Final weekend, stories surfaced that the Rangers had some “inside discussions” about shifting Jon Grey from the rotation to the nearer’s function, in a inventive strategy to tackle each their want for a more in-depth and an on-paper surplus of beginning pitchers. Nevertheless, it doesn’t seem as if the idea superior past the speculative part, as each supervisor Bruce Bochy and president of baseball operations Chris Younger informed reporters (together with Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning Information) that they each considered Grey as assuming his regular starter function this season.
Grey stated that he additionally hadn’t been approached concerning the concept, even when he was broadly open to closing if it meant serving to the crew. However, he additionally set some lofty targets for his 2025 season, saying that he was “trying to eat a whole lot of innings. I’d hopefully wish to get to that 200-strikeout mark. That may be cool. The swing-and-miss and strikeout price is one thing I actually wish to enhance and I believe it’s headed in the best course.”
Grey’s profession excessive in strikeouts is 185, set again in his first full MLB season in 2016 when the righty was nonetheless with the Rockies. His private greatest for innings is 172 1/3 frames within the 2018 season, and he has topped the 150-inning threshold in 4 of his 10 massive league seasons. Most not too long ago, Grey tossed 102 2/3 innings final 12 months, as he twice hit the injured checklist on account of groin strains, and he underwent season-ending surgical procedure in early September to take away a neuroma on the center toe of his proper foot.
“I’m proud of the way in which the surgical procedure went and had a very good offseason,” Grey stated, noting that the neuroma had been bothering him for nearly a 12 months, and certain contributed to his groin issues. The accidents clearly hampered Grey’s efficiency, as he posted a 4.47 ERA and the bottom full-season strikeout price (19.6%) of his profession.
Past his pure aggressive spirit in rebounding from a down 12 months, Grey has much more incentive to bounce again since he’s set to hit free company subsequent winter. Grey is within the closing season of the four-year, $56MM deal he signed with Texas throughout the 2021-22 offseason, and there was some hypothesis that the Rangers may look to commerce Grey this winter as a way to clear some cash off the books. No such deal occurred, and thus the 33-year-old Grey is now searching for a pleasant platform 12 months as he approaches the open market as soon as extra.
If Grey isn’t the nearer or one other reliever isn’t introduced into the fold, Chris Martin appears like the favourite for saves, assuming that Texas even sticks with a set ninth-inning choice. Bochy informed MLB.com’s Kennedi Landry and different reporters that “it may be by committee…So under no circumstances are we getting locked in on any roles proper now. I believe we’re going to remain versatile with that.”
To this finish, Bochy stated he hasn’t talked to Martin particularly about working in a closing capability, however the skipper feels his relievers are “high quality with not having an outlined function. They’re used to it, together with Chris….All of them have nice attitudes. They’re like, ’Hey, we’re there to get outs and use us the place you want us to assist win a ballgame.’ And that’s how that works.”
Martin has amassed solely 14 saves over his 9 MLB seasons, although he identified to Landry that he had 22 saves over his two seasons in Japan with the Nippon-Ham Fighters in 2016-17. Getting some sustained run as a more in-depth is perhaps a enjoyable means for Martin to wind up his profession, however he plans to take the identical strategy irrespective of how he’s utilized out of the Rangers’ bullpen.
“With closing, you continue to gotta get three outs,” Martin stated. “It’s simply the final three of the sport, so it may be somewhat extra nerve wracking, however I’ve been round a bit now and I perceive it’s simply one other three outs, regardless of the run state of affairs is.”
Robert Garcia is one other newly-acquired reliever ticketed for high-leverage innings, because the Rangers acquired Garcia from the Nationals in return for Nathaniel Lowe in December. The left-hander has but to correctly kick off his first Spring Coaching together with his new crew, nevertheless, on account of some nerve irritation in his forearm. The difficulty doesn’t appear too critical, as Bochy informed Landry that Garcia is slated to throw his first bullpen session of the spring on Tuesday.
