Might the Texas Rangers reunite with these three free agents this offseason?

Derek Holland

We all know the Texas Rangers are desperate for starting pitching. The acquisition of Drew Smyly gives the staff five projected starters; however, Smyly is coming off Tommy John surgery and three of those projected starters were rookies in 2018.

Point being, the Rangers’ search for starting pitching is far from over. Why not give Derek Holland a place to potentially end his career as a starting pitcher?

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It’s only fitting given the fact that he began his career in Texas. Plus, he took on the role as somewhat of a local hero. Even with him two teams removed from the Rangers, Holland remains a popular figure in North Texas.

From a baseball standpoint, he actually had a very good 2018 season with the San Francisco Giants. Holland pitched to a 3.57 ERA over 30 starts and logged 171.1 innings. To put things into perspective, he would have led all Rangers starters in those three statistics this past season.

That doesn’t mean he would be the team’s ace if signed. There will be a few new faces (hopefully) for him to compete with. Plus, you could only assume he would suffer a drop off in numbers going from pitcher-friendly AT&T Park in San Fran, to hitter-friendly Globe Life Park here in Texas.

There is no doubt a reunion with Derek Holland would be welcomed by the organization and the organization’s fans. Again, the key is to sign players that can improve the team, but to do so at an affordable cost. I think the Texas Rangers can accomplish those goals with Diekman, Barnette and Holland.