Insider Shares Which Texas Rangers Reliever Will Be Utilized in Closer Role

This Texas Rangers pitcher seems poised to become the closer this season.

Mar 28, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Boston Red Sox reliever Chris Martin (55) delivers a pitch against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park / Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers have revamped their bullpen this winter.

It was much needed after their relief staff finished 26th in Major League Baseball with an ERA of 4.41, and with five new relievers added via free agency and trades, this unit will hopefully be a strength that can back up a top-level starting staff if everyone stays healthy.

There's a clear hole, though.

There is no closer.

By losing Jose Leclerc and Kirby Yates in free agency - although there wasn't much effort to re-sign them - the Rangers don't have a traditional ninth inning shutdown man who can be called upon to close things out in a tight game.

And with the organization looking to shed enough salary to get into a more manageable tax bracket after being repeat offenders, the likelihood they go after one of the top arms remaining, like Carlos Estevez, doesn't seem likely.

So, Texas will have to put one of the relievers they brought in this winter into the closer role.

Who might that be?

Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News believes it's going to be Chris Martin.

"The Rangers have added five experienced relievers to the bullpen this winter, but not any with significant experience in the ninth inning. If the Rangers don't add anybody else, there is going to be some experimentation ... Chris Martin, with 14 career save opportunities over nearly a decade, has the most experience and is likely to get the first early looks," he wrote.

That doesn't exactly give a ton of confidence the Rangers will be able to improve upon the 19 blown saves they had last year with established closers, but that's the path they've decided to go down by shedding salary.

Martin coming back to Texas was a great story since he's an Arlington native and this is likely the last year of his career.

He'll be thrust into a role he largely hasn't had based on what Grant said.

However, there are other pitchers who could get the nod at different times, and perhaps manager Bruce Bochy goes with a committee approach instead of just using one guy to close out games.

"... maybe lefty Robert Garcia presents an option. Marc Church has closer stuff and mentality, but has only one inning so far of big league experience. Maybe by the second half of the season, surgically reconstructed Josh Sborz and his devastating curve are options. It's going to be a process," the insider added.

It will be interesting to see what comes of this situation.

With true closers costing much more money than the Rangers are willing to spend, they're going to have a huge question mark in their bullpen as they look to become championship contenders again.