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The Texas Rangers have had a busy offseason.
The bullpen has been completely overhauled with the Rangers adding five different pitchers in free agency and trades. Corner infielder Jake Burger, acquired in a trade with the Marlins, adds another powerful bat to the lineup. Outfielder Joc Pederson is one of the best platoon hitters in the game and adds swagger to the roster. Retaining pitcher Nathan Eovaldi and adding catcher Kyle Higashioka should help the Rangers look to return to the postseason.
But the Rangers’ biggest upgrade may come from within. Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News reports that pitcher Jacob deGrom is feeling healthy once again and is hoping to make 30 starts in 2025.
deGrom had arguably been the best pitcher in baseball between 2018 and 2020. He was a two-time Cy Young award winner (2018, 2019) and finished third in 2020. deGrom posted an impressive 2.10 ERA and a 0.943 WHIP in his 489 innings in that time, striking out 628 batters with 108 walks.
As strong as those seasons were, deGrom was even better to begin the 2021 season. He was on pace for a historic season, his dominance reminiscent of Bob Gibson’s impressive 1968 campaign. However, injuries kept deGrom to only 15 appearances that season as history fell by the wayside.
Despite his laundry list of injuries, deGrom has continued to impress on the mound, posting a 2.01 ERA and a 0.679 WHIP since the start of the 2021 season. However, he has thrown just 197.1 innings over 35 appearances in that timeframe. The 36-year-old is slowly building up this offseason in an attempt to remain healthy as he looks to make 30 starts for the first time since 2019. If he can stay healthy and reach that goal, the Rangers may find that their biggest upgrade came from within.
