Texas Rangers reach out to Rays about bringing back former 2015 draftee

ANAHEIM, Calif. — As the Rangers continue their dive into the leverage-relief market, at least one former member of the organization has become a potential option.

Here’s what I’m hearing at the moment:

According to two industry evaluators, the Rangers have reached out to Tampa Bay to discuss closer Pete Fairbanks. The Rangers drafted Fairbanks in 2015 and he made his major league debut with the club in 2019 before being traded to Tampa shortly thereafter for infielder Nick Solak.

Rangers

With 48 hours to go until the trade deadline, the Rangers are casting about for back-of-the-bullpen help. Among those relievers they’ve been confirmed to have asked about: Pittsburgh’s David Bednar, St. Louis’ Ryan Helsley, a trio of Colorado relievers and now Fairbanks.

There are a number of other back-end relievers available, including Washington’s Kyle Finnegan, Atlanta’s Raisel Iglesias and potentially the Los Angeles Angels’ Kenley Jansen.

While Solak’s time with the Rangers came to an end in 2022, Fairbanks, 31, has thrived in a late-inning role with Tampa Bay. Fairbanks has closed for Tampa Bay since 2023, converting 66 saves in 77 chances. Fairbanks has a 2.70 ERA this year for Tampa Bay with 18 saves.

He has about $1.3 million remaining in salary for the year, plus an option for 2026 with a $1 million club buyout.

Perhaps the most concerning issue around Fairbanks is the precipitous drop he’s seen in strikeouts over the last two years. He averaged 13 strikeouts per nine innings from 2020-23, but is averaging just 8.2 per nine innings over the last two seasons. He has seen his average fastball velocity drop almost two miles per hour from its 99-mph peak in 2022 to 97.3 mph this year. He’s also seen a gradual decline in swing-and-miss percentage on his slider in that time too.

Twitter: @Evan_P_Grant

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