The Rangers payroll situation is... interesting. We're locked into some big contracts through the end of the decade and there's not a ton of wiggle room. Seager's deal is worth every penny when he's healthy but that's a lot of money tied up in one bat. Add in the pitching contracts and we're pushing close to luxury tax territory without a championship-caliber roster to show for it.
The front office keeps saying they want to compete but the moves don't match the words. We need bullpen help badly and there's maybe $15M to play with. That's one decent reliever and a bench bat if we're lucky.
I keep going back and forth on whether they should just blow past the tax or try to develop from within. What's the point of being a big market team if you're going to penny-pinch when it matters?
Anyone else feel like we're stuck in the middle? Not bad enough to rebuild, not good enough to win it all.
The payroll dropping to $122M in 2029 with young prospects arriving from the farm system is the ideal scenario. Cheap, controllable talent supplemented by targeted free agent spending. That is how you sustain contention.