Prior to the 2025 season, the Texas Rangers pretty much had to completely revamp their bullpen.
Texas brought in the likes of Robert Garcia, Hoby Milner, Shawn Armstrong, Jacob Webb, Chris Martin, and more.
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The result was a pretty solid one. Despite not really ever establishing true roles within the pen, the Rangers finished 2025 with the fourth-best bullpen ERA in Major League Baseball.
Even during the season, the Rangers front office still added to the bullpen, bringing in Phil Maton and Danny Coulombe at the trade deadline.
However, shortly after that, as the Rangers fell out of the playoff race, the attention shifted from how good the Texas pen was to how much of it could be retained.
Unfortunately, the likes of Armstrong, Milner, Maton, and Webb each decided to move on elsewhere for the 2026 season.
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Just under a year after completely rebuilding the bullpen, the Rangers were left to do so once again.
Luckily, Rangers President of Baseball Operations Chris Young has a knack for bringing hometown guys back home to play for Texas.
When thinking about how to rebuild the bullpen, Young once again didn’t have to look outside the metroplex.
DFW native Tyler Alexander signed with the Rangers on a one-year deal, hoping to help lead the bullpen revamp.
Alexander pitched at Southlake Carroll High School before pitching at TCU prior to being drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the second round of the 2013 draft.
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Last season, Alexander pitched in 97.2 innings, posting a 4.98 ERA with both the Milwaukee Brewers and the Chicago White Sox.
Now he will look to have a bounce-back season in first-year manager Skip Schumaker’s bullpen in 2026.
How Schumaker will manage the bullpen figures to be one of the big questions for the Rangers entering 2026.
Currently, the Rangers don’t have a set closer, but Texas feels confident in the progress that Alexis Diaz has made this offseason.
Alexander also very well could fit into that role if he pitches well enough in any opportunities that he may get.
Outside of whether or not the offense can bounce back, the Rangers’ bullpen could be the biggest key to the club returning to the postseason for the first time since winning it all in 2023.
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Alexander and his fellow pitchers will report to Spring Training in just over two weeks before the Rangers exhibition slate begins on Feb 20.
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