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Can Rangers’ bullpen go from a liability to an asset with important pieces returning?

José Leclerc and Jonathan Hernandez could have significant roles in their second year back from Tommy John surgery.

As the Rangers prepare for the heart of the offseason shopping season and the bazaar known as the Winter Meetings in early December, we take a look around the roster at where they are and where they might be going.

Relief pitching

Current bullpen: RHP José Leclerc, RHP Jonathan Hernandez, LHP Brett Martin, LHP Brock Burke, RHP Joe Barlow, LHP Taylor Hearn, RHP Josh Sborz, RHP A.J. Alexy, LHP John King.

What happened in 2022: The Rangers went into the season hoping an inexperienced group of arms could hold things down until José Leclerc and Jonathan Hernandez returned from Tommy John surgeries around midseason. But a heavy workload in April and May wore down the bullpen and, not surprisingly, Leclerc and Hernandez struggled with command when they returned. A big part of the Rangers’ 15-35 record in one-run games fell at the feet of the bullpen, which simply could not protect leads.

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The good news is they discovered a dominant lefty in Brock Burke, who moved from starting to relief and excelled at it. Burke led MLB relievers in innings pitched and held hitters to a .630 OPS. And, after early stumbles, Leclerc finished the season with 36 strikeouts over his last 26 innings, during which he held hitters to a .156 batting average and .482 OPS.

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By the numbers: 60.3 – The Rangers’ save percentage over the last four seasons, which essentially comprised the Chris Woodward managerial era. It tied for 20th in the majors. New manager Bruce Bochy is considered an expert at bullpen usage. Over his 13 years with San Francisco, the Giants ranked 8th in the majors in save percentage at 68.6 percent.

Surveying the market: In 17 years under Jon Daniels, the Rangers were not traditionally big players in relief free agency. The general thought was that free agency relief contracts, particularly for closers or experienced high-leverage relievers, were overinflated. It will be interesting to see if that philosophy changes under Chris Young. The Rangers don’t have a closer on the roster with significant experience in the role and there are some veterans, such as Kenley Jansen and Craig Kimbrel, available in free agency.

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Given the team’s glaring need for starting pitching, investing big dollars in a closer might not make much sense, but lefty Matt Moore was a valuable piece in the bullpen and in the clubhouse and a return seems to be of keen mutual interest. It may be a case of the parties agreeing to simply wait until the dust clears from the starting pitching market and whatever roster machinations the Rangers will have to jump through.

On the farm: RHP Yerry Rodriguez, who transitioned to relief work full-time in 2022, made his MLB debut during the final series of the year, flashing a 98 mph fastball. He didn’t debut earlier because he walked 32 in 59 innings at Triple-A Round Rock. Bottom line: If he commands his fastball, he’s got an electric fastball.

A little further down, RHP Marc Church was dominant at Class A Hickory with upper 90s stuff, but did struggle with the home run ball (four in 15 innings) after a promotion to Frisco. Church finished 2022 with 78 strikeouts in 49 innings for the season.

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The outlook: Bullpens are fickle organisms. One poor performer or injury can cause ripple effects throughout the entire unit. And nothing makes a bullpen look better than an effective starting rotation. It allows for rest and the settling of roles.

Traditionally, pitchers are much better in their second year back from Tommy John than the first. That could make big differences in the back of the bullpen where Leclerc and Hernandez should have significant roles. Add in lefties Burke and Brett Martin and the bullpen could quickly become an asset rather than a liability.

Rangers’ position series

C/DH: Jonah Heim/Mitch Garver

1B: Nathaniel Lowe

2B: Marcus Semien

SS: Corey Seager

3B: Josh Jung

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LF: Bubba Thompson

CF: Leody Taveras

RF: Adolis García

Starting rotation

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