The Rangers Don’t Have a Closer, But That Might Be Okay

The Texas Rangers have been extremely busy this offseason. Signing numerous free agents and even working a couple of impactful trades has the club poised to get back to the postseason.

There seems to be only one main thing left for Chris Young to do to close the offseason with a bow. “Close” being the operative word. A quality closer needs to be in the ‘pen to finish games for the Rangers.

But many times the business of baseball and a team’s baseball needs don’t always align. That seems to be the case with the Rangers and their lack of a formal closer.

With the self-induced budget constraints (the team is looking to get under the luxury tax threshold of $241 million) that the Rangers are operating under, simply signing a high-end free agent closer wasn’t a viable option.

But what POBO Chris Young and GM Ross Fenstermaker were able to do in the offseason was add a large number of arms to the bullpen mix. Pair those new guys with the young talent within the organization, and they have given Bruce Bochy a chance to put on yet another bullpen usage masterclass.

All Managers Want a Dominant Closer

If you polled any manager, no matter what level of the game, they would tell you that having a guy to count on in the ninth inning to close out games is their desired route. It eliminates the thinking and anxiety toward the end of a contest. Simply tell Mariano Rivera to get up and insert him into the game prior to the handshakes and congratulations on yet another victory.

Bochy is no different. He has had some of the best closers to ever play the game at his disposal over his managerial career. In 1998, when he took the San Diego Padres to the World Series, his closer was none other than Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman. Hoffman had an amazing 53 saves during the regular season for that team.

When Bochy won the World Series with the San Francisco Giants in 2010, Brian Wilson was the stud closer. He locked down 48 saves that regular season. But flash forward to 2012’s World Series run and the closer situation was much different.

Bruce Bochy Is a Bullpen Yoda

Wilson hurt his elbow (requiring Tommy John surgery) the first week of the season and would only notch one save. The 2012 Giants went from having one of the top closers in the game to not having a closer at all with essentially the entire season still to be played.

Not one to panic, Bochy went to work and managed the pen in such a way that they were able to secure their second ring in three years. Including Wilson’s one save, six different guys would record saves for Bochy in 2012. Santiago Casilla led the way with 25, Sergio Romo had 14, Javier Lopez seven, and two others got three apiece.

For his third title in San Francisco, Bochy had a two-headed closing monster. 2014 saw Sergio Romo lead the team in saves with 23. Santiago Casilla was close behind with 19 of his own. And yet neither one of these gentlemen recorded the final out for Bochy.

The 2014 season was closed out in Game 7 of the World Series with starter Madison Bumgarner taking down the Royals. It was an epic shutout relief appearance of five innings to earn the save just a few days after he pitched a complete game shutout.

Bumgarner was different, but so is Bochy. He has a feel for his guys and the game. His ability to pull the correct levers in the ‘pen is somewhat of a growing legend.

Tale of Two Bullpens

The above history of Bochy’s ability to use a bullpen just adds to the context of his skins on the wall. All a person needs to do is look at the past two seasons in Arlington to see how bullpens can be a fickle monster.

Last season, Bochy again had one of the top closers at his disposal. Kirby Yates racked up 33 saves with a 1.17 ERA and a 0.827 WHIP. Talk about a manager’s dream. And yet the Rangers weren’t very good last season.

Closer is a key role yes, but having a top one or not doesn’t define the ultimate success of a team.

Take the 2023 bullpen. What a disaster it was. José Leclerc was tabbed to be the closer heading into the season, and yet a lingering injury made him ineffective for most of the year.

In stepped the crafty veteran Will Smith. Smith would get 22 saves in the regular season but was completely ineffective during the playoff run. He only pitched 3.1 innings in the postseason, recording a massive 10.80 ERA.

Aroldis Chapman, who was brought in via trade, grabbed four regular season saves, as did Leclerc. Leclerc got healthy and was the man in the playoffs until he wasn’t.

With the title within the Rangers’ grasp, Bochy rode Josh Sborz to the championship in Game 5. Sborz had entered the game in the seventh inning to record the final out. Then after Sborz worked a quick eighth inning, it appeared that Leclerc would come in and finish things out.

Instead, Bochy stayed with Sborz and the move proved correct, as he mowed through the Diamondbacks to secure the win in the ninth. The save was Sborz’s second of his career. His only other one came in 2021 when he pitched the 10th inning of an extra-inning affair against the Twins.

The point is that Bochy isn’t a one-trick pony. He has found ways to win both with and without top-tier closers.

In-Season Trade Options

The Rangers are operating under some self-induced salary limitations as mentioned earlier. But one thing is for sure, CY won’t be scared to get creative and make an in-season move to secure a high-leverage reliever if that is what the team needs.

Look no further than 2023 to see when he did that very thing. He was extra aggressive and made the trade for Chapman on June 30th. When the need was identified, there was no reason to wait another month to get closer to the actual trade deadline.

