The Texas Rangers made the first major splash of free agency when they announced their signing of Jacob deGrom.
By signing the 34-year-old right-handed pitcher, the Rangers added one of the most dominant arms in baseball.
OFFICIAL: We've signed RHP Jacob deGrom to a 5-year contract. pic.twitter.com/GXHFaOa6m9
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) December 3, 2022
The addition comes after last offseason where the Rangers spent big to add bats to their offense.
Despite those moves, the team still had a disappointing 2022 season.
Now, the team is heading into the rest of this offseason with playoff hopes after their most recent move.
Did adding deGrom put them over the edge?
A Legitimate Rotation
When the Rangers decided to sign deGrom, they wanted to add a top-line starter.
They did just that, as deGrom has been the league’s best when healthy.
He also gives the Rangers rotation the face that it needs.
Their current pitchers Martin Perez and Jon Gray are both solid options, but aren’t quite the aces of a staff.
DeGrom now allows them to fill a support role, making them even more valuable.
It still stings that Jacob deGrom is no longer a Met.
As a Mets fan, deGrom pitching was always a must-watch event. And as a Mets history account, I was always prepared to mark down an incredible Jake event to post.pic.twitter.com/gblHGxo2V3
— This Day in Mets History (@NYMhistory) December 3, 2022
Because of this, their rotation instantly becomes even stronger and deeper.
Still A Ways To Go
While their rotation is much better now, the team is still a few moves away from becoming contenders.
Their lineup and rotation are just about set, and there are only a handful of moves that will truly improve them there.
However, they can certainly improve in their bullpen.
Their bullpen was extremely weak last season, and is something that a contending team needs to have if they want to make a playoff run.
Even after adding deGrom, the Rangers severely lack that.
However, the good news is that the team has both the minor league pieces to trade for bullpen depth, or could target names still available in free agency.
If they are able to do that, expect to see the Rangers in postseason baseball.
But the deGrom move alone isn’t going to be enough to take them over the top yet.
