The Texas Rangers have a great top portion of their pitching rotation.
Nathan Eovaldi, Jacob deGrom and Jack Leiter are expected to all put together quality 2026 seasons.
Beyond them? It's a bit more of a question.
That's why ESPN's David Schoenfield pitches the idea in a new article on Friday that the Rangers need to pursue a veteran starting pitcher in free agency.
He comes up with three names: Chris Bassitt, Lucas Giolito and Nick Martinez.
Bassitt was a key contributor to the Blue Jays in 2025. Giolito was solid for the Red Sox when healthy. And Martinez had his moments with the Reds.
"The Rangers should be in the mix for another starter," Schoenfield writes. "After their top three of Nathan Eovaldi, Jacob deGrom and Jack Leiter, the next options on the depth chart are Kumar Rocker (5.74 ERA in 14 starts) and Jacob Latz, a 29-year-old who pitched well last season, primarily out of the bullpen. It thins out in a hurry after that group."
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It's hard to count on the health of pitchers, too, so if one or two of those frontline guys got hurt, things could get extra tricky in a hurry for Texas.
With guys like Eovaldi and deGrom at the front of the rotation, the Rangers shouldn't be complacent. They can be competitive if they build around them in the right way.
Bassitt seems like a particularly strong fit. He pitched out of the bullpen for Toronto in the playoffs but was the Blue Jays' most consistent starting pitcher all the way through a season in which they won the AL East.
Texas could try and move quickly on one of these guys while other teams are still focused on bigger names in free agency, too, and then would be all set for the season ahead.
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