Texas Rangers Should Make Aggressive Move for This Star Reliever

Making this aggressive move should be something the Texas Rangers are interested in doing.
Oct 8, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Carlos Estevez (53) pitches in the eighth inning against the New York Mets during game three of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citi Field
Oct 8, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Carlos Estevez (53) pitches in the eighth inning against the New York Mets during game three of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citi Field / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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There was a clear plan in place from the Texas Rangers' front office to improve their bullpen this winter.

After their unit finished 26th with a 4.41 ERA, Chris Young scoured the free agency market and trade options to boost the relief staff by signing Chris Martin, Hoby Milner, Jacob Webb and Shawn Armstrong, then acquiring Robert Garcia and Mason Molina.

It's a good start, but one important role is still unhashed; closer.

The Rangers saw Jose Leclerc sign with the Athletics earlier this offseason before the Los Angeles Dodgers added Kirby Yates.

That leaves the backend of the bullpen with some question marks entering the spring.

Texas could solve that in one aggressive move if they brought in Carlos Estevez, the top reliever remaining who would step right into the closer role.

An All-Star with the Los Angeles Angels in 2023, he put together his career-best season with them and the Philadelphia Phillies this past campaign when he posted a 2.45 ERA and 171 ERA+ to go along with 26 saves in 31 opportunities.

The Rangers should be familiar with the big right-hander from his time with the Angels.

He competed in the AL West for the last one-and-a-half years, giving Young and the front office a better idea of how he might perform in the different stadiums around the division.

With Texas looking to get back into championship contention after missing out on the playoffs altogether following winning their first-ever World Series title in 2023, ensuring this group is the best it can be on paper is something the organization should be looking to accomplish before they enter Spring Training.

While Estevez has some holes in his game, there's no doubt he would be the best option for the Rangers when it comes to filling their closer role.

This is a franchise who has been aggressive in the past when pushing to build a contender, and following a disappointing a campaign just one season ago, making another aggressive move by bringing in the hard-throwing righty could help them get back to the top of the sport.


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Brad Wakai
BRAD WAKAI

Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he did work at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad currently is the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continues to cover Penn State athletics. He is also a contributor at FanSided, writing about the Philadelphia 76ers for The Sixers Sense. Brad is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, discussing topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai