Rangers Rally

On February 15, the Rangers signed outfielder/first baseman Mark Canha to a minor league deal. Canha, who turned 37 the day of the signing, is coming off a rough 2025 season in which he batted only .212 in 46 games, afflicted with a myriad of injuries. Although expected to be fully healthy, his role is primarily to provide outfield depth and not to shake up the offense.  Despite the low expectations, however, the signing could be a successful one for the Rangers. Over his career, Canha owns a slash line of .248 / .346 / .409 (111 OPS+) and 121 home runs. He’s hit as many as 26 homers in 2019 and ranks second among active players with 141 hit by pitch, contributing to a healthy on base percentage.  Although Canha should be expected to play a minimal role on the Rangers, he provides much-needed organizational depth and could produce for the big club in a pinch. With a decade of MLB experience, he could also act as a mentor to younger players both in the majors and the minors. Ov...

Last Friday, starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery signed a one-year, $1.25 million contract with the Rangers, returning to the club he had helped win the 2023 World Series. Given his recent performance, this move is a risk for the Rangers, but one that could pay off.  From 2021-23, the lefty posted a solid 3.48 ERA and went 3-1 with a 2.90 ERA in the 2023 postseason. However, after holding out for a contract past opening day in 2024, Montgomery signed a one-year, $25 million deal with the Diamondbacks (with a $22.5 million vested option for 2025). This contract proved disastrous, as he pitched to a miserable 6.23 ERA in 117 innings in 2024 and missed all of 2025 with Tommy John surgery. After his regrettable tenure in Arizona, Montgomery re-signed with the Rangers for a much humbler deal.  Although he hasn't been an upper-tier starter since 2023, there is still some hope for Montgomery making a comeback. At 33 years old, there may still be some gas left in the tank, and he shoul...

On January 22, the Rangers made headlines when they traded five prospects to the Washington Nationals in exchange for lefty strikeout artist MacKenzie Gore. While this trade comes at a cost to the Rangers, it could be just what the team needs.  Gore, formerly a top prospect for the Padres, made his 2022 debut with the club before being traded to the Nats in the Juan Soto deal. Across three seasons in our nation's capitol, Gore emerged as the team's best pitcher, posting a 3.90 ERA in 2024 and making the all-star team in 2025, tallying over 180 strikeouts in each season. Overall, he owns a K/9 rate of 10.0.  While Gore's career record (26-41) is unappealing, it is largely due to the miserable Nationals teams he pitched for, who played subpar defense and didn't provide much run support. His numbers should get a boost from a vastly superior Rangers defense, and although his run support is still in question, the Rangers are eyeing an improvement with the acquisition of Bran...