Texas Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young should have a good idea of how money he can spend in free agency.
We're likely not prying that out of him anytime soon. Baseball ops guys don't like to tip their hands in these situations. That's wise. But the good money is on him having to work in the cheap again on the orders of team owner Ray Davis .
Based on what's realistic, here are four free agents that would be fits for the Rangers .
Luis Arraez took a one-year, $12 million deal with the San Francisco Giants to start 2026 and was eventually traded to the Philadelphia Phillies at the deadline. He finished the season with a slash of .310/.345/.419 with six home runs and 64 RBI.
If the Rangers keep most of this team intact, his best fit is at second base. Texas is hungry for more on-base and Arraez is a monster in that category. He generates a lot of contact, avoids strikeouts and former Rangers manager Ron Washington made Arraez a better defender in San Francisco.
Most of the game is still chasing slug. Arraez isn't going to give a team that. But for what the Rangers really want he'll deliver. They can take advantage of a tepid market and potentially get Arraez on a two- or three-year deal on a similar AAV as he received from San Francisco. This also allows the Rangers to keep Ezequiel Durak in a super-utility role.
Daulton Varsho should be more in demand than he will be after he ended the season injured and required for cysts in his left wrist. He should be ready for next season. But the condition eroded his offensive numbers once he was traded from Toronto to Houston. He still finished the season with a slash of .221/.281/.355 with 12 home runs and 41 RBI.
He's primarily a center fielder, which puts him in a competition with Evan Carter. Varsho is a Gold Glove level defender at the position, so the Rangers wouldn't lose much if the takes the job. He also has more balanced splits against left-handed and right-handed pitching. He also hits left-handers better for his career.
Young wants competition at spots where fresh blood can earn the job. A Varsho vs. Carter competition would be fun to watch. The loser becomes the fourth outfielder. So no one really loses.
Varsho played on a $10.75 million deal last season. It won't require much more than than per year to sign him.
Casey Mize is a former first-round pick who had Tommy John surgery at one point and in the pat two seasons has figured some things out. With Detroit in 2025 he went 14-6 with a 3.87 ERA and was an All-Star. To start 2026, he went 4-6 with a 2.70 ERA with the Tigers before he was traded to the San Diego Padres and went 2-4 with a 7.46 ERA.
So what happened in San Diego? Probably the ballpark. Comerica Park in Detroit is a pitcher's park and once Mize had his stuff under control he benefited from the configuration. Petco Park in San Diego is more offensive-minded. That's why he might be a good fit for Texas. Globe Life Field has emerged as a pitcher's park the past few seasons.
Mize is entering his age 30 season and looking to cash in. But he's not among the top echelon of free agents. He only made $6.15 million in arbitration in 2026. A deal with $10-12 million in AAV isn't out of the realm for the Rangers.
Texas Rangers relief pitcher Tyler Alexander. Credit: Richard Dizon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Yes, I'm going to stump for the Rangers to re-sign Alexander, who barely made $1 million with the Rangers to come back to his home (he went to high school at Southlake Carroll and played his college baseball at TCU).
He was brilliant for the Rangers in 2026. He went 5-2 with a 3.70 ERA in 75 games with 60 strikeouts and 23 walks in 73 innings. He did a little of everything for the Rangers. He was an opener, a middle reliever, a set-up man and a closer.
If Texas gets him back, then it's taken care of its left-handed set-up role for 2027 - and so much more. Given how well he pitched, a deal for $5 million in AAV to keep him with the Rangers seems reasonable.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/rangers/onsi as Ranking the Four Best Free-Agent Fits for the Texas Rangers .
