Veteran reliever Chris Martin may be destined to land on the Texas Rangers for his final hoo-rah in the MLB.
Chris Martin could make Rangers his final stop in the MLB
MLB Trade Rumors’ Mark Polishuk shared developing news surrounding Martin, which suggests that his desire to play in Texas before announcing his retirement could be what pairs him with the Rangers, who share a mutual interest in him this winter:
“As the Rangers continue to rebuild their bullpen, their list of targets includes a local product, as Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes that the team has interest in Arlington native Chris Martin. The veteran reliever said in September that he is “95%” certain that 2025 will be his last season, and since Martin is thought to be prioritizing teams closer to his home in Texas, a return to the Rangers would make a lot of logical sense for both sides,” Polishuk wrote.
Martin has quality play left in him as he mulls retirement
Martin was still very effective in 2024. He went 3-1 with a stout 1.13 WHIP and 50 strikeouts. Though last season was the first time he sported an ERA north of 2.00 since 2021 at 3.45, the Alabama native showed that he can still contribute at a high level for a big-league ball club.
The Rangers could use strong depth options in their bullpen. Texas as a unit suffered the third-most blown leads (39) in the MLB last season, per Champs or Chumps. They also produced 38 saves on the campaign, which was 12th-highest in the Majors and a marker that 17 other teams bested on the year.
Thus, a quality late-innings pitcher like Martin could help the Rangers return to World Series contention in 2025. A final shot at winning a Fall Classic in his desired locale would offer him a great opportunity for his swan song campaign.
