Bruce Bochy: Rangers Have 'Chance To Win Every Day'

Bruce Bochy heads into his first season as Texas Rangers manager with an improved rotation from last season.

Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said on Thursday that you just want a chance to win every day.

With the rotation the Rangers have put together — at least on paper — Bochy believe he has a group that can do that.

“Don't tell me we can't when I think, when you look at our rotation, we're gonna have a chance to win every day,” Bochy said. “And that's all you can ask.”

Free-agent signing Jacob deGrom spent time with the media Thursday, along with Bochy and general manager Chris Young. He is one of three new starters for 2023, and the one that will get the most attention.

The former New York Mets starter — considered the top free-agent pitcher on the market — is a two-time Cy Young winner who has battled injuries the past two seasons. However, he has the third-lowest ERA in Major League history for a qualifying starter.

He signed a five-year, $185 million deal with the Rangers last week. It’s the largest free-agent contract the Rangers have ever given a pitcher.

To Bochy, it was a necessary expenditure.

“You need pitching and so that was our priority,” Bochy said. “And we couldn't have a better guy to have at the top of this rotation.”

deGrom, along with the other projected starters, are 30 or older. The Rangers’ commitment to deGrom will carry the veteran to his 39th birthday, and the sixth-year option, if triggered, would take deGrom to 40.

Bochy has been down this road with starting pitching, especially starting pitching signed as a way to either turn around a team or to give a team that last push to a World Series.

That’s how it went in 1998 in San Diego when the Padres traded for former Rangers starter Kevin Brown. He helped the Padres get to the World Series. When Bochy was managing the Giants in 2014, the acquisition of Barry Zito helped the Giants win a third World Series under Bochy.

deGrom doesn’t have a World Series to his credit, but he has pitched in the postseason. So have the other four projected starters — Martín Pérez, Jon Gray, Jake Odorizzi and Andrew Heaney.

But each had just a taste. They all want the real thing.

Bochy knows from experience that pitching is where it starts.

“We're definitely heading in the direction we need to and it starts with the pitching, so I couldn't be more excited about what's going on today, in this team and in the rotation that is really improved," Bochy said. "I mean, we're much, much better club are out right now than we were just a few weeks ago.”

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You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard

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