4 unheralded free agents the Texas Rangers should sign

Free Agent #4- Matt Moore

I was on the Matt Moore train last offseason and continue to be on the side of bringing him back. Moore left to sign with the Angels in 2023. He had another solid season pitching in the bullpen for three different organizations. He started with the Angels and made 41 appearances and then was one of several players placed on waivers right before the deadline an claimed by Cleveland. He was then placed on waivers again and claimed by Miami and finished the season with the Marlins. He went from LA to Cleveland to Miami. He put up great numbers no matter the jersey he was wearing.

Moore in 2023 was 5-1 overall with a 2.77 ERA. He made 46 appearances and pitched 48 2/3 innings. Moore struck out 57 batters and walked just 14. He also only gave up seven home runs on the season. He was an effective bullpen pitcher in 2023 just as he was in 2022 for Texas. His strikeout rate slightly bumped up, but he cut his walk rate nearly in half from 12.5% to 6.9%.

Texas should sign him for the same reasons they should have never let him go. He is a good left-handed pitcher that can be used in a variety of roles. He can be an opener if need be and pitch multiple innings, he can be a middle reliever and bridge the gap between starter and setup pitchers, or he can pitch in the late innings and be used for multiple innings. He is what could be described a utility reliever. He is effective in whatever situation he is placed into. He is a reverse splits pitcher in that he is more effective against right-handed batters than left-handed batters.

It is January once again and Moore is still a free agent. Texas once again should sign the pitcher and bring him back once more. His price range would likely be in that $4-8 million dollar range. That should be an amount Texas can pay and is willing to pay for a good relief pitcher. It is not one of those signings that comes with trumpets blaring, but it will improve the bullpen and give Bochy more options throughout the game.

All four of these players come with some question marks, but they also have the potential to help improve this roster. The quality of the signing is better than the lack of a headline it may produce. This past season Texas signed Travis Jankowski and it was a non-descript press-release sent out that announced it. During the season he became one of the most valuable members of the roster. He even would finish out the World Series in right-field after Garcia went down with his oblique injury. The unheralded signings can sometimes have a major impact on a team during the long 162-game season.

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