ARLINGTON, Texas — As baseball enters the final month of the year, it’s fair to recognize that the Hot Stove hasn’t exactly been raging hot. Blake Snell and Yusei Kikuchi have found homes, and the Reds traded Jonathan India away, but the other big action expected to take place this winter has barely seen any traction.
For the Rangers, whose primary focus is rebuilding their bullpen, the lack of movement means there are a plethora of options on the free agent market to choose from to reform their relief corps. Texas, who saw backend relievers Jose Leclerc, David Robertson, and Kirby Yates enter free agency this winter, is also in the tricky spot of trying to build a competitive bullpen while also staying under budget.
Within the neighborhood of $50 million to spend this winter for next year’s team, including trying to re-sign Nathan Eovaldi or another arm or two for the rotation, Chris Young and new general manager Ross Fenstermaker will have to be crafty with how they spend their dollars.
The highest-paid relievers across MLB last season made just under $20 million, with most earning between $5-10 million. Can the Rangers stack up to that?
Starting with the obvious, Texas could look to re-sign any of the aforementioned three who held down the late innings last season. Of the trio of high-leverage relievers, Leclerc is probably the most likely target.
Leclerc broke in with the Rangers in 2016 but didn’t ascend to the role of trusted reliever until 2018, racking up 12 saves that year and 14 the next. Leclerc would never again touch the numbers he did that first year of closer, but was exceptional in the World Series championship year of 2023, even though he wasn’t installed as the closer until very late in the year. He also closed out all but one of the Rangers’ playoff victories, with Josh Sborz memorably saving the World Series clincher in Game 5. Leclerc, at age 30, earned $6.25 million in 2024.
The Rangers could also look at bringing back Robertson. The veteran, who was with the Rangers on something of a pillow contract in 2024, was able to stay with Texas the entire season and enjoyed one of his more recent successful campaigns.
Sticking with one team and trying to compete was a goal of the 39-year-old after having been dealt in each of the last two seasons at the trade deadline. In response, Robertson put up a solid 3.00 ERA and was a trusted reliever through the whole season.
Robertson earned $10 million with Texas last season and was on track to earn $7 million in his age-40 season with Texas in 2025, but he declined his half of the mutual option. This is understandable, given the year he had and how much he believes he has left in the tank; Robertson could command another $10 million, and maybe even an extra year elsewhere.
Yates, meanwhile, might be the most desirable target. Of course, that means he might be the hardest one to sign. Coming over from Atlanta, Yates was as reliable and dependable as anyone could have hoped for and it’s something of a shame that Texas couldn’t utilize him to his fullest with another run in October.
Still, over 61 games, Yates was 33 for 34 in save opportunities, putting up a sparkling 1.17 ERA and earning his second All-Star nod and finishing 8th in the Cy Young voting. Yates earned $4.5 million with Texas, well below what he was likely worth. Going into his age-38 season, Yates is going to command a hefty price tag that the Rangers may not be able to pay.
Elsewhere, if Texas is not going to be in on Robertson or Yates, they probably aren’t going to be in on some of the other pricey relief options with lefty Tanner Scott, who dominated with both the Marlins and Padres, or Jeff Hoffman, who is coming off two stellar seasons in a row with Philadelphia, likely too rich for Rangers’ budget.
Texas could continue with another set of one-to-two-year contracts, issuing them to older, but capable relievers, such as Blake Treinen, who had a resurgent year with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers after missing two seasons rehabbing arm ailments.
A.J. Minter, who might come at a bargain, is another option. Minter had two stints on the IL, but when he was on the field, he was a top arm out of the ‘pen, putting up a 2.62 ERA with opponents hitting .198 against him. Tim Hill, who spent parts of 2024 with the White Sox and Yankees, could be an under-the-radar option for Texas.
Hill, a lefty, pitched for the Padres most of his career before joining the White Sox last season. With the Southsiders’ faulty fielding behind Hill, a strong ground ball pitcher, saw his numbers reflected poorly. Upon being traded to the Yankees, Hill’s numbers, unsurprisingly, improved drastically.
On the same note with ground ball pitchers and the Yankees, Tommy Kahnle could be an option from the other side. Going into his age-35 season, Kahnle saw great success with New York, inducing soft contact and still striking out hitters, especially lefties.
Carlos Estevez could be an option to anchor the bullpen. Coming off a season in which he showcased excellent command and put up good numbers between the Angels and Phillies, Estevez put up 26 saves with a career-best 2.45 ERA after an All-Star appearance in 2023.
The Rangers also have an opportunity to pursue a reunion with lefty Matt Moore. Moore’s season with the Angels was one to forget, but that may be more a product of the Angels than the pitcher himself. Before 2024, Moore was a top reliever for Texas in 2022, posting a 1.95 ERA over 74 innings, and was able to handle being shuttled to three teams in 2023, putting up a cumulative 2.56 ERA.
For those potentially thinking about a reunion with Will Smith, who was the closer for most of the 2023 campaign, the lefty October good-luck charm was even worse with the Royals in 2024 than he was in the second half of 2023 with Texas.
Another reunion to pursue might be veteran righty Chris Martin, who pitched for the Rangers in 2018 and 2019 after a successful stint in Japan. Young hasn’t posted an ERA higher than 4.00 in the last six years, sporting excellent command, and nearly a 30% strikeout rate while not issuing many walks. With Texas expressing an aim to get back to the World Series, Martin could choose to return to his hometown of Arlington for what he has declared will be his final year.
Overall, Texas has many, many slots to fill, and based on the recent run of relievers who have come up from the minors, none within the system appear to be ready to seize a particular role with much confidence. The Rangers need depth, a lot of it, and while signing an entire bullpen isn’t feasible, there will have to be some outside help to get Texas back to a contending spot from their relievers.
What do you think the Rangers will put together a competitive bullpen for the 2025 season? Share your thoughts with Matt on Twitter @FisherWritesMLB.
