Texas enters the offseason with around $170 million in projected player payroll, and Chris Young still has some uncomfortable roster decisions to make.

Austin argues that Ezequiel Duran should play every day without being tied to second base and questions how Joc Pederson fits a younger, more athletic Rangers club. He weighs re-signing Cal Quantrill, past spending misses, Corey Seager and Jacob deGrom's no-trade clauses, Jacob Latz's bullpen role, Jack Leiter's recovery, Sebastian Walcott's development, and a hypothetical deGrom trade. The recorded LIVE also gets into the Brewers–Rays World Series and postseason player bonuses before closing with Jake Burger's Philanthropist of the Year honor.

Recorded as Game 5 approached and began; Milwaukee later won to clinch the World Series.

Corrections: The postseason players' pool draws from the first two games of each Wild Card Series, the first three of each Division Series, and the first four of each League Championship Series and the World Series. Additional games do not increase that pool, and teams award full and partial shares rather than dividing bonuses evenly. Jacob deGrom's 2027 salary is $37 million; his conditional 2028 option starts at $20 million but can rise. Tyler Mahle made 19 Rangers starts across 2024–25. Flipping two Texas losses to wins would have produced an 82–80 record, ahead of Houston's 81–81 finish. Milwaukee's eight-run inning in World Series Game 3 was the fifth; Tampa Bay's Game 4 comeback was in the 12th.

Chapters / Timestamps

• (00:00) - World Series Game 5 and the Rangers' $170 Million Question
• (06:26) - Cal Quantrill's Future with Texas
• (08:49) - Joc Pederson and the Rangers' Athleticism Test
• (12:34) - The $170 Million Payroll and Chris Young's Decisions
• (17:26) - Seager, deGrom and No-Trade Clauses
• (23:10) - Ezequiel Duran, Justin Foscue and Second Base
• (26:39) - Brewers Baseball and the World Series Money Debate
• (35:52) - Jacob Latz, the Bullpen and Jack Leiter
• (41:54) - Sebastian Walcott and the Rangers' Farm System
• (46:34) - The deGrom-to-Cubs Proposal and Catching Decisions
• (51:04) - Jake Burger's Award and the Gold Glove Finalists