Looking Ahead to the Texas Rangers’ 2026 Starting Rotation
The Texas Rangers’ starting rotation was a strength for them in 2025. It still looks to be strong with Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi leading the way.
After them, the rotation takes a bit of a hit; the only other pitcher that made consistent starts and is under contract is Jack Leiter.
He had his ups and downs, but 2025 was definitely a strong year for him as he proved that he belonged.
This leaves the Rangers with several options.
Free Agents
The Rangers have said they will cut payroll, so I am just going to look over the guys who were on the team last year and are now free agents. The list is Merrill Kelly, Patrick Corbin, Tyler Mahle, and Jon Gray. I will already take Kelly out of the running since he is supposed to command $15 million a year.
I don’t see Gray returning with the number of injuries he has suffered and the way his time ended there. That leaves Corbin and Mahle. I could see both of them returning, as they are valued at only $5 million a year each and can give the Rangers the ability to bring both in. Mahle has already said that he would be willing to return to the Rangers.
Internal Options
The Rangers’ internal options are Kumar Rocker, Cody Bradford, and Jacob Latz. Each of these has issues for its own reasons. Rocker struggled to find consistency and made only a few starts for the Rangers despite his talent.
Bradford missed all of last year with an elbow injury. The southpaw was great for the team in 2024 and showed that he can be a staple for the rotation. Now he is going to do his best to stay healthy and show what he’s got during spring training.
The final option is Jacob Latz, who pitched often last year but was used in the bullpen. He was called on to make starts for bullpen games, and he would shine in those spots. Latz gave the team 3-4 consistent innings and would even work later into the game if he had his stuff working. He would be an option for them, but he doesn’t have much experience starting, and that could lead to him burning out.
Verdict
I think that the Rangers should try to bring back Corbin or Mahle and let the internal options battle it out for the last rotation spot.
I wouldn’t mind both coming back, since it is never bad to have too much pitching, given the injuries that happen in baseball.
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Categorized:Rangers