Texas Rangers: Joely Rodriguez has potential to be top free agent signing

Joely Rodriguez represents an under the radar free agent deal that could pay off in a big way for the Texas Rangers next season.

Corey Kluber may dominate the headlines of the Texas Rangers offseason along with their lack of an impact bat at the plate, but Joely Rodriguez could be the best value addition the club made this offseason. The left-handed reliever inked a two-year, $5.5 million contract this offseason with a club option for a third year.

Rodriguez entered the game in the US as an international free agent back in March 2009 when he joined the Pirates organization. He remained with the Pittsburgh organization into 2014 before being traded to the Phillies where he eventually made his Major League debut.

Rodriguez got off to a rocky start in his big league career making 38 appearances for the Phillies in 2016 and 2017. He posted a 5.40 ERA with a 5.17 FIP and 1.746 WHIP averaging just 6.1 strikeouts per nine innings. That prompted a jump overseas to Japan where he excelled and rebuilt his stock as a big league quality reliever. Between 2018 and 2019, Rodriguez made 90 appearances in relief with a 1.85 ERA and a strikeout rate that jumped to 10.6 per nine innings. His 1.049 WHIP showed an improvement in his ability to keep runners off base.

The left-handed reliever sits mid-90’s with his fastball which is his top asset. In addition though he has a quality slider that can help generate a lot swinging strikes. The club is hoping that the Santo Domino-native can feature as a late inning option alongside right-hander Jose Leclerc who is looking for a bounce back season himself.

The added benefit of Rodriguez comes from the Rangers lack of left-handed relievers currently at the big league level. Texas traded away Jeffrey Springs earlier this offseason leaving just Rodriguez, Brett Martin and Yohander Mendez as the left-handed options currently on the 40-man roster. Kyle Bird is another lefty competing for a big league spot this spring but Texas is short on lefties that can be expected to make serious late inning impacts for the team at this point. Mendez will be an interesting option as he likely converts from a starter into a reliever but that transition can be rocky making him hard to rely on. Rodriguez should get plenty of opportunities early in the season as he pushes to cement his role with the Texas Rangers organization.