GM: Douglas Melvin
1998: made playoffs · 88–74. Ranks are vs the 30 teams that season.
Each position lists its starter then backups by games (so platoons & bench show). Starters (mound) & bullpen (left, foul territory) are ranked by WAR; ★ marks the closer (most save chances). MLB Stats API.
| Player | Age | Service | G | fWAR | Salary $M | Surplus $M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ivan Rodriguez | 26 | FA-elig | 145 | 6.4 | 6.7 | +0.2 |
| Juan Gonzalez | 28 | FA-elig | 154 | 4.9 | 7.8 | -2.5 |
| Aaron Sele | 28 | arb | 33 | 4.7 | 2.9 | +2.3 |
| John Burkett | 33 | FA-elig | 32 | 4.0 | 4.0 | +0.4 |
| Rick Helling | 27 | arb | 33 | 3.5 | 0.2 | +3.5 |
| Rusty Greer | 29 | arb | 155 | 3.2 | 1.0 | +2.5 |
| Will Clark | 34 | FA-elig | 149 | 2.8 | 5.8 | -2.8 |
| John Wetteland | 31 | FA-elig | 63 | 2.0 | 5.8 | -3.6 |
| Tom Goodwin | 29 | FA-elig | 154 | 1.7 | 2.4 | -0.6 |
| Mark McLemore | 33 | FA-elig | 126 | 1.6 | 2.3 | -0.5 |
| Mike Simms | 31 | FA-elig | 86 | 1.6 | 0.3 | +1.4 |
| Luis Alicea | 32 | FA-elig | 101 | 1.5 | 0.8 | +0.9 |
| Roberto Kelly | 33 | FA-elig | 75 | 1.5 | 1.6 | +0.0 |
| Todd Stottlemyre↔ STL | 33 | FA-elig | 10 | 1.3 | 1.5 | -0.1 |
| Tim Crabtree | 28 | arb | 64 | 1.2 | 0.3 | +1.0 |
| Darren Oliver↔ STL | 27 | arb | 19 | 1.0 | 1.9 | -0.8 |
| Royce Clayton↔ STL | 28 | FA-elig | 52 | 0.8 | 1.3 | -0.4 |
| Todd Zeile↔ LAD | 32 | FA-elig | 52 | 0.8 | 1.1 | -0.2 |
| Lee Stevens | 30 | FA-elig | 120 | 0.7 | 1.2 | -0.5 |
| Esteban Loaiza↔ PIT | 26 | arb | 14 | 0.6 | 0.2 | +0.5 |
| Bill Haselman | 32 | FA-elig | 40 | 0.4 | 0.6 | -0.2 |
| Xavier Hernandez | 32 | FA-elig | 46 | 0.3 | 1.0 | -0.6 |
| Scott Bailes | 36 | FA-elig | 46 | 0.3 | 0.2 | +0.1 |
| Milt Cuyler | 29 | – | 7 | 0.2 | – | – |
| Kevin Elster | 33 | FA-elig | 84 | 0.2 | 1.5 | -1.3 |
| Tony Fossas↔ CHC | 40 | FA-elig | 10 | 0.1 | 0.2 | -0.0 |
| Al Levine | 30 | pre-arb | 30 | 0.1 | 0.2 | -0.0 |
| Chris Tremie | 28 | – | 2 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Jonathan Johnson | 23 | – | 1 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Domingo Cedeno | 29 | arb | 61 | 0.0 | 0.5 | -0.5 |
| Greg Cadaret↔ ANA | 36 | FA-elig | 11 | 0.0 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Julio Santana↔ TBR | 25 | pre-arb | 3 | -0.0 | 0.0 | -0.0 |
| Rob Sasser | 23 | – | 1 | -0.0 | – | – |
| Roger Pavlik | 30 | FA-elig | 5 | -0.0 | 1.6 | -1.6 |
| Fernando Tatis↔ STL | 23 | pre-arb | 95 | -0.1 | 0.1 | -0.2 |
| Bobby Witt↔ STL | 34 | FA-elig | 15 | -0.3 | 1.5 | -1.8 |
| Eric Gunderson | 32 | FA-elig | 68 | -0.3 | 0.5 | -0.8 |
| Todd Van Poppel↔ PIT | 26 | FA-elig | 4 | -0.3 | 0.1 | -0.4 |
| Scott Sheldon | 29 | – | 7 | -0.3 | – | – |
| Matt Perisho | 23 | – | 2 | -0.3 | – | – |
| Warren Newson | 33 | – | 10 | -0.3 | – | – |
| Danny Patterson | 27 | pre-arb | 56 | -0.4 | 0.2 | -0.6 |
| Player | fWAR |
|---|---|
| Aaron Sele | 4.7 |
| Luis Alicea | 1.5 |
| Roberto Kelly | 1.5 |
| Todd Stottlemyre | 1.3 |
| Tim Crabtree | 1.2 |
| Royce Clayton | 0.8 |
| Player | 1997 fWAR |
|---|---|
| Ken Hill | 1.2 |
| Matt Whiteside | 0.8 |
| Dean Palmer | 0.8 |
| Jim Leyritz | 0.6 |
| Benji Gil | 0.4 |
| Damon Buford | 0.4 |
What the front office was committed to as of 1998, 1998–2004. Pre-2015 has no contract-terms data — forward italic $ are realized actuals (hindsight, not commitments known then). Control labels (ARB/FA) are point-in-time.
