when future Rangers fans had excellent news this weekend at the club’s FanFest, Hall of Famer Max Scherzer delivered an update on his health after back surgery earlier this winter. As reported by Jeff Wilson of Rangers Today, Scherzer stated that he has not experienced any setbacks in his recuperation in the six weeks after his surgery, and that he intends to resume working out in three weeks. While that timeframe puts him on track to resume workouts shortly after Spring Training begins next month, Scherzer still faces a lengthy rehab, as GM Chris Young indicated when announcing the operation last month that he would be sidelined until June or maybe July of the upcoming season.
Scherzer, an eight-time All Star and three-time Cy Young Award winner, is expected to return to the rotation this summer, providing a significant boost to the club’s pitching staff. The veteran righty pitched for the Rangers down the stretch, posting a 3.20 ERA and 3.41 FIP in 45 innings before being sidelined in September due to back troubles that required surgery. Scherzer returned to the mound for three brief outings during the club’s title quest before being sidelined for the season after three scoreless innings in Game 3 of the World Series against the Diamondbacks.
With Scherzer, Jacob deGrom, and offseason signing Tyler Mahle all slated to miss the start of the 2024 season, the Rangers’ Opening Day rotation is full of questions. Texas’ starting five is presently projected to be Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray, Andrew Heaney, Dane Dunning, and Cody Bradford, with little healthy depth behind that quintet to protect against further injury difficulties. The club’s obvious rotation requirements have cleared the way for a reunion with lefty Jordan Montgomery this winter, though Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News recently expressed doubt on the chances of the two sides reaching an agreement when all is said and done. On a recent appearance
Grant stated on the Foul Territory podcast that, while he believes both sides are interested in a reunion, he believes the club would rather rely on minor league pitching talent to step up and contribute at the big league level early in the season while Scherzer, deGrom, and Mahle rehab than offer Montgomery a lucrative 5- to 6-year contract.
While the Rangers have three highly regarded pitching prospects in Owen White, Jack Leiter, and Kumar Rocker, both Leiter and White had difficult 2023 seasons, while Rocker made only six professional starts before undergoing Tommy John surgery in May of last year and may not even reach the upper levels of the minors in 2024, let alone the major leagues. Given the question marks, it’s not surprising that the club has maintained contact with Montgomery. Speculatively, the team might seek to lower-tier alternatives on the starting pitching market, such as Mike Clevinger and Hyun Jin Ryu, to add depth if Montgomery signs elsewhere.
Moving from the rotation to the offense, Stephen Hawkins of the Associated Press recently reported that the Rangers are still at disagreement with star outfielder Adolis Garcia about his 2024 contract, with arbitration hearings just around the corner. Garcia, the sole Ranger who did not strike an agreement with the team before the deadline earlier this month, wanted a salary of $6.9 million, to which the Rangers responded with $5 million. That $1.9MM difference is the most among all players who did not reach an agreement before the deadline. Many teams have chosen a “file and trial” approach to pay arbitration, which means they don’t continue negotiations when data are
