Skip Schumaker May Have Found Solution to Rangers Closer Situation

The Texas Rangers pulled off a surprising sweep against the Seattle Mariners, finishing the job with a 3-0 win on Wednesday. The Rangers have struggled mightily against the Mariners, combining for a 6-20 record over the last two seasons. The victory on Tuesday marked the first series win over Seattle since September 2023.

The offense was dealt a tough hand, facing Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, and Bryan Woo, but they generated enough offense to win. The pitching staff has been tremendous, but determining the pitcher to get the final three outs has been tough.

In spring camp, it appeared that manager Skip Schumaker was leaning towards Chris Martin and Robert Garcia. However, the two couldn't get the job done in high-leverage situations, so he had to pivot. After this series against Seattle, Schumaker may have his answer.

Jakob Junis and Cole Winn Could be Used as Closers

Texas Rangers relief pitcher Jakob Junis pitches. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

To begin the season, Tyler Alexander notched two saves against the Philadelphia Phillies and Baltimore Orioles. Since then, he has only made three appearances. Alexander was always a short-term solution to the problem, but now Jakob Junis and Cole Winn could be the long-term answers.

Junis began his career as a starting pitcher but has slowly transitioned to a reliever. This season, he's made six appearances and has only allowed three hits, no runs or walks, and four strikeouts. He doesn't have the prototypical "closer stuff," but he's effective in the zone and induces weak contact. He recorded saves in Monday and Tuesday's win over Seattle.

Winn's opportunity to pitch in high-leverage moments was long overdue. In 2025, he made 33 appearances and posted a 1.51 ERA, but it wasn't typically in the late innings. Under Schumaker, Winn is getting those opportunities, and he has excelled. He hasn't allowed a run this season, and on Wednesday, Winn earned his first career save.

After allowing a leadoff single to Cole Young, Winn struck out Luke Raley and forced fly outs to Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez. The 26-year-old could have a much larger role in this bullpen moving forward.

Evaluating the Difference Between the Rotation and Bullpen

President of baseball operations Chris Young assembled the starting rotation and bullpen quite differently. The assembly of the rotation came at a high cost. Young handed out big contracts to Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi, traded five prospects to the Washington Nationals in exchange for MacKenzie Gore, and spent high draft picks on Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker.

So far, it has worked, and the rotation has been dominant through 11 games. However, the bullpen was cheap to put together and isn't filled with star power. They're also getting the job done so far, and the hope is that this level of success can sustain itself moving forward. In an era where every team wants a high-velocity closer, the Rangers are attempting to close out games by committee, and recently it's been working.