Closing Time or Out of Time? Pressure Mounts on a 29-Year-Old Closer for the Texas Rangers in 2026

The Texas Rangers are off to an impressive 4-2 start and come back home for their first home stand of the new 2026 MLB season. There have been some ups and downs, but for the most part, they’ve held their own through some impressive scoring and clutch relief moments. Something to keep an eye on throughout the season is the relievers in the bullpen; more specifically, the closers. Last year, Phil Maton took control of the closer spot and was able to give the Rangers some valuable wins, but that was more of a forced move as the original closer, Robert Garcia, was letting wins slip through his fingers, literally and figuratively throwing the game away. 

The 29-year-old California native has a great mix of pitches: a mid-90s four-seam fastball, a deceptive changeup, and a slippery slider. Garcia has some potential that may or may not be untapped as of yet, but as one of the only three Rangers relievers who are on the active roster for the entire 2025 regular season going into the new season, there is trust from the clubhouse that he can take the mound and get the job done. He’s got pressure, though, due to his past appearances on the mound and during the 2025 season. The 29-year-old was able to post a sub-3.00 ERA and recorded a 1.15 ERA over the last 15 appearances, which are excellent stats and something any team would be grateful for, but he had some woes, as he wasn’t consistent, especially in high-leverage spots. Garcia posted eight relief losses and seven blown saves last year, which were among the highest in the American League. 

Additional pressure comes from the bullpen alone, as Chris Martin, Tyler Alexander, Jakob Junis, Jacob Latz, Cole Winn, and a former Rule 5 pick from the Orioles, Carter Baumler. Martin and Alexander have been the recent “go-tos” for the Rangers in the closer spot, with Winn, Junis, and Garcia fighting for a permanent rotation spot as they’re proving to the team that they can be trusted and relied on to go in and keep a lead, which was an issue last year for the Rangers. Personally, a favorite of mine thus far has been Junis, as the Rangers got a glimpse of his potential during the Baltimore series, where he pitched four innings, recording three strikeouts and allowing only one hit. He may soon become a fan favorite, as during that Baltimore series, he made a couple of big plays in the field and shut down any momentum Baltimore had built. 

Although Garcia is 29 and still has a lot of time left in the league and in his prime, he’s got some competition from the younger arms in the bullpen, especially coming from Baumler and Winn. Baumler is a 24-year-old righty who had a very cool moment towards the end of Spring Training, as manager Skip Schumaker made his way towards the mound, not to relieve him, but to tell him personally and mid-game that he made the starting rotation for the Rangers, marking an emotional beginning to a potentially great season. So far, he’s been productive as he’s pitched in just under five innings, punching out five batters, and has an early ERA of 3.86. Expect that number to go down as the season goes on; he’s got a heater of a fastball in the upper 90s, a fast-breaking slider, and a changeup that has the potential to cause lots of swing-and-misses. If Baumler can take control of his command early and run away with it, he’s going to prove useful and reliable in that reliever rotation. Winn is a former first-round pick in 2018 for the Rangers, and so far has had an excellent start to the season. Already recording his first win of the season, he’s appeared in three games, pitching three innings and recording three strikeouts. At 26, he’s also a candidate for replacing Garcia if he continues to be as dominant as he’s been so far throughout the season. 

All in all, the pressure on these Rangers pitchers is enormous. They’re continuing to try to get back to where they were in 2023 and call themselves World Series Champions, and with the relievers continuing to be the biggest question mark on the team. It’s up to Garcia to trust in his stuff on the mound and cement himself as a reliable and trustworthy arm for the Rangers. The 29-year-old must strike fear in all the batters he faces and clutch up big wins.