No one can accuse the former energy industry CEO of being overly frugal, considering the substantial commitments he is pledging to Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, but additional investments might be needed to properly address the pitching staff. Well, the Rangers are staying under the radar for now, as evidenced by their latest move. They have agreed to a minor league contract with right-hander Adrian Houser, per Aram Leighton.
The 2011 second-round draft pick made 97 starts for the Milwaukee Brewers before being traded to the New York Mets last December. His peak remains his 2021 campaign, in which he posted a 10-6 record, 3.22 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 142 1/3 innings. Houser’s rough tenure in Flushing (5.84 ERA in 23 appearances) suggests that his days as a dependable rotation guy are long over, but an opportunity could present itself in Arlington.
Rangers’ rotation figures to look much different
Max Scherzer, Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney are all free agents, so president of baseball operations Chris Young has potential slots to fill. Assuming Houser can gather his bearings in the minors, he may be called upon to provide depth on the MLB roster.
Erick Fedde is proof that almost any pitcher can rise from the ashes under the right circumstances. He played himself out of the big leagues, shined in South Korea and then turned himself into a coveted trade deadline commodity last season. Perhaps fellow 31-year-old Adrian Houser can enjoy a similar resurgence in 2025.
The Rangers are counting on Kumar Rocker and Cody Bradford to lead a youth movement that can tremendously revitalize a pitching staff that ranked 24th in the MLB with a 4.35 ERA. But future Hall of fame manager Bruce Bochy surely values experience as well. Houser’s pursuit of redemption may perfectly coincide with that preference.
The offseason rolls on in the Lone Star State.