Texas Rangers: 2018 just the beginning of a painful rebuild
By David Hill
The Texas Rangers pitching staff, particularly the rotation, needs help
First, the positive. The Texas Rangers bullpen was actually fairly decent last year.
Even though Keone Kela, Jake Diekman, and Jesse Chavez were traded, the Rangers still had some decent parts in relief. Jose Lecrelc became the Rangers closer, as the bullpen did not miss a beat after Kela was traded. Alex Claudio struggled at times, but has been solid over his career. Jeffrey Springs looked like a potential setup option, and should get a long look this year in relief. And, Chavez is back, having signed a two year contract. With a couple more pieces, the Rangers bullpen could be solid once again.
The problem will be fixing the rotation. The Rangers knew that 2018 would be a transition year, leading to the signings of Doug Fister and Bartolo Colon to fill out the staff. While Fister was above average when he was on the mound, Colon struggled as the season wore on. Only Mike Minor looked like a competent starting pitcher last year, especially after Cole Hamels was traded to the Cubs.
Unfortunately for the Rangers, that may not change. They have brought in Drew Smyly and restructured Edinson Volquez‘ contracts, but neither pitcher is a given coming off of injuries. Ariel Jurado and Yohander Mendez have promise, but both struggled last season.
The Texas Rangers may have some interesting pieces on their pitching staff, but not enough for there to be a marked improvement in the standings in 2019.