This overlooked Rangers bullpen addition could be the steal of the offseason

The Texas Rangers have been very active this offseason. No one expected them to trade Marcus Semien for Brandon Nimmo and surrender five prospects to acquire left-handed starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore. Those moves, along with signings such as Danny Jansen, Alexis Díaz, Jakob Junis and Tyler Alexander, are receiving the most attention among Rangers fans.

However, Texas made a quiet minor league signing about two weeks ago that deserves more attention, and it could end up being the best move the team made this offseason.

Rangers' Blake Townsend signing could be steal of the offseason

Texas signed Townsend, a left-handed pitcher, to a minor league deal on January 23, according to the team's transaction log.

Townsend, 24, has yet to reach the majors, but he dominated opponents in the minor leagues over the last two seasons. In 92 innings across 34 appearances (12 starts) in the Pittsburgh Pirates' minor league system last season, Townsend posted a 1.76 ERA (3.50 FIP) with 81 strikeouts, 23 walks and a 42.5% ground-ball rate. He spent most of the season in Double-A and High-A and had one outing in Triple-A.

Townsend didn't collect a lot of strikeouts last season, but he did a good job limiting base runners and runs. Given his dominant results in the minors, Townsend could be a key impact arm for the Rangers' bullpen next season.

Townsend had signed with the Pirates in August 2024. Before that, he pitched in the Seattle Mariners system from 2019 through part of the 2024 season. He had a 2.45 ERA in 29 1/3 innings over 28 outings for the Mariners' High-A team during the 2024 season. Overall, the lefty sports a career 2.84 ERA with 243 strikeouts and 88 walks in 228 1/3 minor league innings.

The Rangers' new lefty underwent Tommy John surgery during his first season (2019) in the Mariners organization. He then missed the 2020 campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic before returning to professional action in 2021.

Townsend hails from Traralgon, Australia. He was the youngest pitcher on Team Australia during the 2023 World Baseball Classic. It's unknown if he'll compete in this year's tournament, but it seems unlikely since he just signed with Texas and likely wants to do his best to reach the big leagues with the Rangers as soon as possible. Therefore, staying with the team throughout the entire duration of spring training is likely in the lefty's best interest. While he has started games in the minors, the Rangers likely view him as a potential bullpen option.