ARLINGTON, Texas — If there is any area where the Rangers have more questions than the outfield, it’s the bullpen. Already besieged by a handful of injuries, Texas has luckily utilized the power of the checkbook to shift some of their rotation depth to act as potential intriguing bullpen options.
Yes, with the additions of Jacob deGrom, Andrew Heaney, and Nathan Eovaldi, the arms that the Rangers would have used as starters behind Martin Perez and Jon Gray can now serve in more limited capacity as relievers. For some, that’s familiar, maybe even welcome territory. For the last couple of spots, there are a lot of possibilities, but complications surround each of them.
2022 Opening Day Bullpen: Brett Martin, Kolby Allard, Josh Sborz, Garrett Richards, Joe Barlow, John King, Dennis Santana, Matt Bush, Greg Holland, Brock Burke, Albert Abreu
2023 Projected Opening Day Bullpen: Jonathan Hernandez, Brock Burke, Taylor Hearn, Dane Dunning, Cole Ragans, Ian Kennedy, Jose Leclerc, Will Smith
After a season in which the Rangers went an abhorrent 15-35 in one-run games, Texas now turns to a more experienced rotation in 2023, which allows them to slide down a cadre of arms that have done well recently in relief auditions.
Taylor Hearn, who flopped in his attempt to join the rotation last year, ended up being a solid middle relief left-hander to help bridge the gap from the starters to the high-leverage arms.
Jonathan Hernandez, meanwhile, made his anticipated return from Tommy John surgery that cost him the 2021 season and picked up where he left off as the fireball pitcher who made an impressive quick leap through the minor league system once he was firmly converted to relief.
Brock Burke is another former starting pitcher prospect who burst onto the scene upon earning a spot in the bullpen in 2022. The spoils of the trade that sent out Jurickson Profar in 2018 was something of a revelation as he allowed just 18 earned runs (1.97 ERA) all season while completing a healthy 82.1 innings.
Dane Dunning started 54 games for the Rangers over the last two seasons but he could be in for the same kind of transformation as Burke as he will likely join the relievers. Dunning might also be used as a “first man up” if something happens to one of the starters.
Dunning had spurts of success last season but was ultimately moved down the depth chart as Texas worked to bolster the rotation over the winter. This season, coming off of hip surgery that he underwent at the end of 2022, Dunning might find a home in long relief.
Cole Ragans is also a starting pitching prospect who could necessitate a look in the bullpen as he began to blossom in camp as a reliever. After debuting and making nine starts last summer, Ragans impressed new manager Bruce Bochy with stuff that appeared much improved with the shorter bursts of effort afforded to relief pitchers.
The 2016 first-round draft pick Ragans struck out 24 in his 16.2 innings of work in the Cactus League this spring. That will play.
Indeed, having Dunning, Hearns and Ragans in the pen makes a lot of sense with Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi on pitch limits to start the season. Burke proved that converting to relief can be a viable option and that will be tested out on some starting pitching prospects who have forced their way onto the team but are no longer expected to remain in the rotation.
For those worrying about potential rust and lack of action, Dunning and Ragans can also stay stretched out for piggyback performances on those days where deGrom and Eovaldi start and, of course, the Rangers’ rotation is an injury minefield so the long relievers will need to be ready to step in for spot starts throughout the season.
The biggest hole in the bullpen, though, remains the closer job. Or rather, how the back end of the bullpen will shape up. One of the biggest surprises of the offseason was the fact that Texas didn’t end up landing a bonafide closer or a lockdown late-innings reliever. It’s perhaps worrying that the Rangers haven’t formally figured out who will close games for them with Opening Day just hours away.
With last year’s closer Joe Barlow being optioned to Triple-A Round Rock to regain some velocity, Hernandez looks like a likely candidate to close. Ian Kennedy – who returned to Texas on a minor-league deal after claiming the closer job for the Rangers two years ago – has also performed well this Spring, with a 2.25 ERA in eight innings of work and he could earn high-leverage innings once more.
Bochy could also consider Jose Leclerc, who has had an up and down time with Texas, but most of the ups came while he was a closer for the club in 2018 and 2019. Leclerc hasn’t given up a run all spring and ended the 2022 season as the team’s closer.
There’s also the late addition of lefty Will Smith to consider. Having played for Bochy in 2018 and 2019 while with the San Francisco Giants, there’s familiarity with the arm and the talent. There’s also a championship pedigree and closing experience from Smith, as over the course of his 10-year career, Smith has earned 91 saves and pitched as either a setup man or closer.
Again, there are a lot of possibilities to round out the bullpen. The right combination just needs to be found. Ultimately there needs to be a solid, reliable mix of good middle relief to help back up an injury-prone rotation and the high-leverage arms will be counted on to nail down the leads given to them, which the team struggled with last season.
There doesn’t appear to be much room for a “junk time” arm, and it’ll be up to Bochy to decide who ends up making the cut during an era where the bullpen might not be the most important unit on the team but is definitely one that can cost you games if you don’t figure out the right recipe.
For the Rangers in 2023, the margin for error doesn’t allow for another bullpen meltdown.
Do you think the Rangers will improve in one-run games in 2023? Share your predictions with Matt on Twitter @FisherWritesMLB.
