Jake Odorizzi: Rangers 'Tremendous Landing Spot'

The Texas Rangers' newest starting pitcher says he's already healthy and ready for 2023.

Jake Odorizzi didn’t know the trade was coming. But he suspected something was up after telling the Atlanta Braves he was picking up the $12.5 million option in his contract for 2023.

The Braves went a day-and-a-half without even announcing he picked up the option.

“I thought maybe something was up at that point,” Odorizzi said on Monday in his first press conference with Dallas-Fort Worth media.

The Braves sent Odorizzi to the Rangers for a pitcher Kolby Allard, who previously played for Atlanta.

Odorizzi said he liked Atlanta, but understood the team had plenty of pitching depth. After a 2022 in which he spent two months on the injured list and was dealt to the Braves from Houston, he triggered the option for the financial security.

The Braves made the trade because they were set in their rotation. To sweeten the deal with Texas, Atlanta picked up $10 million of the salary.

Odorizzi landed with an organization he was familiar with, thanks to his time in the American League. He’s spent most of his career in the AL, with stops in Kansas City, Tampa Bay, Minnesota and Houston. His path has crossed with Texas plenty of times and is happy to be pitching at Globe Life Field, a place he described as “pitcher-friendly,” at least in his experience.

“This is a tremendous landing spot,” Odorizzi said. “I've got friends on the team. I've got an ex-catcher on the coaching staff in Bobby Wilson. There's a lot of things here that make a lot of sense for me and I'm really truly happy to be a part of the organization.”

While in Minnesota, Odorizzi was a teammate of both catcher Mitch Garver and pitcher Martín Pérez, who may return to the Rangers on a one-year offer sheet for 2023.

Better yet, Odorizzi said the ankle injury that cost him two months is behind him now.

He combined to go 6-6 with a 4.40 ERA in 22 starts with Houston and Atlanta. He started the season with the Astros before being on Aug. 2. He also spent two months on the injured list with left lower leg discomfort. Before the injury, he was 3-2 with a 3.13 ERA in seven starts.

Throughout his career, he’s been a reliable, durable pitcher. Odorizzi, 32, is 74-69 record with a 3.99 ERA in 11 years. He was an All-Star in 2019 with Minnesota when he went 15-7 with a 3.51 ERA and a career-high 178 strikeouts. Since 2014 he is fifth in the Majors in starts among right-handed pitchers.

If the Rangers make good on their aspirations to improve their starting rotation via free agency — a chase that could include Jacob deGrom and Carlos Rodon — Odorizzi may end up being no more than a fifth starter.

But a pitcher with his track record, combined with a park where he wants to pitch, could allow him to approach some of the best numbers of his career before he hits free agency again.

“It's just a matter of healing and needing an offseason to recover to get back to normal, but it feels great,” Odorizzi said. “Now I've already started offseason workouts.”

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You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard

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