Adding Manager Bruce Bochy And Three New Starting Pitchers Greatly Improves The Texas Rangers

Since last season, the Texas Rangers have increased their team payroll from $146M to $197M.

This past season, Texas finished 4th in the American League West division. Their record of 68-94 left them a whopping 38 games behind the division winning, World Champion Houston Astros.

With the hope of closing their huge gap in the AL West, the Rangers have made some outstanding personnel additions to their franchise.

To this scout, the best, and most consequential addition was the hiring of new manager Bruce Bochy.

Bochy, now 67, has won three World Championships. He guided the San Francisco Giants to World Series victories in 2010, 2012, and 2014.

Bochy is a tremendous handler of a pitching staff. It is no coincidence that some of the game’s better pitchers have found their way to Arlington to pitch for Bochy.

Recent Rangers Player Acquisitions:

The Rangers began their roster “facelift” prior to the 2022 season.

In 2022, the Rangers gave free agent shortstop Corey Seager a 10-year, $325M contract.

From that same free agent class, Texas added infielder Marcus Semien for 7-years, at $175M.

The Rangers also signed pitcher Jon Gray to a 4-year, $56M deal in 2022.

Those three additions began the team’s transformation.

One of the weakest parts of the Rangers roster has been their starting pitching.

That weakness is probably one of the main reasons the Rangers targeted Bochy as their new manager.

The Rangers are trying to fix a pitching staff that finished with a 4.22 Earned Run Average. Only Kansas City, Boston and Oakland were worse in the American League.

The 743 runs yielded by Texas pitchers placed them 12th of 15 American League teams in yielding runs.

Rangers pitchers walked 581 hitters. Only the Royals were worse, at 589.

Bruce Bochy and his staff of pitching coaches have hard work ahead.

Adding All Star right-handed starting pitcher Jacob deGrom, right-hander Nathan Eovaldi and lefty Andrew Heaney to their rotation immediately upgraded their staff. The team also retained lefty Martin Perez, who could have departed as a free agent.

The Rangers current offseason spending to date includes the following:

Jacob deGrom-(Age 34) 5-years, $185M

Nathan Eovaldi-(Age 32) 2-years, $34M

Andrew Heaney-(Age 31) 2-years, $25M

Martin Perez-(Age 31) 1-year, $19.65M

The 5th starter is holdover Jon Gray, who signed his 4-year deal in 2022.

Starter No. 1-Jacob deGrom

Right-hander Jacob deGrom is a large, 6-4 presence on the mound.

Entering his 10th big league season, deGrom has pitched his entire career with the New York Mets.

A former 9th round Mets selection in the 2010 draft, deGrom has been an All Star four times, most recently in the 2021 season.

Last year for the Mets, deGrom went 5-4, with a 3.08 ERA and 0.74 WHIP in 11 starts.

Missing time in the past two years with forearm, elbow and right shoulder issues, the Rangers assume some risk that his arm, elbow and shoulder issues might return.

If deGrom remains healthy, the rewards awaiting the Rangers for the faith they place in their new ace could be substantial.

Seen as one of the best starters in baseball, a healthy deGrom greatly improves the Rangers rotation.

Starter No. 2- Martin Perez

Left-hander Martin Perez could claim the second spot in the revamped Rangers rotation.

At 6-0, 200 pounds, Perez is a bit undersized compared to many of today’s starting pitchers.

Beginning his 12th big league season, Perez was an international free agent signed by the Rangers out of Venezuela in 2007. He was given a $580,000 signing bonus.

Perez pitched for the Rangers from 2012 until he became a free agent in 2019. He signed with the Minnesota Twins, and pitched only once season, 2019, for Minnesota. Perez then signed with the Boston Red Sox as a free agent, where he pitched for two seasons.

Perez returned to the Rangers as a free agent last season, making the American League All Star team, and finishing with a 12-8 record. He threw 196.1 innings in 32 starts. Perez had a sparkling 2.89 ERA, which helped earn him a $19.65M Qualifying Offer from Texas, which he accepted.

Starter No. 3- Jon Gray

Right-hander Jon Gray was a 1st round pick of the Colorado Rockies in the 2013 draft.

The third overall pick in that draft, the Rockies gave Gray a signing bonus of $4.8M.

Gray pitched seven seasons for Colorado. He signed a free agent contract with the Rangers last December.

Gray finished last season with a 7-7 record in his 24 Rangers starts. He threw to a 3.96 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP.

With good command and control, Gray was among the Top 10 among National League pitchers in strikeouts in both 2016 and 2018. Last season, he struck out an average of 9.5 per nine innings.

Gray walked 39 hitters last year for Texas, which was among his career best.

Starter No. 4- Nathan Eovaldi

The Rangers have signed right-hander Nathan Eovaldi as a free agent. Eovaldi spent the last five seasons of his 11-year MLB career with the Boston Red Sox.

Eovaldi was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 11th round in 2008.

A two-time recipient of Tommy John surgery, there is always some risk with Eovaldi. However, he has managed to start 32 games in 2021 and 20 games for the Red Sox last season.

Eovaldi finished last year with a 6-3 record, a 3.87 ERA, and 1.23 WHIP for Boston. He struck out 8.5 hitters per nine innings, and walked only 20 the entire season.

Eovaldi did surrender 21 home runs in his 109.1 innings pitched last year, and that is something that Bruce Bochy and his staff will be trying to correct.

Starter No. 5- Andrew Heaney

Left-hander Andrew Heaney gives the Rangers a second lefty in their rotation.

The Miami Marlins drafted Heaney in the 1st round in 2012 out of Oklahoma State University.

As the 9th player selected overall, he was given a $2.8M signing bonus.

Heaney was traded by the Marlins to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014. Then on the same day, the Dodgers traded Heaney to the Los Angeles Angels.

The Angels traded Heaney to the New York Yankees in July 2021.

After becoming a free agent, Heaney signed back with the Dodgers in 2021, where he pitched last season.

Last year with the Dodgers, Heaney started 14 games, worked in relief in two games, and finished with a record of 4-4 in 72.2 innings pitched.

Heaney threw to a fine 3.10 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. He struck out 13.6 hitters per nine innings pitched.

Now, the Rangers have signed the much traveled Heaney to work in their rotation.

In the event any of their pitchers is injured or is ineffective, veteran right-hander Jake Odorizzi is the scheduled long-man in the Rangers bullpen. He can assume a role in the rotation, if needed.

Summary:

Under new manager Bruce Bochy, the Texas Rangers starting rotation could be much improved.

Signing high-profile starters Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, and Andrew Heaney has helped make the Rangers starting rotation much more credible and competitive.

With a payroll that is already $51M above last year, at an estimated $197M, Rangers ownership is hoping the team returns to being competitive in the American League West.