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Rangers Expected To Sign LHP Jalen Beeks to Major League Contract
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- Rangers Expected To Sign LHP Jalen Beeks to Major League Contract
Despite being less than two weeks away from Opening Day, the Texas Rangers are still exploring ways to improve their team.
On Thursday afternoon, sources confirmed to Roundtable Sports that the Rangers are planning to sign left-handed reliever Jalen Beeks to a major-league contract.
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The club has not yet confirmed the deal, and a corresponding move will need to be made in order to clear a 40-man roster spot for Beeks.
Last season with the Arizona Diamondbacks , Beeks pitched to the tune of a 3.77 ERA across more than 57 innings in 61 appearances.
In July, Beeks suffered lower back inflammation that landed him on the Injured List for three weeks and likely cost him the chance to get traded to a contender at the Trade Deadline.
Upon his return, Beeks was able to finish the season strong, allowing just four earned runs in his final 16 innings of work.
Beeks will now become part of a Rangers bullpen that will feature many new faces for the second straight season.
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After signing the likes of Alexis Diaz , Tyler Alexander , Jakob Junis , and bringing back Chris Martin , Robert Garcia , and Cole Winn , the Rangers appear to have their bullpen set.
It'll be interesting to see if the Rangers feel Beeks is ramped up enough to be a part of the Opening Day bullpen in just 13 days.
If Beeks does find himself on the roster, then he will join Alexander as a left-handed option out of the bullpen, which could be a good sign for Jacob Latz .
Needing a third lefty out of the bullpen isn't something very common for major-league teams, so this move could be a hint that the Rangers plan to make Latz the fifth starter.
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Additionally, the Rangers will have both Jordan Montgomery and Cody Bradford coming back at some point this season, so if they do feel they need more left-handed coverage, they will certainly have options.
Rangers President of Baseball Operations Chris Young always says that you can never have enough pitching, and bringing in Beeks certainly echoes that.
Overall, the Rangers will look to continue the success of last year's pitching staff, which was the best in all of baseball.
There's no doubt that the bullpen was a big part of it, finishing fourth in all of MLB in bullpen ERA. Texas will need to hammer out bullpen roles early in the season and, most importantly, establish a defined closer after blowing a league-leading 29 saves last season.
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