Here are the candidates to be the Rangers' closer

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The Rangers had a few major needs entering this past offseason, but pitching was the overwhelming necessity.

Texas beefed up its rotation, building a staff among the best in baseball by adding Jacob deGrom, Andrew Heaney and Nathan Eovaldi. But the club didn’t make any major external additions to the bullpen, deciding to look internally to fill high leverage roles in 2023 despite Rangers pitchers only totaling 37 saves in 67 opportunities last season.

? Wrap: Rangers 13, Guardians 4

General manager Chris Young said he believes the bullpen will improve simply by having a better rotation that goes deeper into games, taking stress off the relievers. Pitchers like Taylor Hearn, Dane Dunning and Jake Odorizzi are expected to be quality multi-inning options out of the bullpen, but the eighth and ninth innings are still undecided.

“I think our options are pretty good,” said manager Bruce Bochy. “We got some guys who were comfortable pitching high leverage situations, really, from the left side and the right side to help out. Right now I just think it's going to stay a little fluid. We're going to look at everybody and stay somewhat open-minded here.”

Here are four options for the Rangers to use at closer this season:

José Leclerc
The closer role isn’t quite Leclerc’s to lose, but he’s definitely leading the pack at the moment. The 29-year-old tallied 26 saves from 2018-19, breaking out in '18 when he posted a 1.56 ERA across 57 2/3 innings. In ’22, he got off to a rough start after returning from Tommy John surgery midseason, but ultimately posted a 2.83 ERA in 47 2/3 innings.

After only making two appearances in 2020 due to a torn muscle in his right shoulder, he was slated to compete to be the closer entering 2021, but went down with a UCL injury in Spring Training that ultimately necessitated the surgery.

After a full healthy offseason and spring, the right-hander is poised for a big season in the Rangers’ bullpen.

“I talked to Leclerc about that conversation, because I know he's about to go out for the [World Baseball Classic],” Bochy said. “I want to make sure that he knew we’re happy he's going to represent his country and it’s not going to affect any decision we make, as far as who has that role. And he's such a great kid with great pitches.”

Jonathan Hernández
When Leclerc went down ahead of the 2021 season, Hernández was expected to fill his role as the closer. But soon he had Tommy John surgery of his own. The right-hander was sidelined early in Spring Training with a low-grade UCL strain and was originally shut down for four weeks before ultimately undergoing the procedure.

In a small sample, when healthy, Hernández has been excellent, posting a 2.90 ERA in 31 innings in 2020 and a 2.97 ERA in 30 1/3 innings in ‘22.

Both he and Leclerc were expected to be prime high-leverage options before their respective surgeries. After healthy offseasons, they should both be in the thick of the competition.

Brock Burke
Burke’s name has been floated in multiple conversations with both Bochy and Young about a potential role in the starting rotation this season. But the caveat is that the left-handed former starter was so effective in a multi-inning role in 2022 -- posting a 1.97 ERA out of the bullpen en route to the Rangers Rookie of the Year Award -- that there are questions about whether it makes sense to move him to a new spot.

“[Pitching coaching Mike Maddux] and I talked about some things today, and that was one of them,” Bochy said. “In early going here, we're just going to get a feel for these guys in the bullpen. But it's a good question. You look at the year he had, do you keep them there? He had his 80 innings and did such a solid job. Sometimes we forget how important those innings are. ... Do we keep that going? We may look at the lineup and say, ‘We’ve got to face these lefties or whatever in the eighth or ninth.’ He could be an option.”

Ian Kennedy
Kennedy is a non-roster invitee to Rangers camp for the second time in three years. He made the Opening Day roster in 2021, and eventually earned a spot as the closer, posting a 2.51 ERA with 16 saves in 17 chances before being traded to the Phillies.

The Rangers could use more veteran presence in the bullpen, especially in high-leverage situations, but in 2021, but Kennedy struggled in Philadelphia after the deal that brought Spencer Howard to Texas. He wound up with a 4.13 ERA in 23 games afterwards and didn’t improve in ‘22, posting a 5.36 ERA with the D-backs, including a stretch that saw him put up a 19.29 ERA in nine September appearances.

Bochy said he’s more than in consideration for making the Opening Day roster, but his last season and a half leave questions to be answered throughout Cactus League play.