Texas Rangers approach AL West title behind former Yankees, Mets pitchers

For Yankees and Mets fans watching the Texas Rangers put the finishing touches on a surprisingly strong season, there’s been no shortage of familiar faces.

The Rangers are approaching their first AL West title since 2016 behind a pitching staff filled with former Yankees and Mets.

Nathan Eovaldi, who pitched for the Yankees from 2015-16, is their de facto ace after losing longtime Mets stud Jacob deGrom and later Max Scherzer to injuries.

Jordan Montgomery, who spent parts of his first six MLB seasons with the Yankees, slots in behind Eovaldi after being acquired in a midseason trade.

There’s also Andrew Heaney, who has been effective as a starter and reliever for Texas, and Aroldis Chapman, whose inconsistency Yankees fans remember all too well.

Each of those pitchers joined the Rangers before or during the 2023 season and have contributed – to differing degrees – to their 88-69 record entering Wednesday, good for a 2.5-game division lead over the floundering Houston Astros and a three-game advantage over the Seattle Mariners.

The Rangers, who debuted their $1.1 billion Globe Life Field in 2020, opened their wallets before the 2022 season, eager to add excitement around a team that finished last in the AL West in three of the previous four years.

Already equipped with a strong farm system, the Rangers enhanced their major-league roster by signing shortstop Corey Seager for 10 years, $325 million; second baseman Marcus Semien for seven years, $175 million; and starting pitcher Jon Gray for four years, $64 million that offseason.

Pitching remained an issue, however. The Rangers’ 4.22 ERA ranked 22nd among MLB teams in 2022, and they finished 68-94 despite the spending spree.

In the following months, the Rangers prioritized pitching. They took a massive risk last December by committing $185 million to deGrom, who won two Cy Young Awards during his nine seasons with the Mets but had only started 26 games over the previous two years.

That same month, Texas took on smaller gambles with Eovaldi, who signed for two years, $34 million, and Heaney, who got two years, $25 million.

The 35-year-old deGrom began the year 2-0 with a 2.67 ERA, but he left during his sixth start – an April 28 outing against the Yankees – and has since undergone his second Tommy John elbow surgery, ending his season.

Eovaldi, 33, has also endured injuries throughout his career. His Yankees tenure ended with his second Tommy John surgery. But Eovaldi fared better than deGrom this year, pitching to a 10-3 record and 2.83 ERA in the season’s first half to make the AL All-Star team.

A forearm strain cost Eovaldi nearly two months of the second half, but he has since returned for the Rangers’ playoff push.

While the Rangers’ starting pitching improved, their bullpen remained a question. Enter Chapman.

After posting a career-worst 4.46 ERA last season – his final of seven with the Yankees – Chapman signed a one-year deal with the Kansas City Royals. The seven-time All-Star returned to form with Kansas City, pitching to a 2.45 ERA and 53 strikeouts over 29.1 innings, enticing the Rangers to trade for Chapman in late June.

Chapman’s results have been mixed with Texas, with whom he has a 3.21 ERA. Over six appearances between Aug. 21 and Sept. 2, Chapman allowed at least one run in four of them, blowing a save in two games and taking the loss in two others. His struggles coincided with a dreadful 4-16 stretch by the Rangers, who threatened to fall out of playoff contention before rebounding in recent weeks.

The other key player in the Chapman trade, former first-round pitcher Cole Ragans, has gone 5-1 with a 2.34 ERA with Kansas City and was named August’s AL Pitcher of the Month.

Chapman wasn’t the only ex-New York pitcher the Rangers acquired midseason. With injuries to the rotation, they traded prized prospect Luisangel Acuna to the Mets for Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner who had pitched to a 4.01 ERA to that point.

Reunited with former Washington pitching coach Mike Maddux, the 39-year-old Scherzer performed better with Texas, recording a 3.20 ERA over eight starts before a right teres major muscle strain ended his regular season. The Rangers haven’t ruled out a postseason return for the right-hander.

More successful was their trade for Montgomery, who is 4-2 with a 2.92 ERA in 10 starts since being acquired from the Cardinals. Montgomery has been at his best lately, allowing only one run over his last three starts, which include seven scoreless innings apiece against the Mariners and the Wild Card-hopeful Toronto Blue Jays.

Heaney, meanwhile, has mostly been an effective weapon since moving to the bullpen during this month’s stretch run. Outside of a brutal appearance in which he allowed six runs to Cleveland, Heaney has not surrendered an earned run in his other four relief outings.

The left-handed Heaney, who struggled to a 7.32 ERA during 12 games with the Yankees in 2021, is tied for third on the Rangers with 10 wins this season.

The Yankees and Rangers have often engaged as trade partners over the years. Part of the return for the Yankees’ 2021 acquisition of Joey Gallo was young infielder Ezekiel Duran, who’s hitting .276 with 14 home runs for Texas this year. In another deal, Texas sent catcher Jose Trevino, who was an All-Star and Platinum Glove winner with the Yankees last season.

The Rangers have also repeatedly been willing to take risks with pitchers tied to the Mets. Beyond deGrom and Scherzer, the Rangers spent the third overall pick in last year’s draft on Kumar Rocker, whom the Mets drafted 10th overall a year earlier but declined to sign due to medical concerns.

Months after the Rangers selected him, Rocker – a former Vanderbilt standout – underwent Tommy John surgery.

Overall, the Rangers have received mixed results with the former Yankees and Mets pitchers on their roster. But with the Rangers poised for the playoffs and the two New York teams eliminated, they’re clearly doing something right.