Infielders Jake Burger, Ezequiel Duran, Jung, and Josh Smith will come back in 2026 MLB season. Rangers also made other moves, too.
In looking to keep some of their core pieces together for the 2026 MLB season, the Texas Rangers needed to come to agreements with some players,
On Thursday, which was the deadline for MLB teams to reach arbitration deals, the Rangers agreed to terms with infielders Josh Jung, Jake Burger, Ezequiel Duran, and Josh Smith. With these contracts, the Rangers have reached agreements with all arbitration-eligible players on the team's MLB roster.
But the Rangers were not done. According to information provided by the Rangers' PR department, the team also reached agreements with right-handed pitchers Nabil Crismatt and Patrick Murphy on minor-league contracts with invitations to the 2026 spring training camp.
According to the Rangers, "Crismatt, 31, went 3-0 with a 3.71 ERA in 8 G/5 GS for Arizona in 2025. He has gone 12-6 with a 3.71 ERA in 122 G/6 GS across 6 MLB seasons with STL (2020), SD (2021-23), ARI (2023, 2025), and LAD (2024)."
As for Murphy, he "returns to the Rangers after posting a 3.04 ERA across 15 minor league G/3 GS within the TEX system in 2025, mostly with AAA Round Rock. The right-hander also pitched for the KT Wiz of the KBO last season, going 3-3 with a 3.12 ERA in 15 G/9 GS."
With these moves taking place on Thursday, it gives Rangers first-year manager Skip Schumaker some more players with which to look at for his infield.
No MLB team needs to go into a season without some solid infielders. It's part of the strength of a team looking to make inroads when it comes to winning a division.
The Rangers would love nothing more than to be back in the solid conversation for the American League West Division title. Of course, the Seattle Mariners, who won the division in 2025, and the Houston Astros might have something to say about it.
Still, Schumaker, who watched the Rangers on the field from his box as a senior adviser last season, now gets to put his plans into action.
The Rangers will go to spring training in about a month, looking to start things off on the right foot. Let's see if Schumaker is able to communicate effectively with all Rangers players. There was some scuttlebutt after last season that not all Rangers players were on the same page
Well, Schumaker probably will make sure that isn't representative of any ballclub that he manages.
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