It was a roller coaster season for the Texas Rangers, and it ultimately ended in disappointment.
For the second straight year after winning the 2023 World Series, the Rangers missed the playoffs. They had a brief hot streak in September that helped them surge into the race for a wild card spot and the American League West title, then instantly collapsed by losing eight games in a row.
When their season was well and truly over, the Rangers selected the contract of outfielder Billy McKinney from Triple-A Round Rock. The former first-round pick of the Oakland Athletics in 2013, McKinney has become a classic baseball journeyman, having played for nine organizations in the last 12 years.
After playing just six games for the Rangers and producing minus-0.1 wins above replacement, McKinney elected free agency on Wednesday, according to the official Major League Baseball transactions log.
McKinney’s big-league journey has also included stints with the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Athletics. He’s got 327 games under his belt, with his best season coming in 2019 with the Blue Jays (0.5 WAR).
McKinney was eligible to hit free agency because he was on a minor-league contract and had more than three years of big-league service time, plus he’d already done so once this year, after he was designated for assignment by Texas on July 4 and wound up re-signing.
Could another reunion be in the cards this time around? Both parties would have to be amenable to it, as McKinney will be looking for the opportunity that offers him the best path to playing time, and Texas needs to guarantee more production from its outfield after a dismal year from Adolis García and an injury-shortened campaign from Evan Carter.
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