Inside The Rangers

Rangers Bolster Bullpen With Multiple New Arms Ahead of 2026 Season

The Texas Rangers have some quality bullpen pieces heading into 2026, but adding more arms into the fold is always crucial, and they did so recently.
Jeremy Trottier|
May 18, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers hat in honor of the military in the dugout during the second inning against the Houston Astros at Globe Life Field.
May 18, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers hat in honor of the military in the dugout during the second inning against the Houston Astros at Globe Life Field. | Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

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Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers have had a pretty interesting 2025-2026 offseason so far, with a few positive moves, but also some crucial losses. Much of their bullpen from the previous year has been pillaged by other teams, as they now will have work to do to build it back up once again.

With a few spots still presumably open, or at least available for competition, it makes for a fun spring training battle if no more large-scale deals are made.

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Within the last few weeks, they added two more arms to the group, one of whom they claimed off waivers and the other they signed to a minor league deal. While neither has shown a ton of consistency at the MLB level quite yet, they have had productive years in the minor leagues and have shown improvement that could indicate they need another chance.

At the end of the day, though, having some good quality arms to work in Triple-A until needed is also something teams need to pursue at this time of year. This allows their prospects to face some near MLB talent before they get their final promotion, and allows the pitchers in question to show their level of readiness for that jump.

Which Two Bullpen Arms Did the Rangers Bring in Lately?

Cleveland Guardians pitcher Zak Kent throws a pitch off the mound, wearing a white jersey and a red hat.
Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The two pitchers brought in recently by Texas are Zak Kent and Patrick Murphy, the former being a waiver claim from the St. Louis Cardinals, and the latter being a minor league free agent signing. Kent previously was in the Rangers farm system back in the early 2020s, and had actually made the 40-man roster in 2022 before moving elsewhere later on. Murphy will also be on his second stint with the team, playing for their minor league affiliates in 2024.

Kent most recently played for the Cleveland Guardians, and in 2025 posted 17.2 innings at the Major League level, accruing a 4.58 ERA and 1.415 WHIP with 16 strikeouts and eight walks. In Triple-A, he had 38.0 innings on the mound last year, with a 2.84 ERA, 1.342 WHIP, 50 strikeouts and 21 walks.

As for Murphy, he spent 2025 split between the Rangers and the KT Wiz of the KBO. With the latter, he looked quite impressive on the mound, as in 60.2 innings, he had a 3.12 ERA, 1.385 WHIP, 45 strikeouts, 21 walks and 63 hits allowed. Interestingly enough, he started nine of his 15 appearances there as well, giving him some versatility as a pitcher.

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Jeremy Trottier
JEREMY TROTTIER

Jeremy Trottier started his writing journey with WBLZ Media, and has worked through multiple publications with 247Sports, USA Today, Fansided, SBNation and others. He is an avid fan of motorsports and most sports in general, and has completed a degree in sports management to further understand the sports industry. During his time with sports media, he has been credentialed for coverage of Boston College sports, and can often be found attending their football and basketball games as well as expected coverage of their men’s soccer team in the near future. Sports are a large part of his life and career, as he looks to pursue a full time role within the industry someday.

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