I have had a tune, a line from an old song, running through my head for a month now. When the Rangers gathered for the Winter Banquet and Fan Fest last month, I could almost hear Roger Daltry of The Who singing, “Meet the new team … same as the old team.” Mid-January was when the 2025 Rangers were together for the first time. However, the 2025 team is not the “same as the old team.” Sorry, Roger. This team is completely different.
The song is called “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” It includes another line that states, “a change it had to come, we knew it all along.” The truth is that a year ago, we didn’t think the Rangers needed to change much of anything. They were fresh off their first World Series Championship, and the team that went to spring training looked very similar to the group that had won in 2023.
Most of the names and faces are still the same. Jacob deGrom will likely be the opening-day starter, just like in 2023. Jonah Heim did not start the opener that season but started most of the games after that and all of the games in the playoffs. Third base, shortstop and second base will be occupied by the same guys as two years ago: Josh Jung, Corey Seager, and Marcus Semien. Right field will be patrolled by the guy who played center on Opening Day 2023, Adolis Garcia. But that leaves three spots: first base, left, and center fields.
The players in each of those spots represent a youth movement and Rangers President of Baseball Operations Chris Young believes this movement is an improvement. The Rangers have built a team that has a wonderful mix of veteran leadership and youthful potential. Left and center will be occupied by some combination of Wyatt Langford and Evan Carter. Langford was the best player in the American League in September last season. Carter reinvigorated the Rangers at the end of 2023 and earned the nickname Little Savior. Jake Burger replaces Nathaniel Lowe at first base. Nate was one of my favorite guys. He was probably one of your favs, too. In Burger, the Rangers are betting on an offensive upgrade at first. They know he will need to improve in the field to be as good as Lowe was.
So, one-third of the starting nine will be different from 2023. That percentage extends to the expected 26-man roster this season. Over the course of the off-season, the Rangers have acquired eight players who are expected to make the opening-day roster. A full 30% of the roster is different. The list of new players includes a backup catcher. The Rangers tried two different backups last season and realized this was an area of need. They targeted former Yankee and Padres catcher Kyle Higashioka. He was the first signee of the off-season and perhaps the most significant. Not only can he reduce the load on Heim, but he is also capable of fully sharing the catching duties.
They wanted another bat for this stacked lineup and they got two. The aforementioned Burger and Joc Pederson. Joc feasts on fastballs from the left side and brings a style of leadership to the team that has not gone unnoticed.
“He’s a guy who wants to be a leader in this clubhouse,” Marcus Semien said at the kickoff to the Winter Caravan. “I think his personality is more out there than some of us. We have a lot of guys who may be a little bit more reserved. He is somebody who has fun. I think we were missing that last year with guys like Austin Hedges or Will Smith (teammates in 2023). They put you in a good mood and that is all you really ask of a teammate.”
Five relief pitchers were acquired, too, in an attempt to replace the four lost to free agency from last year’s squad. The best off-season acquisition might have been Nathan Eovaldi, who has been with the club for two years but was a free agent. Now, he will be here for three more years.
The actual lyric from the song that has been a mind worm for me is “…meet the new boss, same as the old boss.” There is nothing new about the boss and even as he approaches his 70th birthday he will thank you not to call him old. He is Bruce Bochy. During his last stop in San Francisco, he led the team to World Series titles in 2010, 2012, and 2014. Every other year. Rangers fans hope that pattern continues. And even if Boch was fooled by expectations last year, trust me He Won’t Get Fooled Again!
Sports columnist John Rhadigan is the host of The Rangers Podcast on DLLS Sports.
