The Craig Kimbrel experience likely kept the Rangers from signing Kenley Jansen

Fool me once, shame on you...fool me twice, well, you know how it goes. The President of Baseball Operations, Chris Young, and the Rangers organization took a chance on one Hall of Fame-caliber closer, Craig Kimbrel, last season, and the lack of fruit from that experiment likely played into why the team didn't pursue another one now.

Kenley Jansen is one of the best closers in baseball history. As it stands, he is behind only Cooperstown legends Mariano Rivera, Trevor Hoffman, and Lee Smith in total saves. With 24 more, he will reach 500 career saves and pass Smith in the process.

But Young took a flyer on a great reliever who is past his prime last year, and it most certainly played a part in not making a bigger push for Jansen, who signed a one-year $11 million deal with the Detroit Tigers Saturday.

The Rangers signed Craig Kimbrel to a minor league deal this past season

There is always a temptation to take on a once-dominant athlete with the hope that they will return to form in the right situation.

That is why Young kicked the tires on Craig Kimbrel last season, even though it was clear that the intimidating closer was at the tail end of his All-Star form from 2011-2019. Kimbrel is right behind Jansen in career saves with 440.

It was clear pretty quickly that Kimbrel wasn't the answer for the Rangers

Kimbrel, now 37, was signed on June 10 and assigned to Triple-A Round Rock. While there, he pitched 21 innings with a 3.86 ERA. More concerning were the 12 walks and lack of command he showed before being released and signing another minor league deal with the Astros.

The Rangers were wishing on a star that the borderline Hall of Famer would recapture lightning in a bottle and be the answer to the closer problems the team suffered through most of 2025.

The experience undoubtedly played into passing on the 38-year-old fireballer Jansen, who, even though he hasn't seen a drop-off like Kimbrel's, is nowhere near the automatic save machine he has been for over a dozen years.

With Jansen off the board, look for the Rangers to give free agent and former draft pick Pete Fairbanks a closer look moving forward along with free agent Shawn Armstrong who did well in the role late last season.

Both can be acquired for less than Jansen and have more tread left on the tires.