What the Rangers are getting in recently signed veteran RHP Trevor Williams

Roster's expanding in September isn't just an opportunity for youngsters to come up from the minor leagues to get their feet wet. Sometimes, the market shakes free a useful veteran, and the Texas Rangers may have found one in former Washington Nationals pitcher, Trevor Williams.

The Rangers signed Williams to the a major league contract, signaling that this isn't just some random dart throw. The question then is what does Williams bring to the table and how can he help the Rangers.

Trevor Williams versatile skill set can help the Rangers in a number of ways

First, a little background. Williams is a 34-year-old right-hander, who has spent the last several seasons with the Washington Nationals. He has also spent time briefly with the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs, and began his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

He's spent time working in both the starting rotation and bullpen, and comes to Texas with 227 career appearances (178 starts), with a 4.43 ERA. That versatility will have him fill the role previously occupied by Cal Quantrill before Quantrill established himself as a rotation fixture for Texas over the last couple of months.

He can serve as the long man, soaking up innings, but also use that multi-inning ability to pitch in higher leverage situations as a chunk reliever when the rest of the bullpen needs a breather. Finally, his experience as a starter gives him the ability to slide into the rotation if injury strikes.

Middle relief has been an issue for the Rangers, and with the injuries to Peyton Gray and Cole Winn, things were looking even thinner there. Williams can help.

Williams' method of attacking opposing hitters is a bit unorthodox for today's day and age. He primarily attacks hitters with his four-seam fastball, despite the fact that his average fastball velocity sits at 89.9 miles per hour. He supports that "heater" with a slider, sinker, and a changeup.

Williams gets 6.8 feet of extension on his fastball, which ranks in the 79th percentile. That makes it play faster than it's less-than-stellar velocity, and he commands it well, which has made it a plus pitch.

The savvy righty's best year as a pro came in 2024 when he posted a 2.03 ERA and 2.79 FIP over 13 starts and 66 2/3 innings. His four-seamer posted an incredible run value of 12 that year. This season, he's been limited to just 17 innings, all in relief, but his fastball has played similarly, with a run value of three this season in that very short time.

That's helped him to a 31% strikeout rate, 2.65 ERA, and 3.26 FIP this year. Everything else plays off of that heater, so when he's hitting his spots and putting hitters in bad situations wtih it, he ends up dominating.

That doesn't always happen, though. 2025 was not a banner year for Williams. His fastball wasn't dominant and produced a run value of -9. Unsurprisingly, a 6.21 ERA was the result. Part of that could have been due to his elbow. After 17 starts and 82 2/3 innings, Williams went down with a torn UCL, and his recovery has contributed to the paltry innings total thus far in 2026.

Williams might be the highest caliber of free agent you're going to find this deep into the season. Adding him to the mix gives Texas much-needed versatility out of the bullpen, and he can help shore up the unit's greatest weakness. Betting on a crafty veteran like him isn't a bad idea, and it shouldn't be a surprise if we find him coming through big in key situations for the Rangers down the stretch.

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