Three Veteran Pitchers Rangers Should Consider Pursuing Before Spring Training

The Texas Rangers have expressed a desire to add at least one more starting pitcher. These three veterans could be the answer.

A view of the Texas Rangers logo on the field before the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Rangers in game three of the ALDS for the 2023 MLB playoffs at Globe Life Field. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers are now less than a month away from spring training and the organization believes it still needs some starting pitching.

On paper, an opening day rotation looks like Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, Jack Leiter, along with some combination of Jacob Latz, Kumar Rocker and Jose Corniell. Left-hander Cody Bradford could be available at some point in 2026, but his elbow surgery last season won’t allow him to be ready for the start of the season.

Texas has worked to control costs this offseason and adding a starting pitcher in their budget is the priority. Thanks to a slow starting pitching market — likely driven by a looming labor stoppage — veteran options remain. But who should the Rangers pursue?

The criteria? They should be a free agent, should be had for $10 million or less and not have a qualifying offer tag on them. The last criteria eliminate Framber Valdez and Zac Gallen, though the Rangers likely wouldn’t turn either down if they could get them for a year at $10 million. But even in a starting pitching market that continues to creep along, that’s unlikely. Patrick Corbin is also eliminated, as Texas likely would have signed him already if they desired a reunion.

Here are three the Rangers should consider.

Zack Littell

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Littell’s lack of a market to this point is a bit of a mystery, considering he’s coming off a 10-8 season with a 3.81 ERA that saw him moved at the trade deadline to the Cincinnati Reds to help with a playoff push. That was only his second season as a full-time starter, so the limited track record may be limiting his potential salary.

But in those two seasons as a starter, he’s been effective, going 18-18 with a 3.73 ERA, including 271 strikeouts and 63 walks in 343 innings. He’s 30 years old, so he may be shooting for a multi-year deal. The Rangers could get creative with an incentive-laded deal that gets him to $10 million under certain circumstances. A back-loaded deal is probably not palatable due to the uncertainty next offseason.

Justin Verlander

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The three-time Cy Young winner is at a point in his career where $10 million is reasonable. The soon-to-be 43-year-old is coming off a 4-11 season with the San Francisco Giants in which he had a 3.85 ERA. He struck out 137 and walked 52. It’s reasonable to assume there may be a bit more in the tank if one looks deeper into last season’s numbers.

His ERA was the victim of three consecutive rough outings in April that saw that number balloon to 6.92. He trimmed it by more than three points by season’s end and after the All-Star break he went 4-4 with a 2.99 ERA in 14 starts, with 70 strikeouts and 26 walks in 75.1 innings. There was effectiveness disguised in his awful win-loss record.

Miles Mikolas

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The 37-year-old right-hander has always pitched to a high ERA — his career ERA is 4.24 and he’s only been below 4.00 in a season three times. But he brings a quality that Corbin brought to the Rangers last season — availability. He’s made at least 31 starts in each of his last four seasons. In that span he is 39-48 with a 4.51 ERA, including 512 strikeouts and 140 walks in 731.2 innings.

He’s not going to strike out a lot of hitters. But last season he had one of the best walk rates in baseball, giving up a free pass 5.5% of the time. He throws five different pitches and while he’s far removed from his 18-win season in 2018, the fact that he takes the ball every fifth day and keeps his team in games is an asset in a fourth or fifth starter.