It was a disappointing season for the Texas Rangers to say the least, who have now missed the playoffs every year since winning the World Series back in 2023. So, they need to be aggressive this offseason, with the primary concern being a bat.
However, the starting rotation had major ups and downs during their 2026 campaign, but one player was consistent through and through: Cal Quantrill, who is also entering free agency. Quantrill was so impressive throughout his first year with the Rangers, and they need him to come back in 2027.
The rotation consisted primarily of Jacob deGrom , Nathan Eovaldi, MacKenzie Gore, Kumar Rocker, and Jack Leiter, none of whom posted an ERA under 4.00. At times, there were signs of brilliance, but nobody was consistent, and that is exactly who Quantrill was from the jump.
Originally, the 31-year-old was coming out of the bullpen, but there was a major need for an arm in the rotation, and he filled that need with ease while also continuing to get better as the year went on, while the Rangers were in the thick of a mediocre playoff race .
With deGrom, Eovaldi, Gore, Rocker, and Leiter all coming back, there truly is no go-to ace. Well, that can, and should, be Quantrill.
Rangers pitcher Cal Quantrill (44) delivers a pitch to the Angels. Credit: Jim Cowsert-Imagn | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
With the rotation that the Rangers' coaching staff had established, there wasn't really much of a reason for Quantrill to ever step out of the bullpen, which is why it wasn't until June 23 that he made his first start - but that was as an opener, not a true starter.
However, it didn't take long for the veteran to take advantage of the opportunity as he continued to solidify himself in the circle of trust, and by July 10, he logged his first quality start of the year against the Houston Astros.
There were some bumps along the road, but in the final two months of the season, he was completely locked in on the job at hand as he posted a 1.45 ERA in 31 innings in August to complement a 0.83 ERA as he held batters to a sub-.200 batting average.
September was basically the same tale: he made four appearances and only allowed five earned runs. There isn't much more that the coaching staff could have asked for from the guy before he suffered a right lat strain and his season ended.
Don't get it twisted, Texas's offense was quite pitiful down the stretch, as the team could seemingly never work coherently. The front office should definitely address this in the coming months, but letting Quantrill slip through their fingers would 100% be a mistake.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/rangers/onsi as One Departing Free Agent the Texas Rangers Should Prioritize This Offseason .
