MLB insider makes bold prediction about Texas Rangers as Joc Pederson joins Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, and Jacob deGrom

The Texas Rangers are looking to mount a major comeback after a disappointing 2024 season. As per MLB insider Jeff Passan, the Rangers have had one of the best offseasons in the whole league, which could go a long way to them recapturing their World Series mentality from 2023.

The franchise recently added outfielder Joc Pederson to a roster that contains Corey Seager, Jacob deGrom and Marcus Semien, and also brought back Nathan Eovaldi.

In the latest episode of "Talkin' Baseball," Passan was asked about the team that sneakily made all the right trades this offseason, and he chose Texas. Here's how he put it:

"The Joc Pederson effect is not something to sleep on Jake. Like that guy, I was talking with someone in Arizona last year, and this is when the Diamondbacks had really started hitting, and you know, they were the best hitting team in baseball last year.

"And so I was asking the guy why and he's like, 'Joc Pederson is the best clubhouse guy I've been around in my career.' And this is someone who's been in baseball for like 20 plus years, so hearing that and knowing that he's going to bring whatever verve he has down to Texas and go into that Clubhouse invigorated." (28:40)

Passan continued, putting forward a tip for Texas to win the West:

"I like the Rangers a lot and we're gonna wait and see what spring training looks like. But I am tempted to pick the Rangers to win the American League West right now."

Jeff Passan is clearly excited to see Texas in action after some interesting offseason moves and it will be interesting to see if they can live up to the expectations.

Texas GM happy with the Rangers' roster moves

The Texas Rangers had a phenomenal 2023 when they won the World Series, however, they fell short last season and failed to make the playoffs. In a bid to improve, the front office added some depth and quality, with Joc Pederson, Jake Burger, Jacob Webb, Shawn Armstrong, Hoby Milner, and Robert Garcia arriving at the clubhouse.

Texas general manager Ross Fenstermaker was excited about the new additions when discussing the 2025 season during the winter meetings:

"I think we have clear needs for the club," Fenstermaker said. "We've addressed several of them so far. We're going to continue to address more. We also have a lot of clarity on other areas through these conversations, whether it be with agents or other clubs, what's out there and what we might be able to access in order to further upgrade the club.

"We feel like we did a lot of good things so far, but we've got plenty more work this offseason to finish."

The Rangers could be a very strong team in the upcoming season and are perhaps set to mount a redemption tour after a disappointing 2024.