Rangers interested in bringing back key 2023 World Series reliever

Rangers interested in bringing back World Series hero Josh Sborz

Texas Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young said he has "extreme" interest in re-signing righty reliever Josh Sborz to a minor league contract, according to The Dallas Morning News' Evan Grant. The Rangers made Sborz, 31, a free agent two weeks ago when they declined to tender him a contract.

“We’re trying to be aggressive there,” Young said Thursday. “Josh is a free agent, and we understand that he’s going to explore his options, but we have extreme interest in bringing him back.”

Sborz missed the entire 2025 campaign while recovering from shoulder surgery. His recovery took longer than expected, and he couldn't recover his velocity in time to help Texas' late-season playoff push.

The Rangers' decision to decline to tender Sborz a contract was purely financial, as the team didn't want to pay him more than $1 million since he didn't pitch at all last season. Instead, the team is hoping to bring him back on a lower-risk minor league deal.

As a Ranger, Sborz is mainly known for his postseason heroics during Texas' 2023 World Series run. Despite having an awful 5.50 ERA across 52 1/3 innings during the 2023 regular season, Sborz was highly counted on in high-leverage situations for the Rangers during the playoffs. He ended up allowing just one earned run on four hits and four walks with 13 strikeouts in 12 innings during the 2023 postseason. Rangers fans will never forget the moment he struck out Ketel Marte to win Game 5 of the Fall Classic and give the Rangers their first World Series Championship in franchise history.

The Los Angeles Dodgers selected Sborz with the 74th overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft. He made his MLB debut with the Dodgers in 2019. He made just 11 appearances for Los Angeles from 2019-20 before being dealt to the Texas Rangers for righty pitcher Jhan Zambrano.

In Sborz's first season (2021) with the Rangers, he posted a 3.97 ERA with 69 strikeouts and 32 walks over 59 innings. He pitched only 22 1/3 innings in 2022, posting an awful 6.45 ERA. After his heroic postseason in 2023, Sborz appeared in only 17 games due to injuries.

It's no secret that the Rangers need bullpen help, as most of their relievers became free agents this offseason. Re-signing Sborz would be a good start in rebuilding the bullpen, especially if the Rangers can get him for an affordable price.