The Rangers have some off-season needs. I know they just won the World Series, but the business of baseball moves on.
The bullpen was a weakness most of the season, but then showed up for the post-sesason.
Currently the Rangers have Andrew Heaney, Dane Dunning, Jon Gray, Max Scherzer and Nathan Eovaldi under contract for 2024 as starters.
The bullpen is listed as Brock Burke, Cody Bradford, Josh Sporz and Jose Leclerc. They also have pitchers like Grant Anderson, Matt Bush, Jonathan Hernandez and Jake Latz on the 40 man.
Biggest need in my opinion is pitching. Here is what I would like to see:
Josh Hader – He would replace Aroldis Chapman on the roster but I believe he is an upgrade. With a career 2.50 ERA and and 15 strike outs per 9 innings, he would be a big pickup for the Rangers bullpen.
Not sure if the Rangers will pursue him, but I think they should.
Jordan Montgomery – Plain and simple the Rangers don’t win the World Series without him. The team needs to resign the veteran pitcher for another run in 2024.
While not flashy or highly touted, he fits the Rangers well and enjoyed being here. I think the Rangers would do good to bring him back for another season.
Shohei Ohtani – While he would be a great pickup, the Rangers already have a ton of money used up on players, and I am not sure if Ohtani is in their budget.
Would I like to have him in a Rangers uniform? Absolutely, but I think someone else will pay a kings ransom to get him on their team.
Liam Hendrix – Although he had a down year in 2023, the 34-year-old has a career 3.82 ERA and strikes out 10.1 per 9 innings pitched.
I wouldn’t mind the Rangers kicking the tires on a 1 year deal to bring him to Texas. He could prove helpful in the bullpen for sure.
While relievers should and will be a main priority, the Rangers lost Mitch Garver and others to free agency. I would like to see the Rangers at least offer Garver and Travis Jankowski a contract for 2024.
Also, they should look into players like Jorge Solar. They could also work a trade with a team to get someone.
Should be interesting to see what the Rangers do over the next few months. One thing about baseball is that the roster is always changing, especially this time of year.
