Last weekend, reports surfaced that the Rangers had some “internal discussions” about moving Jon Gray from the rotation to the closer’s role, in a creative way to address both their need for a closer and an on-paper surplus of starting pitchers. However, it doesn’t appear as though the concept advanced beyond the speculative phase, as both manager Bruce Bochy and president of baseball operations Chris Young told reporters (including Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News) that they both viewed Gray as assuming his usual starter role this season.
Gray said that he also hadn’t been approached about the idea, even if he was broadly open to closing if it meant helping the team. But, he also set some lofty targets for his 2025 season, saying that he was “looking to eat a lot of innings. I’d hopefully like to get to that 200-strikeout mark. That would be cool. The swing-and-miss and strikeout rate is something I really want to improve and I think it’s headed in the right direction.”
Gray’s career high in strikeouts is 185, set back in his first full MLB season in 2016 when the righty was still with the Rockies. His personal best for innings is 172 1/3 frames in the 2018 season, and he has topped the 150-inning threshold in four of his 10 big league seasons. Most recently, Gray tossed 102 2/3 innings last year, as he twice hit the injured list due to groin strains, and he underwent season-ending surgery in early September to remove a neuroma on the middle toe of his right foot.
“I’m happy with the way the surgery went and had a really good offseason,” Gray said, noting that the neuroma had been bothering him for almost a year, and likely contributed to his groin problems. The injuries clearly hampered Gray’s performance, as he posted a 4.47 ERA and the lowest full-season strikeout rate (19.6%) of his career.
Beyond his natural competitive spirit in rebounding from a down year, Gray has even more incentive to bounce back since he is set to hit free agency next winter. Gray is in the final season of the four-year, $56MM deal he signed with Texas during the 2021-22 offseason, and there was some speculation that the Rangers could look to trade Gray this winter in order to clear some money off the books. No such deal happened, and thus the 33-year-old Gray is now looking for a nice platform year as he approaches the open market once more.
If Gray isn’t the closer or another reliever isn’t brought into the fold, Chris Martin looks like the favorite for saves, assuming that Texas even sticks with a set ninth-inning option. Bochy told MLB.com’s Kennedi Landry and other reporters that “it can be by committee…So by no means are we getting locked in on any roles right now. I think we’re going to stay flexible with that.”
To this end, Bochy said he hasn’t talked to Martin specifically about working in a closing capacity, but the skipper feels his relievers are “fine with not having a defined role. They’re used to it, including Chris….They all have great attitudes. They’re like, ’Hey, we’re there to get outs and use us where you need us to help win a ballgame.’ And that’s how that works.”
Martin has amassed only 14 saves over his nine MLB seasons, though he pointed out to Landry that he had 22 saves over his two seasons in Japan with the Nippon-Ham Fighters in 2016-17. Getting some sustained run as a closer might be a fun way for Martin to wind up his career, but he plans to take the same approach no matter how he is utilized out of the Rangers’ bullpen.
“With closing, you still gotta get three outs,” Martin said. “It’s just the last three of the game, so it can be a little more nerve wracking, but I’ve been around a bit now and I understand it’s just another three outs, whatever the run situation is.”
Robert Garcia is another newly-acquired reliever ticketed for high-leverage innings, as the Rangers acquired Garcia from the Nationals in return for Nathaniel Lowe in December. The left-hander has yet to properly kick off his first Spring Training with his new team, however, due to some nerve irritation in his forearm. The issue doesn’t seem too serious, as Bochy told Landry that Garcia is slated to throw his first bullpen session of the spring on Tuesday.
Gray will never reach 200 strikeouts in 1 regular season. His career avg, is 9 SO per 9 innings so he would have to pitch 200 innings & his career high is 172 innings 7 years ago.
Nice personal goals for Gray, but 200 strikeouts is a pipe dream. As in keep smokin that pipe.
“Smokin that pipe”…I can’t say I’ve seen Jon Gray pitch a lot(don’twatch the Rangers/Rockies regularly), but I’m curious why you think that 200 strikeouts for Jon Gray is a “pipe dream”, when he’s struck out 185 guys in the past?
I usually only comment on players I watch regularly, so this is more a question than a comment. It’s entirely possible you know things about Jon Gray that I do not.
Just going by that it was seven years ago when he last got over 180. I don’t think he can pitch enough innings at his age to rack up that many K’s. Age/health main factor there. Also since Rangers rival of Mariners had to get a dig in of course.wink wink
Hes never done it before and averages less than 1k per inning so he would need over 200 ip..the math is not on his unless he increases his workload and k/9
Why didn’t they sign Kenley?
Seems like a weird gap for a team looking to compete, to start the season with
$10M is what Kenley signed for, no thanks
He had a 3 FIP last year, that would have been tops in whats left in the rangers pen from last year.
10 mil really isn’t much, it’s a 4 mil less than Gray is going to get
actually only 3M and 10M would put over the CBT line.
Gray’s cap hit is 14 mil
They must be really tapped out of payroll room. DRob is still out there too.
Yes they are!!
The Rangers are only 6M under the CBT line and would prefer to stay there.
We loved Chris Martin here in Boston (especially in 2023). I hope he has a great season in Texas and finishes his career on his terms, whether that is as a closer or as a setup man.
If the Rangers are out if it at mid-season he would fetch a nice lottery ticket.
@Texas Outlaw
The Rangers would have to have a catastrophic meltdown in the 1st half for that to happen, I don’t see that happening, they had a better pen last year, BUT, they have a deeper pen this year, and unless they have offensive injuries they have a way better offense.
I’m not sure they have the rotation depth they think they do. No one in that group will ever be confused with Lou Gehrig so letting Grey’s innings drop is probably something they’ll eventually rue. Do they have anyone who’s made 30 starts in the past three years? The last one I found was Eovaldi in 2021. They will need a bare minimum of six starters for some extended period and Grey is better than what they’d dredge up from AAA and his lack of swing and miss is likely to make him a worse closer.
I think we are a lot deeper than you give us credit for. the rotation is currently Degrom, Mahle, Eovaldi, Bradford, Rocker (probably). But Leiter/ Dunning/ Gray kind of waiting the wings.
Again, you need a minimum of six or seven when no one can make it through a season without a trip to the IL.
When “but” begins the sentence, there shouldn’t be a comma after it.