Ranger Roster Reshaping

I previously mentioned the transactions that our Texas Rangers have made recently (Eovaldi, Webb and Burger) but forgot to include the signing of catcher Kyle Higashioka. This was a significant move which will provide a solid backstop to share the position with Jonah Heim. The fan favorite had a poor year last season, seeming to show the effects of carrying too much load in 2023. It is hoped that providing a competent player to share the demanding job will allow Jonah to return to the form he showed in the World Series year. Higashioka is a very solid defender with some power, and should fill the bill. Both he and Heim are considered excellent handlers of pitchers. Texas has also added veteran catcher Tucker Barnhart as insurance to add depth in the system, so the team is set at this position.

GM Chris Young still has plenty to do, especially in the bullpen. He made one more deal in this area this week, signing lefty Hoby Milner for middle relief. The Fort Worth native and former Texas Longhorn is a sidearmer who doesn’t throw fast, but relies on deception to get a lot of ground balls and weak contact. It can really mess with a batter’s timing when Hoby is sandwiched between fireballers throwing in the upper 90’s.

So we’ve added a “Hoby” sandwich and a Burger to the Rangers. Let’s see what else happens in the CY Deli.

That’s one man’s opinion - what’s yours?