Predicting the 2025 Rangers' Opening Day starting rotation

The Texas Rangers rotation for 2025 is mostly set in stone but there are still some potential for shuffling the back-end. There are a handful of arms looking to grab that final spot prior to Opening Day on March 27.

While there have been rumors of internal conversations with the team about Jon Gray becoming the team's closer, there seems to be no solid foundation for it. At the same time, Tyler Mahle and Kumar Rocker are legit contenders to land that final spot.

With that in mind, let's take a look at the Rangers' projected starting rotation just days before the team gets ready to play in their first spring training game.

Predicting the 2025 Rangers Opening Day starting rotation

No. 1: Jacob deGrom

deGrom will obviously be the ace of the team and likely get the nod to start Opening Day in Arlington against Boston. And if he approaches the season correctly we could see him back to his old Cy Young self.

Filled with injury concerns during his tenure with Texas, nine starts in two seasons, deGrom comes into camp fully healthy after Tommy John surgery in 2023. He returned from injury at the end of last season, throwing 10 1/3 innings, recording 14 strikeouts and giving up two runs.

deGrom threw his first official bullpen last Thursday and everyone was raving about him. Kyle Higashioka caught his bullpen and compared him to one of the greats.

"I think there's probably only one guy I've ever caught with that kind of command, and you might of heard of him: It was Mariano Rivera," Higashioka told Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. "And deGrom was doing it probably 10 miles an hour harder."

No. 2: Nathan Eovaldi

Eovaldi is perhaps the most trusted pitcher on the staff in terms of availability and production.

Entering his third season with Texas, the 35-year-old has appeared in 54 regular season games for the Rangers. In that time frame he has recorded a 3.72 ERA, with 298 strikeouts, 89 walks and a 1.12 WHIP in 314 2/3 innings.

His biggest value is the lights out performance you get from him in big games, most notably his Houdini-like performance in Game 5 of the 2023 World Series that helped Texas capture their first championship.

Some would even argue based off his production and what Eovaldi has brought to the team that he might be the team's ace over deGrom but if you asked him, he's just happy to take the mound every fifth day.

No. 3: Cody Bradford

Bradford has an exciting upside, despite the injury that sidelined him for an extended period of time.

It's wild to say the above statement when you look back at his major league debut in May 2023 against the Braves. But we don't judge based on one performance, we are a sum of its parts group and since then he's come into his own and 2024 was a great step forward.

Even Bruce Bochy tends to agree that Bradford is a key component to the team's success on the mound. While he says Bradford can fill any role needed, he as well envisions him as a main part of the rotation.

"This guy has done an incredible job. Last year, he gave us leads and quality starts. He's done everything he could do to put himself in position to be one of our main starters," Bochy told the Dallas Morning News.

No. 4: Jon Gray

Despite a lot of rumors about Gray taking over as the team’s closer, Gray says he hasn't been approached by Bochy to fulfill any other role than as a starter.

And why would they want Gray as a closer anyway? Not to say he would be horrible in the role, quite opposite actually as his stuff seems to be a good fit. It’s more about the immense value he brings to the Rangers’ rotation.

Gray will make $13 million this year, which by today’s standards for a closer isn’t an overpay, but it is when you take into account that Gray has never been closer and has only worked out of the bullpen 11 games in his nine years of service time. However, Gray is not completely dismissing the idea if it is ever requested of him.

"No one’s mentioned it,” Gray said to MLB.com's Kennedi Landry. “If that comes up, no big deal. I think they know that I’ll be OK with doing something like that. If the time comes for it, yes, absolutely. I think it'd be fun. There’d be a small adjustment here and there, but I've done it before. It's not like it'd be insanely new. I think if it comes to that position, it means our team's doing really good and we can be better."

No. 5: Tyler Mahle

Out of the five starters, Mahle is who I'm excited to see this season. Mahle was signed to two-year deal by the Rangers in December 2023 despite still in the midst of a recovery from Tommy John surgery.

It was a hope he would be ready to contribute somewhere near the middle of the 2024 season and while he did make his season debut on August 6 he was placed back on the injured list two weeks later and made only three starts.

Mahle reported to spring last week fully healthy and has already been told he will start the team's second spring game this Saturday. A full season of health from Mahle would be a massive lift for the Rangers, giving them a depth and allowing other arms, such as Dane Dunning to provide bulk innings out of the bullpen.