An abbreviated season from a pitcher the Rangers had hoped would be a boost in the second half of 2024
With the 2024 regular season over, it is time for us to go back and take a look at the players who appeared for the Texas Rangers this season.
Today, we look at pitcher Tyler Mahle.
Things don’t always work out exactly to plan. Take, for example, the Rangers’ signing of pitcher Tyler Mahle last offseason.
In the 2023-24 offseason, Mahle was coming off a season that was cut short after five starts due to Tommy John surgery, and was expected to be out until the All Star Break in 2024. He was traded by the Cincinnati Reds to the Minnesota Twins at the trade deadline in 2022 — and was someone the Rangers were apparently interested in at the time as well — but only ended up making nine starts for Minnesota due to injury issues.
Mahle had put up a 3.75 ERA and a 4.9 bWAR in 2021, and was good in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season (3.59 ERA, 3.88 FIP in 9 starts and a relief appearance). Even in 2022, when he only made 23 starts between the Reds and Twins, he had a 1.9 bWAR. He appeared to be someone who was a solid starting pitcher when healthy, and someone who would be healthy for the second half of 2024.
So the Rangers signed him to a two year, $22 million deal, looking at him as someone who would be tantamount to a trade deadline addition in 2024, and who would then slot into the middle of the Rangers’ rotation in 2025.
Alas, like so many plans the Rangers made for 2024, this plan didn’t pan out. Mahle came along slowly, making his first rehab start in the minors on July 2, and logging a total of six rehab appearances before being activated and joining the Rangers’ rotation on August 6. In that start, he looked fine, holding the Astros to one run over five innings, striking out two and walking one.
Mahle only made two more starts after that. He was placed on the injured list later in the month with shoulder soreness, opening up a roster spot that was filled by Jon Gray, who was returning from groin soreness. Two weeks later, it was announced that Gray was joining Mahle on the injured list, and both were done for the year.
Maybe Mahle would have returned had the Rangers been in the playoff race, had there been something to play for. I don’t know. But with the Rangers out of the race, Mahle ended up getting shut down for the year, the better for him to be full strength in 2025.
Mahle staying healthy the rest of 2024 wouldn’t have changed the outcome for the Rangers’ season. He wasn’t the difference between the team being a playoff team and failing to miss the playoffs. He was just one of a variety of things that didn’t come together for the Rangers in 2024 as was hoped.
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