And just like that, it’s the offseason. Five months of waiting. Five months of darkness. Five months of endless speculation of where Juan Soto will sign. 

For the Rangers, it’s five months to fill some holes. The good news is, offensively, they don’t have nearly as many holes to fill as in past years where they have missed the playoff, which, with this franchise, is most years.

The infield and outfield seem set for next season with Langford in left, Carter in center, and Garcia in right. Of course, there are questions. Will Langford continue to grow offensively? Can Carter’s back hold up? Is he only a platoon player since so far he cannot hit lefties, and, if so, who is his right-hand hitting counterpart? Was Garcia’s 2024 just an aberration?

Can Jung play injury free? Will Semien continue his trend of being MVP-worthy every other year (because next year would be that year) and was this year’s down year still part of his normal pattern? Did Lowe finally turn the corner offensively.

The Rangers absolutely need a DH. Josh Smith is a good option to fill in for injuries, but they need a bonified offensive threat. The rotating DH doesn’t work. Taking a bench player and rotating him into the lineup so one of your regulars can get half a day off doesn’t add to the offense. It’s putting a lesser player in a game he wouldn’t otherwise be in.

They can get by with Jonah Heim, they just need to realize he falls off the side of the world in the second half. They need not a backup catcher but a second catcher to alternate with Heim and take over when his eventual inevitable second-half slide comes. 

The Rangers could once again be a strong offensive force with one main addition, a quality DH bat, and two small additions, a second catcher and a platoon partner for Carter.

That’s a very manageable offseason shopping list.