3 recently non-tendered players the Texas Rangers should consider

3 of 4

The turkey has been gobbled, thanks have been given, and now it is time for the baseball offseason to take over the kitchen and start cooking. The Texas Rangers have yet to make an addition to their roster. That should change in the next three weeks leading into the Winter Meetings and in the week after the meetings conclude. Trades will be made and free agents will be signed. Earlier this month teams non-tendered several players making them free agents.

Players are non-tendered for several reasons. They might have suffered from a downturn in performance in the prior season and the team is opting to cut bait rather than going through arbitration. Players could have health issues teams do not think will be resolved over the offseason. Finally, a player might not have a role on the team any longer and the front office is trying to clear space on the roster.

Of all of the players non-tendered, and there were 63, I have scoured the list and found three players I think the World Series champion Texas Rangers should consider signing this offseason. These are three relievers that will address a need for the Texas Rangers and make it easier for Bochy to manage the pen throughout the 162-game season.

The Non-Tendered players the Texas Rangers should look at

#1 Non-Tendered Player: Adam Cimber

The side-arming right-handed reliever has been a great reliever throughout his career. He is a pitcher who has made 65 or more appearances in a season four times since making his debut back in 2018. It is not just that he does this, but he has also been highly effective. Cimber had sub 3.00 ERA's in both 2021 and 2022. He also had over 50 strikeouts in each of those seasons while also walking fewer than 20 batters. Cimber has also been a groundball artist in his career. His groundball rate has been above 50% in four seasons.

The one issue with Cimber is that he had to sit out the majority of the 2023 season. He was placed on the IL midway through June with right shoulder impingement. He went on a rehab assignment in September but did not recover in time to participate in the postseason with the Toronto Blue Jays.

If healthy Cimber would play a vital role in the Rangers bullpen. He would likely pitch in middle relief. He would fill the role that Grant Anderson pitched in for much of the 2023 season. Texas would be hoping the lack of success for Cimber in 2023 was more injury-based than performance-based. If it is health-based they will have signed a definite bullpen weapon for a lower cost than it would have been had he been healthy.

#2 Non-Tendered Player: Josh Staumont

Staumont does not have a prior connection to Texas or to the coaching staff. He is a former Kansas City Royal. Texas and Kansas City share a spring training site in Surprise, Arizona. These two teams normally kick off spring training with games against each other. Texas through their spring training engagements and regular season affairs have seen Staumont in his good times and bad.

Staumont is a 29-year old reliever who relies primarily on a fastball and slider combination. He has closed games in his career and pitched in the late innings for the Royals. His best season was 2021 when he saved five games and had a 2.88 ERA. The last two seasons he has put up ERAs of 6.45 and 5.40. One thing to keep in mind is Staumont had Thoracic Outlet Syndrome surgery in July. That could easily explain the issues he had in 2022 and 2023.

Texas could sign Staumont to a one-year contract. That would allow him to come to camp, see how he pitches post-operation. If he pitches well then he can go back to free agency after 2024 with his value rebuilt. In 2021 when healthy his fastball was averaging 96.5 mph and hitters had a batting average of .204 against the fastball. That is compared to the .296 batting average they had against the fastball in 2023. Staumont is among the best buy-low candidates on the entire free agent market. Fully healthy again Staumont should be able to regain that form he had in 2021 when he was among the best relievers in baseball.

#3 Non-Tendered player: Derek Law

Law is a right-handed reliever who has a couple of interesting connections to the Texas Rangers. In 2009, Texas drafted him in the 28th round, but did not sign. He was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the ninth round in 2011. He worked his way through the minors and made his debut in 2016 pitching for the Bruce Bochy-led Giants. That would end up being the last Giants team that Bochy would manage to the playoffs.

Law is now 33 years old and was non-tendered by the Cincinnati Reds. In 2023 Law had a 3.60 ERA in 55 innings pitched. His ERA was the lowest it has been in a season since his rookie season in 2016. He allowed a .239 batting average against which also was the lowest of his career since 2016. There are also some negative statistics as he saw a higher hard hit rate in 2023 and a far lower ground ball rate in 2023 as compared to 2022.

Law is a veteran pitcher who has pitched in numerous scenarios in his career. We all know that Texas needs bullpen help and more importantly bullpen depth. Law would provide that at a price that would not hinder them from being able to pursue more expensive bullpen options. He also could provide value if he can take some of the load off of Jose Leclerc and Josh Sborz and give Texas another right-handed option in the bullpen.

Law would be in a role similar to what Will Smith had this prior season. A veteran pitcher who is always ready when called upon. Texas having a flexible reliever would make everyone's job just a little bit easier including the manager's. Law showed enough in 2023 to indicate that there is still some life in his arm. He showed that maybe under the tutelage of Mike Maddux, he might be able to continue to improve his performance. It would give Bochy another veteran arm that he can trust in any situation.

More News from Nolan Writin

feed