The Rangers Make a Flurry of Moves Friday Night

At 8:22 Friday night Robert Murray of Fansided reported that the Rangers signed free-agent catcher Danny Jansen to a two-year, 14.5 million dollar contract that includes bonuses to get it to 15.5 million. Fifteen minutes later Jeff Passan of ESPN reported that the Rangers signed Alexis Diaz and Tyler Alexander to one-year contracts in addition to the Danny Jansen signing. Let's go over these moves and my thoughts on them.

Danny Jansen-

There was no question that the Rangers were going to acquire a catcher this winter. The Rangers have liked Jansen for an extended period of time. They have tried to get him in past offseasons and trade deadlines. Danny Jansen hits for power as a catcher but he does strike out. Alternatively, he does walk at a good clip. Jansen had a 12.5 BB% in 2025 and had an OBP of .321 and he doesn't chase. His O-Swing% (Out-of-zone swing percentage) last year was at 20.1 which is good, which is something the Rangers like, in this new offensive philosophy they want guys that get on base and don't go chasing, Jansen does a good job at that. He also put up a 103 WRC+ last year so he was just above league average. Jansen's defensive metrics for framing and arm aren't great, but he is great at blocking. He was in the 98th percentile in Blocks Above Average in 2025. Jansen caught 93 games in 2025 and started 82 of those, so I see him catching a majority of the games. I think this is a solid signing for the Rangers, Jansen does some things they like and should be more productive at the position.

Alexis Diaz-

Another need that the Rangers had this offseason is bullpen help. Alexis Diaz is a very interesting arm. In 2025 he only pitched 17.2 innings and wasn't very good. He had an 8.15 ERA with an 8.51 FIP. However, there are some things to like about Diaz. In three seasons with the Reds he saved 75 games, in 2023 he had 37 saves. In his Reds career he had an ERA of 3.21 and a FIP of 4.09. He also had a career ERA+ of 140 with the Reds. If the Rangers pitching coaches can get him close to what he was with the Reds Diaz can be very valuable for the Rangers in 2026. I would also like to add that he gets ELITE extension down the mound. He was in the 100th percentile the last three seasons, and was in the 99th percentile in 2022. One issue Diaz has is control, he walks a good amount of hitters. In his career he has a 12.9 BB%. I noticed when doing some research on him that his arm angle raised from 10 degrees in 2024 to 18 degrees in 2025. Maybe they drop his arm angle back down to 10-12 degrees. This is interesting to me because the Rangers want guys who throw strikes and don't walk a lot of guys. The Rangers clearly see something in him. If Jordan Tiegs, Dave Bush, and Colby Suggs can get him back closer to what he was with the Reds, the Rangers stumbled upon a closer for very cheap. I like this signing a lot because of the possible reward, and we probably didn't sign him for a lot of money so there isn't too much risk.

Tyler Alexander-

Tyler Alexander is a hometown guy from Southlake, and attended college at TCU. He doesn't throw hard and fills up the strike zone which is something the Rangers like. His career ERA isn't very eye-popping, as it sits at 4.63. He posted an ERA of 4.98 in 2025 which is also high, but he did have FIP of 3.64 so he could have run into some bad defense or bad luck. Alexander's Stf+ on his slider grades out really good on Fangraphs at 117 (100 is league average). The Stf+ on his fastball has graded out well through his career, in six years it has averaged at 103. The rest of his metrics grade out decently, Stuff+ is at 100, Location+ at 104, and lastly Pitching+ is at 101. Alexander isn't eye-popping, but he has good metrics. I don't mind this signing, the Rangers need arms in the bullpen, and it looks like he can be a swing man and throw multiple innings

Overall, the Rangers are better after these signings in my opinion. They added a solid catcher that puts up decent numbers on both sides offensively and defensively which is something that lacked last year with Jonah Heim. Along with the relievers they signed, one could be a great value pick up for them with a low risk. Next I think Chris Young and Ross Fenstermaker will acquire a starting pitcher. I think the Rangers are still in need of possibly a right-handed hitter maybe an outfielder, and a couple more bullpen arms for sure.