At some point in the near future, locking down Wyatt Langford needs to be priority No. 1

Chris Young is pretty clearly focused on the present. Most moves he has made with the Texas Rangers have indicated that, right now, winning is the lone goal. Not too much thought is given to the team's long-term outlook. Just look at the last two trade deadlines. A more recent example comes in the Mackenzie Gore trade, shipping five prospects to the Washington Nationals.

But at some point, locking down somebody you think could be the franchise cornerstone in the near future becomes a must. Yes, Wyatt Langford. The former No. 4 overall pick of the Rangers, Langford is now entering his third full season with the big league club. Just 200 Minor League at-bats were taken before making the 2024 Opening Day roster. Some even speculated he would join the '23 team down the stretch amid offensive struggles. The talent was considered to be that good coming out of Florida.

So, why not go ahead, bet on his development, and make getting a contract done priority No. 1?

Younger players getting extensions is becoming common across baseball. The Sacramento/Las Vegas A's have done a slew of them. Stars such as Bobby Witt Jr. and Roman Anthony got deals with their respective clubs not too long after their MLB call-ups. The Atlanta Braves locked down their core by offering contracts for large-ish dollar figures and buying out free agency years. National discussion of the Pittsburgh Pirates doing something similar with No. 1 overall prospect Konnor Griffin rages on during spring training.

Langford might not be at the level of some of these players – yet. Many believe the breakout could occur in 2026. We have seen Langford put up solid numbers, having a career OPS two ticks shy of .760 with 38 home runs and 136 RBIs. Not earth-shattering but decent-to-solid from a second-year player.

His defense is good enough to be considered for centerfield by manager Skip Schumaker. And if Evan Carter locks down the position, the Rangers are more than happy with Langford in left.

Now, the Rangers can want to do a deal all they want. Two are needed to tango in this scenario. So, how does Langford feel about tying his personal and baseball future to Texas? Well:

"I don't know if goal is the right word," Langford said via 105.3 The Fan. "But I mean, I would obviously love to. Anything like that would be amazing. I love being in Texas, it's a great place to be around. Me and my wife love it there and when we eventually have kids, great place for them to grow up. So, if it works up for us being there long term, that would be ideal."

There is no reason to believe Langford has a desire to go anywhere anytime soon.

His power is quite obvious, just looking at him. Hitting behind Brandon Nimmo and in front of Corey Seager should open up all kinds of opportunities. FanGraphs projects 25 home runs for Langford with an exact OPS of .800, while hitting .257. Seeing those stats come to fruition would certainly be something we could consider a successful season, adding to the desire to lock him down.

However, price only goes up as the performance goes up.

Langford is not scheduled to hit free agency until the 2030 season. Depending on when a potential deal is done, somewhere in the range of five-seven years might be logical. The Rangers would get a few extra seasons out of Langford and he still hits free agency around the age of 30. Langford will play the entire 2026 season at 24 years old, celebrating a birthday in mid-November.

The big question then becomes money. What's the average value? Is the first number a one or a two? Who knows if Langford's agent and the Rangers are even in the same vicinity there, if discussions ever take place.

Of course, there are other factors in play. The front office is currently toeing the financial line to reset the Competitive Balance Tax number. There may not even be a CBT to deal with moving forward. If the MLB owners get their way, we will be living in a salary cap system in the near future. How baseball's financials are set up plays a role.

You cannot help but feel as if Young needs to make a move either way. A move he should make a priority for the franchise ASAP. Langford not only helps the team win now but can extend the mindset as the decade turns over by watching him turn into the projected star on a bargain deal.