The defending champs are bulking up their roster even further. The Texas Rangers signed right-hander Tyler Mahle to a two-year, $22 million deal. Texas officially announced the deal on social media Thursday evening after multiple reporters broke the news earlier.
Right-handed starter Tyler Mahle and the Texas Rangers are in agreement on a two-year, $22 million contract, sources told ESPN. Mahle underwent Tommy John surgery in May and should return this season, and he can earn another $5 million in performance bonuses based on IP in 2025.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 14, 2023
Rangers Sign Tyler Mahle to Two-Year Deal
The deal is a bit of a dice roll for the Rangers, as Mahle is coming off Tommy John surgery last May, which cut short his 2023 season with the Minnesota Twins. He will likely miss part of next season as well as he continues his recovery. Once Mahle returns, however, he will join an already deep Texas rotation. While Jordan Montgomery and Nathan Eovaldi carried them to their first World Series title, they will be far from the Rangers’ only weapons next year. Jacob deGrom is also on the mend from Tommy John surgery, and Max Scherzer is still under contract next season.
Mahle should slot into the middle or back end of the rotation once he’s back. Martin Perez and Andrew Heaney also remain on the roster as back-end options. It is an embarrassment of riches in Arlington as the Rangers look to repeat in 2024.
While Mahle’s change of scenery represents a new leaf for him, it brings a rocky, injury-filled tenure in Minnesota to an end. He was traded to the Twins from the Cincinnati Reds at the 2022 deadline. In exchange, the Reds received Spencer Steer, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and Steve Hajjar. The former two have since made their big league debuts in Cincy and become promising building blocks. Mahle, though, did not pay off for the Twins as they hoped. He only made nine combined starts across two seasons, going 2-3 with a 3.64 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 42 innings. He may have put up serviceable numbers, but ultimately did not provide the longevity to justify the haul the Twins gave up. A fresh start is likely just what the 29-year-old needs at this stage in his career.
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