Texas Rangers

It's not certain when Clayton Kershaw will be able to pitch in 2024 as he recovers from shoulder surgery, but that isn't stopping the Texas Rangers from their semi-regular pursuit of the three-time NL Cy Young winner.

Per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, the Rangers are keeping an eye on Kershaw as they explore various pitching options for their starting rotation next season.

Kershaw announced on Nov. 3 he had surgery to repair the glenohumeral ligaments and capsule in his left shoulder after experiencing a notable dip in velocity during his starts late in the 2023 season.

The 35-year-old didn't dismiss the possibility of retiring following the Los Angeles Dodgers' loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Division Series.

"I don't know how to answer that," Kershaw said when asked about potentially walking away from the sport. His statement about the surgery did at least leave open the door to returning, saying he was "hopeful" to pitch at some point next summer.

If Kershaw is going to play in 2024, the Rangers and Dodgers are the two most likely landing spots. The Dodgers are the only franchise he's ever played for since being selected with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2006 MLB draft.

The Rangers have tried multiple times over the years to bring in Kershaw as a free agent. There have been rumblings about them at least making an effort to sign him dating back to the winter of 2018.

After signing a one-year deal with the Dodgers last December, Kershaw told reporters that Los Angeles and Texas were the "only two teams that I would ever play for going forward."

The Rangers certainly don't mind taking big swings on injury-prone starting pitchers. They signed Jacob deGrom to a five-year, $185 million deal last offseason. He was great in six starts during the 2023 season with a 2.67 ERA and 45 strikeouts over 30.1 innings before undergoing Tommy John surgery on June 18.

Texas proved it could win a World Series with a pieced-together rotation in October because its lineup is good enough to overcome limitations in the pitching staff. It's a dangerous way to live, but the results from last season are hard to argue with.

Kershaw, even at this late stage of his career, posted a 2.46 ERA with 137 strikeouts in 131.2 innings over 24 starts last season.

The Texas Rangers are reigning World Series champions, which is quite the sales pitch to any free agent.

Including Shohei Ohtani.

"Money's great, but winning's better," Max Scherzer said during an appearance on Foul Territory TV when asked to make a pitch on the Rangers' behalf for Ohtani. "If you want to come win, that's better than money. I promise."

Scherzer came to the Rangers last season via trade from the New York Mets in a move that certainly worked out well for the veteran pitcher. He posted a 3.20 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 53 strikeouts in eight appearances and 45 innings for the team in the regular season and then won a World Series ring in the postseason.

Ohtani is a generational talent who is coming off an MVP season, but he has never been to the postseason.

Signing with the Rangers would be a quick way to change that, and his presence in the lineup would make them even more dangerous come October.

A key piece to the Texas Rangers' run to their first-ever World Series roster, closer José Leclerc got his $6.25 million option picked up by the organization Saturday, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

Leclerc, 29, would have become a free agent this offseason had Texas decided to not pick up the option. And considering how impactful he was during the team's postseason run—that didn't seem like a likely choice.

In 13 postseason appearances this year, Leclerc had a 3.29 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and four saves.

This is the second-consecutive season in which the Rangers' have decided to exercise the club option for Leclerc. His 2023 option was worth $6 million—a bargain for someone who established himself as one of the better closers in baseball during the playoffs.

Leclerc signed a four-year extension worth $14.75 million back in 2019.

Like most of the Rangers' bullpen—which was dismal during the regular season—Leclerc stepped up big when his team needed him most in the postseason. Texas had arguably the worst bullpen in all of baseball throughout the 162.

The Rangers converted just 47.6 percent (30 of 63) of their save opportunities in the regular season, the worst margin in MLB and Leclerc was part of the problem.

Leclerc had five blown saves in the regular season to go along with a 2.68 ERA. It's one of the reasons the organization tried so many different options at closer including Will Smith, and Aroldis Chapman before turning back to Leclerc.

But the latter earned his money in the postseason and was instrumental to sealing a World Series title.

Will Smith is the definition of a champion.

The Texas Rangers reliever is the first player in MLB history to win three straight World Series titles with three different teams. He's also the first player across any of the four major North American sports (MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL) to accomplish the feat.

Prior to winning the Fall Classic with the Rangers on Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Smith was a member of the Atlanta Braves' 2021 title-winning squad and the Houston Astros' championship roster in 2022.

Smith appeared in two World Series games for the Rangers this year, striking out two batters and allowing two runs in just 1.1 innings of work.

The 34-year-old also tossed four innings in four World Series games with the Braves in 2021, striking out one batter and allowing two hits, but he did not appear in a single postseason game for the Astros in 2022.

Smith began his MLB career in 2012 with the Kansas City Royals and he has also played for the Milwaukee Brewers and San Francisco Giants.

During the 2023 regular season, Smith posted a 4.40 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 55 strikeouts in 57.1 innings across 60 relief appearances.

The Georgia native was on a one-year deal with the Rangers and will now become a free agent. Seeing as how Smith has won three straight World Series titles, baseball bettors might want to throw some money on whichever team he signs with in 2024 to win the championship.