Key Rangers Bullpen Arm Might Cost Too Much for Team to Retain

The Texas Rangers could lose one of their key arms this offseason due to cost.

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Something Texas Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young might look back upon from this past season and wish he had done differently was the aggressive approach he had ahead of the trade deadline.

For much of the year, the Rangers toiled around the .500 mark. Because of all the talent throughout their roster and because their pitching staff was performing so well, everyone was waiting around for the offense to finally wake up and live up to their ceiling.

It seemed like that was happening before the deadline. Texas got hot, and all of a sudden, they were right in the mix for a playoff spot and even an AL West crown. While many in the fanbase and outside of the organization believed that might have been fool's gold, it wasn't surprising to see the assertive Young push some of his chips into the center of the table by bolstering the roster even further.

Ultimately, the Rangers fizzled out. The offense never got going and injuries piled up. And now, it's up to Young to try and find the right formula once again with an elite bullpen that is hitting the open market and an ownership group that wants to reduce payroll.

Phil Maton Might Be Too Expensive for Rangers

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One of the players Texas added ahead of the trade deadline was Phil Maton, the right-handed reliever who was in the midst of an incredible season with the St. Louis Cardinals by putting up a 2.35 ERA and 176 ERA+ across 40 outings.

He was solid for the Rangers coming down the stretch, but his ERA of 3.52 across 23 outings that included some meltdowns didn't help the cause for their playoff chances. Still, he's been an effective reliever since the start of 2022, and retaining him would be huge for this club.

Unfortunately, he might be a bit too expensive. After signing with the Cardinals for $2 million, his value has increased, according to Spotrac, to $7 million. And in the mind of Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required), unless Maton is willing to take a contract for around what he signed for last winter, then Texas likely won't bring him back.

"The Rangers haven't paid a full-time relief pitcher as much money as that first figure in a single year since closer Joe Nathan earned $8 million in the 2013 season. The total he pitched at this season — or, even, a marginal bump — would be considerably more realistic for the Rangers to pay," he wrote.

With that in mind, the Rangers are going to have to get creative when it comes to filling out their bullpen this winter.