Texas Rangers Ace Reveals Approach To Stay Healthy, Excel This Season

The Texas Rangers are hoping for a bounce back season and a return to the playoffs after missing the postseason altogether in their quest to defend their 2023 World Series championship.

The simplest path to raising their ceiling is a healthy and successful campaign for Jacob deGrom, the star 36-year-old pitcher entering the third season of a five-year, $185-million pact he signed in December of 2022.

The move was supposed to be the driving force behind the club's rise to the top of the league, but when the Rangers stunned the baseball community by winning the Word Series the following season, it was the team's overpowering offense getting the job done.

Instead, due to an unfortunate continuation of his longstanding health issues, deGrom has made just nine appearances as a Ranger in two seasons.

Finding a way to keep him healthy and on the mound is paramount to pushing the team's pitching toward the elite echelons of the league, and deGrom knows it.

Jacob deGrom "treated [this] offseason like a normal offseason" and is ready to help the @Rangers win 🔥

He talks about the plan for 2025 and Greg thinks a third Cy Young Award is on the way for the flame-throwing starter ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/eep1N1d4x4
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) March 5, 2025

Speaking with Greg Amsinger of MLB Network, deGrom broke down his approach to make sure he arrived for spring training feeling as ready to go as possible.

"I could treat the offseason like a normal offseason and get prepared to come in and help this team win this year," deGrom said.

Amsinger asked specifically how the team will approach deGrom's workload and whether that could involve a six-man rotation or skipping the Stetson product's starts at times.

"I think that's something that's going to have be discussed as the year goes on," deGrom said. "If you're feeling good you hate to skip starts; you want to keep rolling out there... If there's a time where I need a day or something, maybe get an extra day in there."

There are several encouraging factors about this process, and it is a positive sign that both deGrom and the organization are cognizant that it would not be prudent to run him out there the way he could have back in prior years with Mets.

The other is that deGrom has very much looked like himself when he has actually been on the mound as a Ranger. In his nine starts, he's thrown 41 innings of 2.41 ERA ball with 59 strikeouts.

deGrom 's primary goal will be adding significantly to his starts total, but if he maintains his stuff, command and velocity, he could be in the hunt for the third Cy Young award of his career.

The Rangers had visions of deGrom coming up huge in big October moments for them when they signed this deal, and they need to do whatever it takes to get the veteran pitcher there to make good on that vision.

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