New Giants Starter Tyler Mahle Grateful for Franchise Legend’s Endorsement

Tyler Mahle spent much of the offseason looking for a new team and landed in San Francisco on a one-year deal.

The right-hander spent last season with the Texas Rangers but missed nearly half of the season with a shoulder issue. While he was with the franchise he was managed by Bruce Bochy, who is now with the Giants as a special advisor. The three-time World Series championship manager is a great resource for the franchise and, when it came to Mahle, he endorsed the signing.

For Mahle, it was unexpected and humbling to have a future Baseball Hall of Fame manager tell the team’s operations staff that the 31-year-old was worth signing.

Tyler Mahle on Bruce Bochy’s Endorsement

Former Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy takes off his hat as he walks off the field during a workout. — Former Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Mahle was asked about Bochy’s endorsement by NBC Sports Bay Area.

“So, playing for a guy like that, it gives you a little bit more confidence and I think makes you a little bit better," Mahle said. "It’s surreal to say that I’ve played for a guy like that and for him to say kind words about me, that's pretty surreal to me too.”

Bochy was reportedly asked about Mahle for the first time in November once he joined the team. Then, at the winter meetings during face-to-face meetings, general manager Zach Minasian said Bochy brought up Mahle again.

"It's one thing to see it in a text message or on a phone call. It's quite another to sit across from a Hall of Fame manager and hear them say, 'I really believe in this guy,'" Minasian said. "It was certainly encouraging and obviously we're happy we were able to get this done."

Mahle slots into either the third or fourth spot in the rotation, behind Logan Webb and Robbie Ray. San Francisco will have to figure out if he’ll go before or after Adrian Houser.

Health for Mahle is the key. He had Tommy John surgery in 2023 and joined the Rangers on a two-year deal in 2024, with the idea that he would spend most of 2024 recovering. A shoulder injury curtailed his return that season. In 2025, he joined the Rangers’ rotation and for the first two months he was arguably their best starter. But, in June, the Rangers put him on the shelf with right shoulder fatigue, which was later diagnosed as a rotation cuff strain.

Mahle did return for a few starts at the end of the season and finished the year with a 6-4 record and a 2.18 ERA.

His best season was in 2021, which was his last full season. He went 13-6 for Cincinnati in 33 starts with a 3.75 ERA.

Tyler Mahle on Bruce Bochy’s Endorsement

Recommended Articles