Texas will add to its pitching depth with two free agent signings

To give your casting rod extra depth, Texas Rangers have signed reliefs Alexis Diaz and Tyler Alexander to one-year contracts. The signings come amid a broader bullpen overhaul that has seen multiple key arms including Phil Matton, Chris Martin, Jacob Webb, Hobie Milner and Danny Coulomb leave via free agency.

Diaz, 29, is a right-hander who made his MLB debut for the Cincinnati Reds in 2022. Over his first two seasons, he totaled 75 saves and struck out over 31% of the batters he faced, earning an All-Star selection in 2023 after recording 37 saves in the National League and finishing third in the National League. In 2024, Diaz saved 28 games with a 3.99 ERA, though his strikeout rate dropped to 22.7% and his walk rate remained at 12.8%.

However, 2025 was a challenging season for Diaz. Splitting time between the Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves, he appeared in just 18 games and posted an 8.14 ERA with a 1.52 WHIP over 17.2 innings while surrendering 16 earned runs and six home runs, for 3.1 HR. Regardless, Texas is banking on his potential to rebound and return to the form that made him a reliable late-inning weapon in previous seasons.

Tyler Alexander, 31, a left-handed pitcher, brings experience as both a starter and reliever, but has primarily pitched out of the bullpen in recent years. Last season, Alexander pitched 97.2 innings for the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago White Sox, finishing 2-9 with a 4.98 ERA, 82 strikeouts, 30 walks and a 1.40 WHIP. A second-round pick of the Detroit Tigers in 2015, Alexander spent seven years with four major league teams, posting a career ERA of 4.63. He attended Southlake Carroll High School and taught collegiately at TCU, both in close proximity to Globe Life Field.

Buying the Rangers represents a strategy of cheap, high upside pillar reinforcement. Diaz and Alexander join a roster that has historically benefited from signing concessions to short-term contracts, as evidenced by recent seasons in which veterans like Hobey Milner and Chris Martin contributed a 3.62 ERA in 2025, ranking fifth in Major League Baseball. New pitching coach Jordan Tieggs is now tasked with maximizing the potential of both signings.

These moves came side by side signing catcher Danny Jansen to a two-year, $14.5 million contractaddressing the team’s catching needs following the release of Jonah Haim. A career .220 hitter with a .720 OPS in 2025, Jansen has played 98 games split between the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee and ranks among MLB’s best in blocking pitches, bringing much-needed reliability behind the plate to go with a newly revamped bullpen.