The 2023 Texas Rangers have cemented their place as one of the strangest teams in sports history. After missing the playoffs and finishing under .500 for six straight seasons, the Rangers went 90-72, made the playoffs and eventually won the World Series.
That alone is not too bizarre. While the jump from a 68-win season to a 90-win year is jarring, it is not unheard of for a team to see their rebuild end suddenly and drastically.
The part of the Texas Rangers that makes this so strange is the years following their victory. While they’ve hovered more around .500 than the years prior to 2022, the team has now missed the playoffs for a third straight year. The Texas Rangers have missed the playoffs for nine of the last ten years, with the only season they qualified culminating in a World Series victory.
The 2023 Rangers’ pitching was solid, but their forte was the potent offense. Led by Marcus Semien, Adolis García and Corey Seager, the team was strong in every spot in the lineup, especially down the stretch.
The list of good hitters consisted of a lot of surprises, with players like Semien and catcher Mitch Garver renewing past success and players like García and catcher Jonah Heim having breakout years. Combined with Seager having the best year of his storied career, Texas was not a lineup to be messed with.
The team also had a young kick to it, with Josh Jung having a successful rookie campaign and the emergence of outfielder Evan Carter down the stretch being the final piece to round out the lineup in October. Top prospect Wyatt Langford was also expected in 2024, and with him he brought a lot of promise.
Most of the talent would be returning for 2024, along with a young core being established alongside the old regime which had just come off a world series. The team had also won without Jacob deGrom, and the sky seemed to be the limit for the Rangers with him set to return in 2024.
But, for whatever reason, the season where everything went right directly preceeded one where everything went wrong.
Garver left in free agency and Seager saw his production dip from superstar to regular star. Langford didn’t excel, Jung couldn’t replicate his rookie year and Carter became entirely unplayable.
The biggest problem came from three of the main members of the championship cast: García, Heim and Semien all dropped from above average bats to well below it. The frightening offense disappeared without a trace and Texas missed the playoffs at 78-84.
Fans hoped that 2024 was the fluke but over time it has become clear that 2023 instead was the fluke year. The 2025 season wasn’t kind to the Rangers either, as they’d miss the playoffs again. Despite their pitching being one of the best starting units in the league, the offense only got worse.
Change became necessary for the team. García and Heim both were non-tendered in the offseason, and Semien’s massive contract was moved for Brandon Nimmo. Despite the changes, the Rangers couldn’t find a way to make it back to the dance in 2026 either. To add insult to injury, Seager’s injury problems only got worse and his production tailed off with it.
With a window that may have already closed years ago, Texas could be looking to ship pieces off. Evan Grant reported that the team could choose to shed one or multiple of Seager, deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi to try and cut payroll. All three are valuable players, though the bulky contracts and the ages may steer teams away from paying top-end trade prices.
The original youth movement hasn’t gone to plan but is far from dead. Jung returned to production in 2026 and while Langford hasn’t been the expected talent, he has been a good bat. Texas also currently has three top-100 prospects, headlined by MLB’s eighth overall Sebastian Walcott, who could be ready in 2027. The other two are earlier in their development.
The pitching staff has some potential within, consisting of two young talents yet to find success in Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker, along with southpaw MacKenzie Gore, who struggled in his first season in Texas but has had past success.
Texas seems to have come to terms with the fact that the year of success has long past, though there could be enough left in the tank for one last gasp should they choose to try it.
No matter what happens from here on out, nobody can take away the fact that the Texas Rangers were World Series champions.