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[Texas Rangers]

Rangers Sign Anthony Veneziano To Minor League Deal

The Rangers have signed left-hander Anthony Veneziano to a minor league deal, MLBTR has learned. The KHG Sports Management client also receives an invite to big league camp in spring training.

Veneziano, 28, has pitched for the Royals, Marlins and Cardinals over the past three big league seasons. He briefly crossed paths with Rangers manager Skip Schumaker, as Veneziano came to the Marlins via a waiver claim in September of 2024, when Schumaker was still the skipper in Miami. Veneziano has thrown 40 2/3 innings in the majors, allowing 3.98 earned runs per nine. He has averaged 93 to 95 miles per hour with his four-seamer but has thrown his slider more often while also mixing in a changeup. In 2025, he added a sinker to his arsenal in the big leagues.

That sinker seems to have helped him keep the ball on the ground. He tossed 25 innings this year, split between the Fish and the Cards, with a 4.68 ERA. He had just a 30.6% ground ball rate coming into 2025 but got grounders on 49.4% of balls in play this year, notably above the 41.8% league average. His 21.4% strikeout rate and 9.4% wak rate were both worse than league average but by less than 1% in both cases.

The Cardinals claimed Veneziano off waivers from the Marlins in August but then outrighted him off the 40-man in November. He was able to elect free agency, which allowed the Rangers to add him on this pact.

The southpaw came up as a starter but has primarily been working out of the bullpen in recent years. The 2025 Rangers built out their bullpen by signing a number of veterans to one-year deals. That worked fairly well but it meant that almost the entire relief group hit free agency last month. Phil Maton, Shawn Armstrong, Hoby Milner, Danny Coulombe and Chris Martin all hit the open market at season’s end. Texas also non-tendered Jacob Webb and Josh Sborz shortly thereafter.

Jacob Latz might get a chance at a rotation job next year, which means Robert Garcia is the top lefty in the bullpen. The Rangers added Tyler Alexander last week. If Veneziano can earn a 40-man spot, he still has an option, meaning he could be sent to Triple-A and back throughout the year. He also has less than a year of service time, meaning he could be cheaply retained for the foreseeable future if he can hold a roster spot through the upcoming season.

Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/12/rangers-sign-anthony-veneziano-to-minor-league-deal.html

 

[Texas Rangers]

Rangers To Re-Sign Chris Martin

The Rangers and veteran right-hander Chris Martin are in agreement on a one-year deal, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. The salary for the ISE Baseball client has not yet been publicly reported. Texas has a couple of 40-man vacancies and doesn’t need to make a corresponding move.

Not so long ago, it seemed like Martin was on his way out the door. Just over a year ago, in September of 2024, he said he was 95% sure that 2025 would be his final season. He turned 39 years old in June and made a few trips to the injured list during the campaign. The first IL stint was in May due to shoulder fatigue, followed by another in July due to a calf strain. Most ominously, his season was ended in late September due to a diagnosis of thoracic outlet syndrome.

Taken all together, it was fair to assume he would be hanging up his spikes. But just a few days ago, it was reported that he was planning to pitch in 2026. His current health status isn’t known but presumably the Rangers feel good about what he can contribute next year.

When he was healthy enough to be on the mound in 2025, his results were still good. He was still averaging in the mid-90s with his four-seamer and sinker, while also mixing in a cutter, splitter, slider and knuckle curve. Long one of the best control pitchers in the majors, he tossed 42 1/3 innings while only walking 4.6% of batters faced. He also struck out 24.7% of opponents and got grounders on 42.6% of balls in play. Put that all together and he allowed 2.98 earned runs per nine innings for the year.

The Texas front office has been given some budgetary constraints over the past few years. Last winter, they put together their bullpen primarily via a series of small one-year deals. In addition to Martin, they also signed Hoby Milner, Luke Jackson, Jacob Webb and Shawn Armstrong. That actually ended up working quite well, as the Texas bullpen was pretty good in 2025. But since they limited themselves to one-year deals, almost the entire bullpen hit free agency at season’s end.

Going into 2026, they are looking to rebuild the relief corps but appear to again be working with limited resources. They recently signed lefty Tyler Alexander to a modest one-year deal. They also reportedly have an agreement with Alexis Díaz. The numbers on that deal haven’t been reported yet but it’s surely on the low side as well. Martin made $5.5MM in 2025. Given his age and the injuries he dealt with in 2025, he shouldn’t be in line for much of a raise, or any at all.

