The Texas Rangers have been looking to make some changes to their roster heading into the 2026 season, and have been active in both free agency and the trade markets. They have been bolstering their pitching staff as the team has added another pitcher. Let’s take a closer look at who they added and what it means for the team going into the 2026 season.
Jakob Junis Signs with the Texas Rangers
The Athletic’s Buster Olney is reporting that the Texas Rangers have agreed to a one-year, $4 million contract with free agent pitcher Jakob Junis. Junis is expected to come out of the bullpen for the Rangers this upcoming season and is going to be on his fifth team in the last three seasons, pitching for the following teams in that stretch:
- San Francisco Giants
- Cincinnati Reds
- Milwaukee Brewers
- Cleveland Guardians
Junis had a strong 2025 season out of the bullpen for the Guardians as he pitched 57 games and in 66.2 innings was 4-1 with a 2.97 ERA and an 18:55 walk-to-strikeout ratio. Expect to see Junis being used as a middle reliever and could wind up being the team’s set-up man as the season goes along.
The Rangers have been aggressive in adding pitchers to their bullpen as they traded for Carter Baumler while signing Tyler Alexander, Alexid Diaz, and now Junis. The pitching was a major strength, and with the rotation they have, this bullpen needs to be able to hold down leads.
It will be intriguing to see how new manager Skip Schumaker will utilize Junis this season, as he will have a bevy of options coming out of the bullpen this year.
