Rangers Start Spring Training with Another Fluid Situation at Closer

New Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker has a way he’s leaning with closer, but he’s keeping an open mind early in camp.

Texas Rangers relief pitcher Robert Garcia. | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers don’t need a closer until opening day. For the next six weeks, it’s all about looking at their options.

Texas has done the optionality thing before. In fact, in each of the last three seasons the Rangers have not had a designated closer in spring training. In some cases, that has worked out. Last year was a real mixed bag.

Non-roster invitee Luke Jackson emerged as the closer on opening day and held the job for a month. Robert Garcia and Shawn Armstrong also held the job. By season’s end nine different Rangers had saves. But as a team it had one of the worst save conversion rates in baseball, blowing 29 saves (37 saves in 66 chances). Had Texas converted seven of those chances it would have made the playoffs.

New manager Skip Schumaker doesn’t need to make decisions now, but on Wednesday, the second day of spring training, he did express a lean toward two players for now.

Where Rangers Could Go for Saves

Texas Rangers relief pitcher Chris Martin. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

“I think right now you'll be seeing [Robert] Garcia and [Chris] Martin getting the majority of those early on,” Schumaker said.

Presumably, he meant early save chances in spring training. But how they perform could translate into who gets the job on opening day.

Garcia had nine saves, tied for the team lead with Armstong and Jackson last season. He went 4-8 with a 2.95 ERA. Schumaker watched his season from afar as a special advisor and appreciated how the right-hander attacked the job for the first time.

“I think he probably learned a lot from last year,” Schumaker said.

He also didn’t express concern about Garcia missing time with the team when he goes to play for Mexico in the World Baseball Classic. Schumaker believes that being around that team could elevate his play.

As for Martin, he’ll turn 40 during the season. He went 2-6 with a 2.98 ERA last year and only had two saves. Texas used him as a set-up man a year ago and he dealt with injuries in the back half of the season. He has 16 career saves and 418 career appearances. He’s the most experienced member of the bullpen.

Schumaker hasn’t ruled out Alexis Díaz in the role, either. Signed as a free agent, he’s a former All-Star who saved 37 games in 2023 and 28 more the following season. He played for three teams last year as he missed time with a hamstring injury and dealt with control issues. Schumaker doesn’t want to anoint Díaz the closer, even though he has more saves than anyone else on the roster.

“His fastball was really good a few years ago, one of those that exploded through the strike zone,” Schumaker said. “The slider typically was his get back into counts pitch or his strike[out] pitch. So, if we can get the fastball back into the zone and get that ride that he usually and the velocity that he was used to, then I think we're going to be good. But we have to see in the games.”

It’s part of the reason the Rangers aren’t committing to anything yet. Exhibition games are more than a week away and these options have to prove it.