RosterResource currently projects the Rangers to have a 2026 payroll about $50MM lower than in 2025, but since they are expected to spend less on next year’s team, they should have less than $50MM to work with. They are looking to bolster the rotation and add a righty bat, but continuing to build out the bullpen is also on the to-do list.

Photo courtesy of Lon Horwedel, D. Ross Cameron, Imagn Images

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/12/rangers-to-re-sign-chris-martin.html

 

[Texas Rangers]

Rangers Looking For Starting Pitcher, Right-Handed Bat

The Rangers just bolstered their roster with a few free agents, signing catcher Danny Jansen and left-hander Tyler Alexander. They reportedly also have an agreement in place with right-hander Alexis Díaz, although that deal isn’t official yet. President of baseball operations Chris Young and general manager Ross Fenstermaker spoke to the media today about the Jansen and Alexander signings and what’s still to come in the offseason. Jeff Wilson of DLLS Sports relays that the club is looking for a starting pitcher, a right-handed bat and further bullpen upgrades.

Those are all sensible targets. The lineup struggled in 2025 and they have already subtracted two notable righty bats. They traded Marcus Semien to the Mets for Brandon Nimmo and non-tendered outfielder Adolis García, who has now signed with the Phillies. Nimmo effectively replaces García in the Texas outfield but Nimmo swings from the left side. The most likely replacement for Semien at second is Josh Smith, another lefty.

In addition to Nmmo and Smith, the Rangers have lefties Corey Seager, Joc Pederson and Evan Carter in the lineup. Nimmo and Seager are everyday guys. Smith has fairly modest platoon splits thus far in his career. Pederson and Carter, however, both struggle against southpaws. Manager Skip Schumaker has suggested Carter could get a bit of a longer look against lefties but could also be shielded from some of the tougher ones.

A righty bat who could play some outfield could help the club on the grass and also in the designated hitter spot. Ezequiel Durán and Michael Helman are on the 40-man roster, swing right-handed and can play the outfield. Sam Haggerty is a switch-hitter. However, all three generally profile as light-hitting utility types.

The free agent market features Harrison Bader, Austin Hays, Miguel Andujar, Rob Refsnyder, Tommy Pham, Austin Slater, Randal Grichuk and other righty-swinging outfielders. No one in that group should command a massive deal but various reports have indicated the Rangers are reportedly dealing with a tight budget and have other things on the to-do list. Luis Robert Jr. seems to be available in trades but the White Sox are setting a high asking price. Nick Castellanos is out there but he hasn’t been an impact bat for a few years. The Astros are looking to flip Jake Meyers but he’s more of a glove-first outfielder. There’s also the intra-divisional aspect and the fact that Houston wants an immediate rotation upgrade that Texas can’t really provide.

Speaking of the rotation, the Rangers currently have a top-heavy group. Nathan Eovaldi and Jacob deGrom are a strong one-two punch at the front but it drops off after that. Tyler Mahle, Patrick Corbin, Merrill Kelly and Jon Gray all became free agents at season’s end. Jack Leiter is coming off a decent season, with a 3.86 earned run average over 151 2/3 innings. Kumar Rocker’s season wasn’t as smooth, as he had a 5.74 ERA over 14 starts. Jacob Latz had a decent year as a swingman but is still lacking in major league starting experience. There are some other starters on the 40-man but all are younger and even less experienced than Leiter and Rocker.

It would be prudent for the club to add a mid-rotation guy, one who would ideally slot in behind the Eovaldi and deGrom duo. Again, the financial constraints may play a role. Apart from the Dylan Cease signing, most of the top free agents are still out there, but the Rangers probably aren’t looking at that market. Perhaps someone like Chris Bassitt, Lucas Giolito or Zack Littell could be viable, depending on how much powder is dry and how the club attacks other spots. Guys like Kris Bubic, Edward Cabrera, MacKenzie Gore, Kodai Senga, Mitch Keller and others could be on the trade block, with varying degrees of trade value.

The budgetary concerns were a factor in the club’s bullpen-building strategy a year ago. They gave one-year deals to Chris Martin, Hoby Milner, Luke Jackson, Jacob Webb and Shawn Armstrong. The group ended up performing pretty well but almost the entire relief corps hit free agency after the 2025 season. As mentioned, they have added Alexander and Díaz but will presumably keep looking for more bullpen bargains. Wilson says the club isn’t expected to target the top of the relief market.