| Player | Age | Svc | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juan Gonzalez | 28 | 9.000 | $7.8M | $8.5M | FREE AGENT | $11.0M | $13.0M | ||
| Ivan Rodriguez | 26 | 7.000 | $6.7M | $8.9M | $8.6M | $8.2M | $9.6M | FREE AGENT | |
| Will Clark | 34 | 12.000 | $5.8M | FREE AGENT | |||||
| John Wetteland | 31 | 9.000 | $5.8M | $6.3M | $6.5M | FREE AGENT | |||
| John Burkett | 33 | 11.000 | $4.0M | $4.0M | FREE AGENT | ||||
| Tom Goodwin | 29 | 7.000 | $2.4M | $3.2M | FREE AGENT | ||||
| Mark McLemore | 33 | 12.000 | $2.3M | $2.4M | FREE AGENT | ||||
| Roberto Kelly | 33 | 11.000 | $1.6M | $2.2M | FREE AGENT | ||||
| Roger Pavlik | 30 | 6.000 | $1.6M | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Bobby Witt | 34 | 12.000 | $1.5M | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Kevin Elster | 33 | 12.000 | $1.5M | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Todd Stottlemyre | 33 | 10.000 | $1.5M | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Royce Clayton | 28 | 7.000 | $1.3M | $4.5M | $4.5M | FREE AGENT | |||
| Lee Stevens | 30 | 8.000 | $1.2M | $2.1M | FREE AGENT | ||||
| Todd Zeile | 32 | 9.000 | $1.1M | $3.2M | FREE AGENT | ||||
| Xavier Hernandez | 32 | 9.000 | $1.0M | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Luis Alicea | 32 | 10.000 | $750k | $825k | $750k | FREE AGENT | |||
| Bill Haselman | 32 | 8.000 | $625k | FREE AGENT | $1.1M | $800k | $800k | ||
| Eric Gunderson | 32 | 8.000 | $510k | $450k | FREE AGENT | ||||
| Mike Simms | 31 | 8.000 | $275k | $625k | FREE AGENT | ||||
| Scott Bailes | 36 | 12.000 | $210k | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Tony Fossas | 40 | 10.000 | $159k | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Greg Cadaret | 36 | 11.000 | $73k | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Todd Van Poppel | 26 | 7.000 | $55k | FREE AGENT | $2.0M | $1.4M | |||
| Milt Cuyler | 29 | 8.000 | — | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Warren Newson | 33 | 7.000 | — | FREE AGENT |
| Player | Age | Svc | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Sele | 28 | 5.000 | $2.9M | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Darren Oliver | 27 | 5.000 | $1.9M | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Rusty Greer | 29 | 4.000 | $1.0M | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | ||||
| Domingo Cedeno | 29 | 5.000 | $500k | FREE AGENT | |||||
| Tim Crabtree | 28 | 3.000 | $290k | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | |||
| Rick Helling | 27 | 4.000 | $216k | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | ||||
| Esteban Loaiza | 26 | 3.000 | $180k | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | |||
| Chris Tremie | 28 | 3.000 | — | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT |
| Player | Age | Svc | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Danny Patterson | 27 | 2.000 | $208k | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | ||
| Al Levine | 30 | 2.000 | $180k | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | ||
| Fernando Tatis | 23 | 1.000 | $108k | Pre-Arb | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | |
| Julio Santana | 25 | 1.000 | $17k | Pre-Arb | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | |
| Matt Perisho | 23 | 1.000 | — | Pre-Arb | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | |
| Scott Sheldon | 29 | 1.000 | — | Pre-Arb | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT | |
| Jonathan Johnson | 23 | 0.000 | — | Pre-Arb | Pre-Arb | ARB 1 | ARB 2 | ARB 3 | FREE AGENT |
| Rob Sasser | 23 | – | — |
Every roster slot ranked best→worst by WAR. Bars = Rangers 1998; the black line = the league-average player at each slot that season. Staying above the line deep into the roster is the depth edge; dropping below it = holes & dead weight.
| Regime | Seasons | Win % | Playoff % | Pennant % | WS % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WINDOW | 289 | 52.2 | 30.1 | 4.8 | 1.0 |
| CONTEND | 311 | 56.8 | 63.0 | 19.3 | 10.3 |
| FORCED-SPEND | 260 | 47.9 | 8.8 | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| REBUILD | 328 | 43.3 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
Not enough history to chart.
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