This Ranger's heart is still in it, but Father Time is undefeated

You have to love it when an athlete tries to pull a Tom Brady and defy Father Time, testing the limits of his body at the highest level of competition. With that being said, there is also a certain nobility in understanding that at a certain point, the body just doesn't respond like it did when you were in your prime, and acknowledging that perhaps the time has come to step away gracefully. The Texas Rangers may be wishing that this hurler comes to that conclusion.

The Ranger fanbase is thankful for Chris Martin's service to the home team over the last several years; it is probably time for the 40-year-old to consider calling it a career.

Rangers reliever Chris Martin has been doing it a long time, but his body isn't responding on the mound anymore, and the stats back it up

Martin certainly looks all of 40 years old with his salt-and-pepper (mostly salt) beard and his greying hair under the cap. He's been in the majors for 13 years, beginning with the Colorado Rockies in 2014. He was drafted in 2004 in the 18th round by the Detroit Tigers. He's an Arlington native, which is a great local boy-makes-good story. Unfortunately, he's hurting the team out of the bullpen.

This season, Martin is sporting an 0-1 record, a 7.30 ERA, and a 1.86 WHIP. In 2026, he somehow maintained a 2.98 ERA but had a negative bWAR for the first time since 2015, and his bWAR this season is a career-worst -0.4. He has been on the IL four times over the last two seasons.

You can understand why Martin believes he can still go toe-to-toe with Father Time, as he had a career year just two-and-a-half years ago with the Boston Red Sox, posting a 1.05 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 51 innings. He posted a bWAR of 3.2, which was not only the best of his career but a phenomenal single-season number for any middle reliever.

The combination of injuries and age has taken its toll, unfortunately, and the leash on a 40-year-old player isn't quite as long as that of a player in his 20s or 30s.

And yes, it's not as if there's an army of minor leaguers at the gate screaming for their opportunity given their numbers, but a guy like Emiliano Teodo, who is pitching pretty well in middle relief at Triple-A Round Rock, isn't going to do any worse. Plus, he could really benefit from the experience at the major league level.

You're paying Martin $4 million to do what a rookie could do for the call-up minimum. So, it makes fiscal sense, as well. That should appeal to the frugal Ranger ownership.

There's just no reason for a 40-year-old to be taking innings from a younger and cheaper player who has the potential to grow into a more high-leverage position with more experience.

On top of that, the Texas bullpen is drastically uneven, and Chris Young needs to address it with real solutions and not veterans in their twilight or overwhelmed minor leaguers if the Rangers truly want to contend for a playoff spot.

So while we praise Martin for his competitive spirit and big heart, it's time that someone steps in and tells him he's had a nice career, but it is time to spend more time with the family, or whatever Chris's future holds.

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