RosterResource currently projects the Rangers for a payroll of $175MM next year. That’s almost $50MM south of last year’s $224MM figure but all indications are that the club will spend less on the 2026 club, though it’s unclear exactly where they plan to end up.

Photo courtesy of Tim Heitman, Imagn Images

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/12/rangers-looking-for-starting-pitcher-right-handed-bat.html

 

[Texas Rangers]

Nine Teams Exceeded Luxury Tax Threshold In 2025

Major League Baseball has finalized its calculations of teams’ competitive balance tax payrolls for the 2025 season. As first reported by The Associated Press, nine teams surpassed the $241MM base threshold. In a separate post, The AP lists the finalized CBT numbers for all 30 teams.

The payments are as follows:

• Dodgers: $169.4MM
• Mets: $91.6MM
• Yankees: $61.8MM
• Phillies: $56.1MM
• Blue Jays: $13.6MM
• Padres: $7MM
• Astros: $1.5MM
• Red Sox: $1.5MM
• Rangers: $190K

Teams pay escalating penalties for exceeding the threshold in consecutive seasons. The Dodgers, Mets, Yankees, Phillies and Rangers have all paid the tax in at least three straight years — subjecting them to the highest escalator fees. The Astros went over the line for the second straight season. The Blue Jays, Padres and Red Sox had gotten below in 2024 and are categorized as first-time payors.

This is the second straight year in which nine teams paid the CBT. The Braves, Giants and Cubs had gone over the line in ’24 but dipped below this year, which resets their status going into 2026. Atlanta’s active offseason puts them in position to go back into tax territory next year, when the base threshold climbs to $244MM. San Francisco and Chicago each have projected CBT numbers more than $40MM below that right now.

While public estimates from RosterResource and Cot’s Baseball Contracts offer an excellent approximation of teams’ payroll commitments, the official numbers are not available during the season. It’s not uncommon for rounding errors in those calculations to vary by a few million dollars. That generally isn’t a big deal but can matter for teams that are hovering very close to the tax line. Each of the Red Sox ($249MM payroll), Astros ($246MM) and Rangers ($241.38MM) were believed to have gone narrowly beyond the $241MM cutoff, but that wasn’t 100% established until this evening — particularly in the case of Texas.

The Dodgers ($417MM), Mets ($347MM), Yankees ($320MM), Phillies ($314MM) and Blue Jays ($286MM) all had payrolls above $281MM. That was the third tier of penalization and marked the point at which a team’s top draft pick is dropped by 10 spots. The Mets were the only of those five that didn’t make the playoffs. Their top pick drops from 17th to 27th. The Yankees, Philadelphia, Toronto and L.A. all have their first-round pick dropped to between 35th and 40th.

Teams that paid the CBT are entitled to the lowest level of compensation for losing free agents who declined a qualifying offer. They receive a draft choice after the fourth round for each qualified free agent who walks. They’re charged the heaviest penalty — their second- and fifth-highest picks in 2026 and $1MM from their ’27 international bonus pool — for signing a qualified free agent from another team.

San Diego and the Mets receive a pick after the fourth round for losing Dylan Cease and Edwin Díaz, respectively. Toronto (Bo Bichette), Houston (Framber Valdez) and Philadelphia (Ranger Suárez) would receive the same if their free agents sign elsewhere. The Dodgers surrendered their second- and fifth-round selections for Díaz. Toronto is slated to do the same for Cease, but if Bichette walks, they’d give up that compensatory pick instead and get their fifth-rounder back.

The Dodgers’ combined payroll and tax bill for the 2025 season lands north of $586MM. The two-time defending champions’ tax hit alone is higher than the payrolls of the bottom 12 teams in the league. There were 14 clubs that had a CBT number above $200MM. The Braves, Cubs, Giants, Angels, Diamondbacks and Mariners were the other six teams above the median. All but Seattle spent more than $200MM.

On the other end, the Marlins ($87MM) and White Sox ($92MM) were the two teams with payrolls below $100MM. The Rays ($103MM), Pirates ($109MM) and Athletics ($118MM) rounded out the bottom five — followed by the Guardians, Nationals, Twins, Brewers and Reds.

Overall, the league will collect just under $403MM in taxes. Teams must make the payments by January 21. The first $3.5MM will be used to fund player benefits. Half the remaining money goes to players’ retirement accounts, while the other half is used for revenue sharing distribution from MLB to teams.

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/12/nine-teams-exceeded-luxury-tax-threshold-in-2025.html