level they did in 2021 before the previous lockout, signing Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Jon Gray and Kole Calhoun for more than a half-billion dollars. However, that doesn’t mean that their payroll will be smaller than it was in 2026.
The anticipation is that ownership will not force Young and general manager Ross Fenstermaker to trade away any high-priced players, namely Seager, Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Brandon Nimmo. If any of those players are traded, it will be a baseball decision as the Rangers aim to meet their offseason tenets of getting younger, healthier and more athletic.
Young said through the last offseason and even during the season that the Rangers had enough money to contend in 2026 despite payroll being cut to ensure spending wouldn’t exceed the luxury-tax threshold for a fourth straight year. It was cut far beyond that.
The season ended with the Rangers a contender, missing out on the American League West title by a game. But they were only 80-82 — their third straight non-winning season since winning the 2023 World Series.
It was evident early on that the Rangers were short a full-time position player and at least one power reliever. At the same time, though, the Brewers won the World Series with a payroll some $40 million less than the Rangers.
But the Rangers don’t need to spend at Milwaukee levels. Dallas-Fort Worth is the fourth-largest market in the U.S. A small bump in payroll for 2027, even amid a potential shift in baseball economics, could make a difference.
Just an additional $15 million, less than 10 percent of the 2026 payroll of around $190 million, could be the difference in acquiring free-agent second baseman Luis Arraez. It could help them get the jump on a few players targeted last week during the pro scouting meetings.
The Rangers will see around $34 million come off the books once their 10 free agents exit the payroll. Joc Pederson, Kyle Higashioka and Jakob Junis all declined mutual options on their contracts and took free agency, freeing up some $26 million after $2.25 million in buyouts to Higashioka and Junis. The seven others account for $8.5 million.
Some of that money will go to arbitration-eligible players, assuming the arbitration system remains in place in the new collective bargaining agreement. Even with uncertainty looming this offseason and with the potential for games to be missed in 2027, the Rangers are treating the start of free agency like business as usual.
As usual, a bump in payroll would be welcomed. So would simply knowing what the payroll is.
Jeff Wilson, jwilson@alldlls.com
