As the 2024-25 MLB offseason blazes on, the Texas Rangers are making it crystal clear: they’re here to dominate. Every day, it feels like they’re grabbing headlines with a brand-new move, and this winter has been all about giving their 26-man roster a massive overhaul.
Enter Joc Pederson
The latest big splash? Joc Pederson, outfielder/designated hitter, who just inked a two-year deal with the Rangers. The guy has monstrous raw power—smashing 23 home runs last year with a .908 OPS and a 151 OPS+ over 132 games with the Diamondbacks. Sure, left-handed pitching isn’t his thing, but he’s proven himself to be an absolute menace against righties. Now, he’s primed to keep mashing for Texas into 2025 and 2026.
To fit Pederson onto the 40-man roster, the Rangers opted to DFA reliever Grant Anderson—an understandable move, considering the front office seems laser-focused on cutting loose anything (or anyone) that doesn’t look ready to slaughter the competition in 2025.
Breaking Down the DFA
Anderson, 27, brings an intriguing sidearm delivery to the table, but the results so far have been, well, lackluster. In 49 outings across the past two seasons, he’s posted a 6.35 ERA, a 5.91 FIP, and a 66 ERA+. Couple that with low strikeouts, high walks, and a hefty 10.3 H/9, and it’s easy to see why the Rangers decided to roll the dice with someone else.
Granted, he did look a lot sharper in Triple-A—sporting a 2.93 ERA in 26 appearances this past year—but that didn’t translate to big-league success. If he slips through waivers unclaimed, the Rangers can tuck him away in Triple-A and see if he can eventually harness that funkiness to keep hitters guessing.
Looking Ahead
Meanwhile, the Rangers’ bullpen still needs a major facelift, especially with names like Kirby Yates, David Robertson, Jose Urena, Jose Leclerc, and Andrew Chafin departing in free agency. But the front office has shown it’s not afraid to keep shaking things up until this team is firing on all cylinders. In other words, Texas is making all the moves to ensure they’re the ones left standing when the dust settles.
Between the non-stop roster renovations and the signing of Pederson, the Rangers are setting themselves up as a force to be reckoned with. If they can lock down a better bullpen crew, don’t be surprised if they continue to take the league by storm—just like Pederson’s power bat promises to do next season.
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