Pitchers the Rangers could Target this Winter

Chris Young and the front office will have to explore the pitching market this winter. The Rangers will need to fill one or two rotation spots (I lean two because CY likes pitching) and four to five bullpen arms. The Rangers currently have Robert Garcia, Jacob Webb, Cole Winn, and Jacob Latz depending on if he is in the rotation or not. Tyler Mahle and Merrill Kelly are also free agents along with Jon Gray (who I think will retire unfortunately due to Thoracic Outlet Syndrome). I will not include any of the names I put in my first article about players they could target. I will also include some contract predictions for some of the players.

Merrill Kelly

The Rangers are most likely to make an effort to re-sign Merrill Kelly this winter. The Rangers acquired Kelly from the Diamondbacks at the trade deadline in exchange for Mitch Bratt, Kohl Drake, and David Hagaman. At the time of the trade I was shocked at the price the Rangers paid for him. Thus, they do value him well which is why I am thinking they are going to make an effort at getting him back in Texas this winter. I do think it will be tough because he most likely ends up back in Arizona with the DBacks, but who knows maybe the Rangers get him.

Kelly is a solid reliable starter who will get 150+ innings for you. His stuff isn't off the charts, but he does get hitters to chase out of the zone and gets hitters out. Kelly this year had a 3.52 ERA in 184 innings this year for both teams. Although his numbers with the Rangers are a little inflated, he was adjusting to a new ballpark, clubhouse, coaching, and catchers. With his time with the team late this summer, and in the offseason he would most likely go back to his mid 3's ERA and can be a solid 3-4 starter for the Rangers. The Rangers are definitely in need of a reliable starter like Merrill Kelly with Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi having injuries issues at times. Kelly earned 7-8 million this year, I see him getting a pay raise.

Contract Prediction: 2 years, ~$15 million AAV

Phil Maton — Maton signed with the Cubs

The Rangers also added Phil Maton at the trade deadline as well. They sent Skylar Hales and Mason Molina to the Cardinals in exchange for him. Maton doesn't throw very hard, but he gets a ton of strike outs and doesn't get barreled up very much. He was among the best in baseball in whiff%, K%, Hard Hit%, and Barrel%. Maton was also solid for the Rangers down the stretch, he had 33 strikeouts in 23 innings and had a 3.52 ERA. The Rangers could use Maton next year to get leverage innings and to have a good strikeout arm in the bullpen. Phil Maton has also expressed that he would like to return to the Rangers.

Contract Prediction: 2 years, ~$8 million AAV

Kenley Jansen

The Rangers will be in the market for a closer this winter for sure. Jansen will be one of the better closers on the market. Kenley had a solid 2025 season for the Angels where he saved 29 games and had a 2.59 ERA. Kenley will not blow you away with velocity, he sits in the lower 90's, but he does get outs and does get a decent amount of strikeouts. He also has a bunch of experience as a closer. Jansen currently sits at 476 career saves which is 4th all time and is only 2 saves behind Cubs and Cardinals legend Lee Smith. The Rangers could definitely use a closer with the experience Kenley has. I want to say I have heard reports that he would like to stay on the west coast to finish his career. Maybe the Rangers can get him to come to Texas.

Contract Prediction: 1 year, ~$16 million AAV

Emilio Pagán

The Rangers will be in need of some bullpen arms this winter because Shawn Armstrong, Hoby Milner, Chris Martin, Phil Maton, and Danny Coulombe will all be free agents. Emilio Pagan would be a good option for the Rangers. He had a very good 2025 season for the Reds, recording 32 saves and a 2.88 ERA in 68.2 innings. Which is very good considering that his home ballpark was one of the most hitter friendly ballparks in the league. The Rangers ballpark however has been very pitcher friendly the past 2 years.

Pagán also generates a lot of strikeouts, posting a 10.62 K/9 and a 30% K rate. He induces swings and misses and held opponents to a .167 batting average, with a .200 batting average on balls in play. His fastball this year had a +9 run value, and had good off speed pitches this year ranking in the 93rd percentile in off-speed run value. Pagán only has a three pitch repertoire, but all three pitches were solid for him this year. His pitch mix includes a fastball, Splitter, and cutter. The Rangers could definitely use Pagán in a set up role if they sign or trade for another closer, or Pagán could be the closer. The Rangers ranked 22nd in saves this year and had 29 blown saves. Emilio Pagán was tied for 5th in the league in saves in 2025.

