After addressing roster deficiencies in the winter meetings, the Rangers continue to shore up holes in an attempt to develop 2025 candidates.
ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers didn’t make much noise at the winter meetings in Dallas, but they did cook a little for themselves at their annual Hot Stove event.
General Manager Ross Fenster and Director of Baseball Operations Chris Young announced early in the offseason that they would focus on strengthening their starting pitching, rebuilding their bullpen and upgrading their offensive line.
They took a step toward achieving that goal by signing catcher Kyle Higashioka the week before winter meetings began.
While the New York Mets made headlines when they signed Juan Soto to the largest contract in professional sports history, the Rangers were busy making solid additions.
3B/1B/DH – Jake Berger – Acquired from the Miami Marlins in exchange for minor leaguers Echedry Vargas, Max Acosta, and Brayan Mendoza.
Berger, a stocky slugger, joins a Rangers organization that needs more pop from the middle of the lineup. Listed as a third baseman, the right-handed power hitter not only provides some depth in a hot corner pinch, but could also line up with left-handed hitter Nathaniel Rowe at first base.
Berger has consistently posted slugging averages over .450 during his short three-year stint with the Chicago White Sox and Miami Marlins, and will likely fill the Texas designated hitter void for the majority of his at-bats. It will be.
Berger had a bit of a down year last year, batting .250/.301/.460, but still hit 29 home runs and had 76 RBIs. Only Corey Seager had a better slugging percentage than Bergers, and on a Rangers team that averaged just .380, the 28-year-old was able to hit more balls and steal extra bases. , I hope to keep the players moving.
Berger has batted .275 in his career with runners in scoring position, and Texas struggled in that category last season. He also doesn’t become a free agent until 2029, giving him a solid foundation with the Rangers.
RHP Reliever – Jacob Webb – 1-year, $1.5 million contract
After late standouts Jose Leclerc, David Robertson, and Kirby Yates all became free agents, the Rangers realized (and still do) that they were in dire need of a high-leverage pitcher. ). New signing Webb could be part of the solution.
Webb has pitched for the past two years with the Baltimore Orioles and should be expected to help the Texas rebuilding bullpen. Webb, a right-hander who posted a 3.02 ERA in 60 games for the Birds last year, had a better season but was an interesting name to be non-tendered by Baltimore earlier this year.
Webb saved two games for the Orioles last season, but had 14 holds, so Baltimore’s penny-pinching turned out to be a positive for the Texans. He is also very effective against left-handed hitters, specializing in his changeup, which had a batting average of just .108 for left-handed hitters last season.
RHP Starter – Nathan Eovaldi – 3-year, $75 million contract.
The World Series hero returned to Texas as a surprise of sorts, completing a transition at one of Young’s top priorities. With Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle entering their first full seasons post-Tommy John and the team losing Max Scherzer and Andrew Heaney to free agency, the Rangers needed an anchor for their rotation.
Eovaldi is the ace Texas needs in 2023 after deGrom goes down with Tommy John surgery, and while it’s risky to be on the decline in his career at age 35, the Alvin, Texas native is still has the fortitude to succeed. The Rangers believe he can take the ball every five days and give the team a great chance to win baseball games. Just like he did in 2024 when he led Texas to victory and victory. inning.
Earning $18 million in the first year of the deal, the Rangers are acquiring him for just below his estimated market value in 2025. Even if it’s a hefty three-year, $75 million package. With starting pitchers having high ratings this winter, Young and company paid top dollar for one of their top targets.
Last season, despite a down year for the team as a whole, Eovaldi pitched much the same as he did in his first year at Texas, posting a 3.80 ERA in 29 starts and 170 innings. His walk rate decreased and his strikeout rate increased, but he induced ground balls about 50% of the time, making him a necessary fit in a Rangers rotation that had many shaky innings. .
row trade
The Rangers continue to strengthen their bullpen by trading starting first baseman Nathaniel Rowe to the Washington Nationals in exchange for left-handed relief pitcher Robert Garcia.
Lowe, who came to Texas in a trade from the Tampa Bay Rays in the winter following the 2020 season, spent four seasons with the Rangers, starting at least 140 games in each season. Lowe won the Silver Slugger Award as an American League first baseman in 2022 and won a Gold Glove Award in 2023 as Texas’ first World Series-winning first baseman.
But Lowe’s breakout season at the plate in 2022 was followed by two seasons in which he struggled to reach his potential. Lowe hit 27 home runs in 2022, 17 in 2023 and just 16 last season. With Texas looking to further improve its midfield lineup and adding Berger as a corner infield option, the Rangers are expected to receive an arbitration increase of nearly $10 million for the 2025 season. He chose to sign a contract with Lowe, which had been in place for a while.
In place of Lowe, Texas acquired left-hander Garcia, who finished seventh in the National League in appearances while posting a 4.22 ERA with the Nationals last season. However, as Garcia became a mainstay in the Nationals’ bullpen, his strikeout rate of 11.3 per nine and walk rate of just 2.4 per nine were both career highs. He will now be counted on to be a key member of the Rangers’ Texas pen, which is looking for stability in one of its weakest areas in recent seasons.
What’s next?
The Rangers still have work to do, especially in the bullpen. DeGrom, Eovaldi and Mahle will likely be key to the rotation barring health issues, but Cody Bradford, who successfully transitioned into the rotation last year, also likely earns a spot. Jon Gray is another veteran starter who could fill out the rotation, but Texas might be intrigued to try him out in the bullpen after they approached him with the idea last summer.
There are several arms competing for a spot in the rotation during spring training, but some of the players who don’t earn starting pitching jobs could take a spot in the bullpen.
Guys like Dane Dunning, Kumar Locker, and Jack Reiter will fill that position, but Texas will still need a certified high-leverage pitcher. After the meeting, Texas signed another reliever, left-hander Hobie Milner from Fort Worth, to show that the club’s additions were not done yet.
Milner has good peripheral stats as a grounder and strikeout pitcher with a history of creating holds in high-leverage situations during his time with the Milwaukee Brewers. Milner also signed for just over $2 million, making it another low-risk, high-reward bullpen deal from Fenstermaker and Young.
Overall, Young is heeding some of the lessons he learned from his mentor and former Rangers GM Jon Daniels by finding discarded weapons and signing them to contracts with low market value.
Meanwhile, with offensive upgrades in Higashioka and Berger and the rest of the offensive lineup still intact, Texas has a few moves to make before heading to spring training in Arizona and beginning its journey back to the World Series. You still have payroll flexibility.
Are you happy with the moves the Rangers have made this winter? Share your thoughts with Matt on Twitter @FisherWritesMLB.
