The Texas Rangers and Martin Perez have agreed to the qualifying offer of $19.65MM. That is a significant raise from 2022 for Perez.
Now that the Rangers have 3/5ths of their rotation in place, it is time for me to project what it will look like in 2023. I always enjoy trying to guess how the roster will look.
Opening Day Starter
I believe that the opening day starter is going to be Jon Gray, for the moment. That could change. The Rangers are always big on rewarding the guys who were here the season before.
The Rangers open at home against the Phillies. That should be a great series as Philly is the defending National League Champions.
The Rest of the Rotation
Martin Perez should be number 2 in the rotation, for now. Again, he will be rewarded for being the Rangers best pitcher in 2022. He had a sub 3 ERA in 2022 and he was the most consistent pitcher by far.
Carlos Rodon will get a deal done with the Rangers and be the number 3 starter for the club. We have talked about Rodon before, and I think he would be a great fit. It would be a great pickup for the Rangers.
Jake Odorizzi will be the fourth starter for the club. Odorizzi is not a front line starter, but he is better than a lot of last seasons options. I think there are some pitchers from last year that will be gone before the season starts.
Dane Dunning/Glenn Otto/Cole Ragans will be the fifth starter. It depends on who has the best spring training in 2023. It could also depend on who remains with the club.
My gut tells me it will be Dunning. I want it to be Ragans. IF you don not know Ragans story you should go back and listen to his interviews with The Ranger Report Podcast here on Dallas Sports Nation.
So, to recap:
Jon Gray
Martin Perez
Carlos Rodon
Jake Odorizzi
Dane Dunning
So what do you think? Who would you like to see in the rotation? Who did I leave out? Let me know in the comments!
Bob Fernandez
November 16, 2022 at 5:48 pm
If Dunning is fifth starter why not keep both Otto and Ragans? Otto had a promising second half of the season. And Ragans has a good arm.
The Ranger Report
November 17, 2022 at 1:11 pm
I hope they do keep all three of them. I think injury and ineffectiveness will dictate which one is in the majors.