The Texas Rangers have quite a bit of work to do now to improve their roster ahead of the 2026 season. Following the trade of Marcus Semien to the New York Mets and the acquisition of Brandon Nimmo in doing so, the lineup looks a bit better in terms of offensive production. The more pressing concern will be the bullpen, which had a few good arms last year but was not consistent enough to maintain wins.
At the trade deadline, they went on to acquire reliever Phil Maton from the St. Louis Cardinals, who ended up putting together a solid season, but was not as productive in the second half.
With the Rangers, he had a 3.52 ERA, 0.957 WHIP, 33 strikeouts, eight walks, two home runs allowed and three saves. With the Cardinals, he had a 2.35 ERA, 1.122 WHIP, 48 strikeouts, 15 walks, one home run allowed and two saves.
The statistics indicate he got rather unlucky in Texas due to the low WHIP, so that likely factored in to the inflated ERA. However, the Rangers will now have to look to replace him for 2026, as he will be heading elsewhere on a new contract.
Where is Former Rangers Reliever Phil Maton Heading for 2026?
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Unfortunately for Texas, they will not be retaining Maton heading into 2026, as he has signed a new deal with the Chicago Cubs. The value of the deal is $14.5 million with $250,000 in incentives per season based on games pitched. This is a pretty substantial amount for him, and it makes sense why he ended up signing there, as he should have a strong chance to compete there as well.
Phil Maton Cubs deal: $14.5M, 2 years and club option. Plus $250K incentives per year based on games pitched for the ultra reliable reliever. So good chance to reach $15M.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 25, 2025
With a huge number of pitchers hitting the market this offseason from the Rangers’ 2025 squad, it will be a pretty hefty overhaul for 2026 to find new players to put alongside their current core. While there are plenty of prospects in the farm system to fill out the roster, adding some veteran names into the mix with high-leverage experience at the MLB level is also critical.
Putting together a quality bullpen is key, given the starting rotation for the Rangers is extremely productive. Between Nathan Eovaldi and Jacob deGrom, they have two truly high-end ace-type pitchers, and in addition, they have multiple younger options to fill out the remaining three spots, if they don’t end up signing more. The bullpen being reliable is what closes out games, though, and after a hit-or-miss 2025 season, more reliability is crucial.
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