Could the Rangers Finally Get David Bednar?

It seems like the Rangers have been linked to a possible David Bednar trade for the last two years. This was an especially hot take at the trade deadline in 2023. The Rangers didn’t get the deal done but went on to win it all as the ‘pen dominated in the playoffs.

Last season was a rocky one for the power righty. A quick look at Bednar’s Baseball Savant page and a few things stand out.

Despite a slight uptick in his velo on the four-seamer from 96.6 mph to 97.2 mph, the pitch wasn’t very effective in 2024. In 2023, Bednar’s fastball resulted in an opponent batting average of .188, a slugging percentage of .315, and a whiff rate of 30.3%.

Those numbers looked much different in 2024. The marginally quicker fastball resulted in an opponent batting average of .256, a massive slugging percentage of .459, and a drop in whiff rate to 24.1%.

Bednar is set to make $5.9 million this season. He will be arbitration-eligible again for 2026 before becoming an unrestricted free agent heading into 2027.

If he shows some signs of his two All-Star seasons of 2022 and 2023, Bednar is sure to be on people’s radars as a potential trade candidate. The Pirates are likely not to be in contention, and thus a move might just be able to be made to help shore up the ‘pen.

If not Bednar, there will be other options. He just feels like a guy who could be closing things out in Arlington down the stretch this season if they need to look outside of the organization.

Internal Options at Closer for Rangers

Look, as discussed earlier, there isn’t one set guy that screams closer on this Rangers roster. While other teams were out signing surefire closers, Texas had to get creative and build an entire pen.

In the process, they have assembled more of a quantity-over-quality bullpen. Not to say that many of their guys who will be pitching in the back half of games aren’t good, but they aren’t elite.

That is ok. What they will need to do is stay within their lane and not try to be something that they aren’t. Getting 27 outs each and every day is the name of the game. With the different options at Bochy’s disposal, let’s take a look at some of the top contenders to lock down games for the Rangers in 2025.

Chris Martin

The Rangers signed Chris Martin to a one-year deal this offseason. The Arlington, TX native is coming back home.

While Martin will turn 39 years old on June 2nd of this year, he has still been throwing well in recent years. Last season he pitched 44.1 innings, had a 3.45 ERA, had a 1.128 WHIP, and struck out 50.

Despite being advanced in years, Martin has never been an official closer. The closest thing to it for him was during his two-year stint (2016-2017) in Japan where he collected 22 saves. Despite the saves, he was more of a fill-in guy for the main closer.

Martin is one of the best strike throwers in the game. Across his 346.2 innings pitched in the big leagues, he has only handed out 45 walks. That will dang sure play, whether it is in the ninth or somewhere else with high leverage.

Josh Sborz

Remember the last pitch of the 2023 World Series? If you are a Ranges fan, of course you do. Josh Sborz was the guy who pushed the team over the finish line with his strikeout of Ketel Marte.

Sborz is going to start the season on the IL but could play a big role in the back of the ‘pen as the season goes along.

Coming off of rotator cuff surgery, it is still unclear as to when he will be in the mix. It is more than likely going to be sometime after the first two months of the season if everything goes according to plan.

Robert Garcia

Behind Martin, the guy that ZiPS likes to have the second most saves on the team is fellow new acquisition Robert Garcia.

Garcia came over to the team in the one-for-one trade with the Nationals that sent Nathaniel Lowe to D.C. The big lefty (6’4″ 236lbs) has the tools to close if called upon.

He hasn’t been a closer in his brief two years in the big leagues. However, Garcia has thrown some in high-leverage spots. Much like Martin, he is a strike thrower who is likely to see his number called in the back of many games this season.

Marc Church

Sometimes the unknown is scarier than the known quantity. For example, the Rangers added several veteran relievers who have plenty of experience getting MLB hitters out.

Marc Church isn’t one of those guys. He is an internal guy that has come up through the organization. He did make his debut late last season. But overall 2024 was somewhat of a disappointment as he battled back from injury.

A healthy Church is going to give Bochy and the Rangers another solid option to close games. He mainly pitched in that role for Triple-A Round Rock, but that isn’t Arlington.

With his electric fastball and nasty slider, he has the prototypical two-pitch mix that screams closer. He also has the mentality to get the job done.

I had the chance to visit with him last season in Round Rock, and not only is he a great guy, but he is a competitor through and through. Despite not turning 24 years old until the end of March, Church has the capacity to be a high-leverage guy. And perhaps a future closer for the Rangers.

Jon Gray

The prospect of Jon Gray closing to start the season was all but dashed recently. Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reported that Bochy made it clear that Gray is a starter.

But he also acknowledged the fact that things can change throughout the season. With the starters that are coming back from injury, having a healthy Jon Gray in the middle of the rotation makes perfect sense.

It also makes sense to keep the club’s options open as the year unfolds. Gray’s willingness to help out where he is needed gives Bochy and CY yet one more viable tool to implement if necessary.