Kole Calhoun
Another hard-nosed outfielder who played only one season with the Rangers and is looking for a job in 2024 is Kole Calhoun. After spending the first part of his career with the Angels and then three years with the Diamondbacks, the Rangers signed Calhoun to a one-year deal prior to the 2022 season. With the signings of Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, and Jon Gray that same offseason, Calhoun was kind of an afterthought for Ranges fans. Unfortunately, for Calhoun, he proceeded to struggle in 2022 and posted the worst numbers of his career. Some of it was due to injury, and some was just being off at the plate. He finished the regular season with Cleveland last year so it will be interesting where he ends up landing this season.
Brad Miller
In his first nine MLB seasons, with six different teams, Brad Miller had a 104 OPS+. Over the last two years in Arlington, he had a 67 and 83 OPS+ respectively. There were some injuries along the way for Miller, but overall, it was a disappointing time for the veteran. Despite only seeing action in 27 games last season, his leadership in the clubhouse was felt. He remained positive and was one of the biggest cheerleaders for the guys as they battled down the stretch and into the postseason. One fun fact is that even though Miller only hit eight total home runs in a Rangers uniform over the past two seasons, he did manage to hit one on both opening days. Perhaps Chris Young could sign him for a one-day contract and see if he could get the hat trick this year and go three for three.
Jesse Chavez
One guy that players of Immaculate Grind are sure to lean on is Jesse Chavez. He has played for nine different MLB teams and was most recently with the Atlanta Braves. Chavez spent part of the 2018 season with the Rangers before being traded to the Chicago Cubs at the deadline. He would find his way back to Arlington the very next season as he signed a two-year contract with the Rangers. At 40 years old, Chavez is getting long in the tooth, but in 34 2/3 innings of work last year he posted a 1.56 ERA with a 1.096 WHIP. Needless to say, if Chavez is still wanting to pitch, he should be able to find a place to do so in 2024.
Corey Kluber
Remember that one inning to start the 2020 season that Corey Kluber threw for the Rangers? Sadly, that was the only inning that Rangers fans would see the two-time Cy Young winner throw in a Texas uniform. A shoulder injury would keep Kluber on the shelf for the rest of the season and the team would pass on its $18M club option for 2021 because of the uncertainty with the injury. It was difficult to have Kluber for such a short time, but the salt in the wound is that the team had to trade Emanual Clase as part of the package to get him. Every time Clase records a save for the Guardians, Rangers fans shed a small tear.