Here are 3 hot topics to follow at Spring Training
Kennedi Landry
@kennlandryThis story was excerpted from Kennedi Landry's Rangers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Rangers pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in Surprise, Ariz., today.
The offense has added some thump this offseason, and the bullpen got an entire remake. The rotation has been fortified by health, including the return of Jacob deGrom, possibly for a full season.
Bruce Bochy¡¯s squad has a lot to look forward to as it tries to make it back to the postseason. Here are some storylines to follow this spring:
1. Can deGrom return to Cy Young form?
The Rangers¡¯ ace underwent his second Tommy John surgery just six starts into his Texas tenure in 2023. Texas won the World Series without him, but it wouldn¡¯t even have made it to the postseason to begin with if it didn¡¯t win all of his starts. There is no doubt a healthy deGrom is a net positive for any ballclub.
For all intents and purposes, deGrom is healthy now. He made three September 2024 starts and nearly looked like the best version of himself. That being said, he hasn¡¯t eclipsed 100 innings since 2019, when he won his second Cy Young Award while with the Mets. On top of that, he¡¯ll turn 37 this season.
For better or for worse, deGrom¡¯s health will always be a storyline, both entering this Spring Training and for the rest of his career. He pitched 10 2/3 innings with a 1.69 ERA during his return in ¡¯24. Will he be healthy enough to carry that through the entirety of 2025? He thinks so. The Rangers hope so.
2. Bullpen rebuild and closer situation
The Rangers rebuilt the bullpen after a plethora of losses in free agency, including closer Kirby Yates (61 2/3 innings), setup reliever David Robertson (72 innings), high-leverage arm Jos¨¦ Leclerc (66 2/3 innings), lefty Andrew Chafin (19 1/3 innings) and swingman righty Jos¨¦ Ure?a (109 innings).
The front office did an admirable job filling in those holes. Via trade or free agency, Texas has added six relievers: Jacob Webb, Chris Martin, Luis Curvelo, Hoby Milner, Robert Garcia and Shawn Armstrong.
There¡¯s no telling who of this group will come out being the closer, though it could be Martin -- the most experienced reliever of the bunch -- or even Webb, who pitched a handful of high-leverage innings in Baltimore.
The Rangers likely will enter camp, and maybe even Opening Day, without any defined roles in the bullpen. Bochy no doubt would like to have a regular closer to turn to at some point in the season.
3. How will the outfield shake out?
Adolis Garc¨ªa almost certainly will hold down right field as he looks for a bounce-back season. Wyatt Langford looks to build off a strong rookie year and likely will be standing in left field come Opening Day. The biggest question lies in center, where Evan Carter and Leody Taveras -- the Rangers¡¯ starter for the past three seasons -- will compete throughout camp.
Carter and Taveras were the Rangers¡¯ top prospects at different points but have had different challenges in their big league careers. Taveras¡¯ struggles have mostly been performance based, especially last season when he posted a slash line of .229/.289/.352 in 151 games. He¡¯s a quality defender, but the Rangers would like to get more offensive production out of the position.
Carter, on the other hand, struggled through back injuries in 2024. He was electric in his cup of coffee in the big leagues in ¡¯23 -- .306 batting average with a 1.058 OPS in 23 regular-season games before he played in all 17 games during the Rangers¡¯ World Series run. Carter batted .300 with a .917 OPS in the postseason. If Carter can regain that magic, he could be in center field for Opening Day. But the 22-year-old has struggled mightily against left-handed pitching, giving pause for everyday playing time.
The outfield rotation gets even more confusing when you consider Bochy wants to get playing time for utility men Josh Smith and Ezequiel Duran.