When the Texas Rangers wanted to get serious again about being competitive in the American League West Division, the organization knew that some changes would have to be made.

The Rangers, behind president of baseball operations Chris Young, took the assignment to heart and went to work.

Not only did Texas move Skip Schumaker from his senior adviser's role back to the dugout as manager, the ballclub also made a few additions to the 40-man roster.

How did the moves all look to one MLB Insider? Well, longtime MLB executive Jim Bowden, who writes about the major leagues for The Athletic, ended up giving the Rangers a B when grading their offseason work.

A couple of key acquisitions brought outfielder Brandon Nimmo from the New York Mets to the team, while pitcher MacKenzie Gore was poached from the Washington Nationals for some minor-league prospects. 

Texas also was busy in the free-agent market, too. The ballclub signed catcher Danny Jansen, right-handed pitchers Jakob Junis, Alexis Díaz, and Chris Martin, and left-handed pitcher Tyler Alexander.

The Rangers have not had a winning season recently, something that doesn't sit well with the fans who come out to Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, to watch them play.

So, Young and the organization went to work.

When Bowden got down to looking at the Rangers' moves, he immediately gave them high marks for signing Schumaker to take over as manager.

"I loved the Rangers’ decision to hire Skip Schumaker as their new manager after watching him win NL Manager of the Year with the (Miami) Marlins a few years back," Bowden wrote.

"I also thought they won the Marcus Semien-for-Brandon Nimmo trade considering Nimmo is three years younger, hits for more power, and Semien’s production has been declining," Bowden continued.

"The best move they made was landing MacKenzie Gore, who upgrades their starting rotation as he joins veterans Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi and the up-and-coming Jack Leiter, Jacob Latz and Kumar Rocker."

Bowden predicted that the Rangers would finish in third place in the AL West. He also posed a question regarding the Rangers going into the 2026 MLB season: "If they’re within striking distance at the trade deadline, will the Rangers have any financial flexibility to improve their roster?"

The Rangers know that the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros will be tough teams to overcome this season. But, if the Rangers can somehow put things together and deliver all season long, then they just might find a way to get into the postseason.

Should that happen in Schumaker's first season as manager, then he could be set up for a long tenure in that role.

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