In another off-season splash, the Texas Rangers acquired right-hander Jake Odorizzi on Wednesday from the Atlanta Braves. The news of this trade was first reported by Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. This move comes as no surprise to Rangers fans, as GM Chris Young recently stated that they were looking to focus on pitching depth this off-season. In exchange for Odorizzi, the Rangers will be sending left-hander Kolby Allard, and cash considerations to the Braves. Jake Odorizzi will be joining a rotation tentatively made up of Dane Dunning, Jon Gray, and Martin Perez. Perez is still in contract talks with the Rangers. His rotation spot is in limbo for the moment Other rotation candidates will emerge as spring training nears.
Jake Odorizzi’s 2022 Season
As previously stated, the Rangers are making pitching a priority this off-season. Jake Odorizzi could be a very nice piece to this puzzle. In his 2022 campaign, he appeared in 22 games for the Braves. He finished the year with a record of 6–6, with an earned run average of 4.40 over 106 1/3 innings. He struck out 86 batters, walked 35, and had a WHIP of 1.33. Odorizzi was placed on the 15-day Injured List on May 17 by the Houston Astros with a left leg injury that he suffered in an outing against the Boston Red Sox the previous day.
A line drive off the bat of Red Sox outfielder Kike Hernandez hit Odorizzi on the leg. The effects of this injury could have been the reason that the 2022 season was a bit of a struggle. Fans are hoping that they see flashes of the 2019 season, when Odorizzi went 15–7 with an ERA of 3.51 as a member of the Minnesota Twins. Fans will enjoy seeing Odorizzi in a Rangers uniform, as he was once a member of the division rival Astros. They are also hoping that he can stay healthy in 2023.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Players Mentioned:
Jake Odorizzi, Kolby Allard, Dane Dunning, Jon Gray, Martin Perez, Kike Hernandez
