Texas Rangers Morning Rundown: Cody Bradford belongs in 2025 starting rotation

The left-hander allowed one run in six innings in his 10th start of the season to lift the Rangers to a third straight victory.

The big story hanging over the Texas Rangers this offseason is their TV future. As of now, they don’t have a broadcast partner and the money that comes with one.

Nathan Eovaldi isn’t going to pitch for free next season. Assuming he opts out of his player option, he’s going to have plenty of suitors willing to pay him.

Andrew Heaney and Max Scherzer will be free agents, too, and the Rangers are facing the possibility of having to replace three starting pitchers. The good news is they have one already replacement on the club.

It’s Cody Bradford, who delivered another quality start Thurday night in the Rangers’ 3-1 victory over the Angels. He and three relievers made Adolis Garcia’s first-inning three-run homer hold up for a third straight victory.

“Cody, another outstanding job,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “We keep talking about how well he’s pitching, and again tonight he was on top of his game.”

If big TV money isn’t on the horizon and if ownership gets alligator arms when it comes time to pay free agents, Bradford becomes even more attractive. He will be making the league minimum, which will be $760,000 in 2025.

But Bradford won’t be a bargain-bin option in the same vein as a veteran starter looking for one last shot. Bradford has earned a spot in next season’s rotation.

He has a 3.05 ERA in 10 starts. He limits walks, limits hard contact and gets better the deeper he goes in games. He’s not flashy and lacks velocity in an era where teams covet strikeouts.

Ultimately, teams covet pitchers who get outs, and Bradford gets outs.

Yates again

Only three closers in the American League have more saves than Kirby Yates, who notched No. 27 in the opener against the Angels. While re-signing Eovaldi is No. 1 on the Rangers’ offseason to-do list, they also want Yates to return.

He’s making $4.5 million this season, so he’s going to get a raise. At 37, he’s probably seeking a multi-year contract. Considering how good he’s been this season, he should get a two-year deal.

For all that has gone wrong this season, the Rangers absolutely nailed their offseason goal of fixing the back of the bullpen. Yates and David Robertson have been terrific, and the Rangers would be in far worse shape than they are if not for that duo.

Robertson holds a $7 million mutual option for 2025 with a $1.5 million buyout. The guess here is that Robertson becomes a free agent. Even at age 40, he could command more than $7 million.

If the Rangers want to be a contender in 2025, they would be wise to keep both relievers. But if money is an issue and only one can be kept, Yates should be the Rangers’ focus.

Rocker tonight

Right-hander Kumar Rocker, suddenly, the No. 30 prospect in the game, returns to the mound tonight with extra rest after a dazzling Triple A debut last week, when he tossed five scoreless innings on one hit with 10 strikeouts.

The foe this week is Las Vegas, which on Thursday extended Round Rock’s losing streak to six games by connecting for five home runs. Right-hander Ryan Garcia pitched well early one but was charged with three runs in five innings.

Rocker has a 0.36 ERA across six starts/24 2/3 innings at Double A and Triple A. Baseball America rated him as the No. 30 prospect earlier this week in its latest Top 100 update.

Card of the Week

Barring an 11th-hour change of heart, Elvis Andrus is retiring today as a member of the Rangers. They acquired him in 2007 when he was 18 years old and traded him in February 2021 when he was 32. He turned just 36 last month.

The Rangers added him in the Mark Teixeira trade. Andrus’ true rookie card was snapped a year earlier. The Card of the Week is his 2006 Bowman Chrome Prospects.

Doggy video!

Completely random and pretty funny. Enjoy.

Gotta say hi to the leaves first pic.twitter.com/Q2GRp1pSDt

— B&S (@_B___S) September 3, 2024

Jeff Wilson, jwilson@alldlls.com