Contract Prediction: 2 years, ~$10 million AAV, with a 2028 option

Sean Newcomb

The Rangers will be in need of a left-handed reliever this winter, because Danny Coulombe and Hoby Milner will both be free agents. Sean Newcomb had a very good 2025 season for the Athletics and the Red Sox. Newcomb threw 92.1 innings in 2025 and posted a 2.73 ERA and a 3.04 FIP.

He doesn't have a long track record of being good, but he did pitch very well for the Athletics. He managed to keep his ERA under 3.5 in very hitter friendly park in Sutter Health park. However on the road this year he had an ERA under 2 which is very good. Newcomb doesn't throw particularly hard, but he has a good pitch repertoire that includes six pitches to keep hitters off balance. Opponents also didn't barrel up his pitches very often as he ranked in the 87th percentile in Barrel%, and he ranks well in GB% where he is in the 74th percentile. Newcomb does perform against left-handed hitters better than he does right- handed hitters. He doesn't get a crazy amount of strikeouts, but he does get outs. Newcomb had a 23.3 K% and 7.9 BB%. Newcomb would be a cheaper option than most reliever out on the market. I think would be a solid add to the Rangers bullpen.

Contract Prediction: 1 year, ~$2.5 million AAV, with a 2027 option

Dennis Santana

Former Ranger Dennis Santana had a breakout year for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2025. He posted a 2.18 ERA in 70.1 innings and also tallied 16 saves for the team. Santana was good at limiting base runners and damage when runner reached base. Opponents hit .176 off of him this year and hitters hit .211 on BABIP ( batting average on balls put in play). He also left 80.7% of runners on base.

Santana’s slider was his best weapon, generating a +7 run value and a 35.7% whiff rate. He also produced a 32.8% strikeout rate on the pitch. His fastball was effective too, posting a +8 run value. Santana ranked in the 96th percentile in chase rate and walked only 17 hitters all season.

Santana would be a rental because he will be a free agent after the 2026 season, so he may not command a huge return. Santana would likely benefit from Globe Life Field's ballpark factor. Santana would be a good and solid add to the Rangers bullpen where he could definitely take on a set-up role.

Trade target

Victor Vodnik

At the trade deadline, the Rangers were interested in a trio of Rockies relievers that were made available, Victor Vodnik was one of the relievers said to be made available. Vodnik throws in the upper 90's and can run it up to almost 100 MPH. It definitely wouldn't hurt if the Rangers got some higher velocity in the bullpen after being one of the softest throwing bullpens in baseball in 2025.

Vodnik does have issues with walks, posting a 4.62 BB/9 and a 12.1 BB%. His strikeout numbers are middle of the road, he has a 22.8 K% and 8.7 K/9. In contrast, he gets a ton of ground balls which would play well because of the Rangers stellar defense. Vodnik's home ballpark is Coors field which is one of the most hitter friendly park in the league, and it might do him good to get him into a good environment for a pitcher like Globe Life Field. Victor had a 3.02 ERA in 50.2 innings with 10 saves for the Rockies this year.

I think his stuff potentially could play a lot better in Globe Life Field. In 2025 Victor Vodnik had an ERA+ of 162 (62% better than league average). Get him into a good pitching environment and he probably will get better results. Since Vodnik currently is pre-arbitration, the Rockies asking price can be hard to predict. I think if the Rangers can make a trade for him he can be a solid 6th-7th inning guy for the bullpen.

Trade target

Shane Bieber Bieber exercised his $16 million player option for the 2026 season

The Rangers will in the market for a starter this winter. Merrill Kelly, Tyler Mahle, and Jon Gray will all be free agents for the Rangers. Shane Bieber has a player option that is worth 16 million that he is likely to decline, so he can hit the open market. Bieber was traded to the Blue Jays at the trade deadline and made 7 starts this year in the regular season. He has also made some huge starts for the Blue Jays in the playoffs, his game 4 of the World Series performance probably the biggest.

Bieber is a former CY Young award winner in which he won in the shorten season in 2020. That year he lead the league in WAR, wins, ERA, strikeouts, ERA+, and FIP. Bieber however has been dealing with some injuries over the last 2-3 season and has had Tommy John surgery, which he came back from this season. If he can stay healthy Bieber would be a good add to the Rangers rotation to pair with deGrom and Eovaldi. Bieber has a 5 pitch repertoire that includes a fastball, slider, curveball, change-up, and cutter. His breaking balls are his best pitches by far, both put up positive run values and his fastball pairs up well with those two pitches. I see Bieber possibly getting a two to three year this winter.

Contract Prediction: 3 years, ~$23 million AAV, with a 2029 option