Rangers Must Consider DFA for Veteran Reliever During All-Star Break

The Texas Rangers signed this veteran reliever hoping for stability. Instead, they've received injuries and one of the least effective relievers in baseball.

Texas Rangers relief pitcher Chris Martin. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It’s time for the Texas Rangers to admit that the Chris Martin experience must come to an end.

Following a fairly successful 2025 campaign that saw Martin post a 2.98 ERA over 42 1/3 innings of work at the age of 39, the veteran reliever appeared to be hanging up the cleats. He’d gone out on a high note, something that not all MLB players have the luxury of accomplishing. But then the Rangers came calling and lured him out of that brief retirement.

Martin was poised to, once again, be one of the premier pieces in Texas’ bullpen. That decision seemed mad at the time, as Martin was 40 years old and had shown signs of regression during 2025. So far, the critics have been proven right.

Over 14 innings of work and 16 appearances, Martin has been abysmal. His 9.00 ERA is truly jaw-dropping. It seems that every time he comes out to pitch, the opposing dugout does a little happy dance.

He’s also been an extreme injury risk for the entire campaign. Martin has been placed on the injured list on three separate occasions in 2026, each time due to a right shoulder impingement.

To summarize, not only has Martin not pitched well, but he has also been unavailable for the majority of the season. That’s a recipe for disaster for any bullpen, let alone one like the Rangers' that is in desperate need of consistent performance. As such, it appears obvious that the Rangers need to let Martin go once and for all. Cut bait and never look back.

But sometimes things aren’t as clear as they might seem on the surface.

The Bullpen Needs Results – Performance Must Come First

Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker takes the ball from relief pitcher Chris Martin (31). | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The evident benefit of designating Martin for assignment is that it opens a spot in the bullpen for someone who will most assuredly be able to put up more consistent numbers. There’s just no way that anybody else on the 40-man roster at the moment would be worse than Martin has been so far.

There’s really only one downside, though some might not view it that way. Martin is one of the few relievers in the bullpen who has any experience competing at a high level in MLB. The rest are youngsters and rookies who haven’t been on the scene for all that long and don’t know what it’s like to chase down a postseason spot or throw high-leverage innings in October. Should the Rangers be in that position in the second half of 2026, then having that veteran presence would be useful.

At some point, however, bad baseball is just bad baseball. It doesn’t matter how significant one’s leadership is to the operation if they can’t get outs when it matters. That’s Martin right now. Sure, his presence might be helpful, but his performance certainly isn’t.

That should tell the story right there. The Rangers are better off without Martin on the team. That was the case before the season, and it’s definitely the case now.