Even as champs, Rangers have 'unfinished business' for '24

NASHVILLE -- It’s not often a World Series-winning general manager says that his club has “unfinished business” just over a month after reaching the pinnacle of the baseball world. But that’s how Rangers GM Chris Young is approaching this offseason.

“I think we ... we have unfinished business. We tied for the division and lost the tiebreaker,” Young said on Monday at the Winter Meetings. “And thereby we were the Wild Card team. I think it would mean a lot to everybody to win the division. We're not taking anything for granted. We knew how hard it was this year, but also know how talented this team is. They're capable of doing special things and this group is very motivated.”

The Rangers are in a unique position with the ability to run back the majority of the World Series-winning roster, including eight of the nine starters from Game 5 of the Fall Classic and every member of the rotation except Jordan Montgomery.

In just two years, Texas went from an AL West bottom-feeder with a 60-102 record to World Series champion without even winning the division. Young reflected on the progress of the organization as a whole, while also recognizing it won’t be easy to repeat.

“We're not perfect,” Young said. “There are things that we can improve. But also, to win, you don't have to be perfect. I think that the goal is to put the best group of players together to give this team the best chance to win. I think we did a phenomenal job of that last year. I think we've done it over the last several years in terms of building up to this.

“Now we do have a great core group assembled, and it’s about how we enhance that and make them as good as possible while recognizing that no team is truly perfect.”

• Rangers shift from building to maintenance

None of that changes the fact that the Rangers have remained silent since the conclusion of the World Series, even as a number of key contributors have entered free agency.

For the last two offseasons, Young and the Rangers front office have been aggressive early and often on the free-agent market, as evidenced by the signings of Corey Seager, Marcus Semien and Jon Gray in 2021, and Jacob deGrom, Andrew Heaney and Nathan Eovaldi in '22.

This year, as baseball’s annual Winter Meetings began on Monday in Nashville, both the Rangers and the league as a whole have moved with little urgency. And until Shohei Ohtani makes a decision on where to sign, the rest of the market may not move much either.

“Specific to what we're looking for, I can't say exactly how fast or slowly it all comes together,” Young explained. "It could accelerate very quickly or it could take time, but nonetheless, we're engaged. We're having great conversations with both clubs for trades and free agents. We'll see where it goes.”

Texas’ biggest needs remain a starting pitcher to replace Montgomery, a designated hitter to replace Mitch Garver and a variety of bullpen depth. Young said the club has continued talks with all the free agents from last year’s team, including both Garver and Montgomery. They’ve continued conversations with external additions as well.

As the market moves slowly around them, the Rangers don’t plan to jump the gun. But if and when those conversations materialize, Young couldn’t predict.

“I'm not worried about [other teams],” Young said. “This whole time I think that we've always focused on the Texas Rangers and what we need to do to put the best team on the field.”