The Rangers will sign Jacob Webb

The Rangers are on board with the right-hander Jacob Webb on a one-year contract, according to a report from FanSided’s Robert Murray. Financial terms have not yet been disclosed. The Rangers have a vacancy on their 40-man roster, but also have a deal in place with the right-hander Nathan Eovaldi. A corresponding move will be necessary once both agreements become official.

Webb was a somewhat surprising non-tender by the Orioles a few weeks ago. He pitched 56 2/3 innings for the O’s in 2024, allowing 3.02 earned runs per nine. His 11.4% walk rate was high, but he also struck out 24.5% of batters faced.

Baltimore could have kept him around via arbitration, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz pegging Webb at a fairly modest salary of $1.7 million next year, but the O’s evidently didn’t want him back at that price. He was non-tendered and was then sent to free agency without being exposed to waivers, which allowed him to sign this deal.

The Rangers will likely pay Webb something in that range, so he’s a fairly low-cost addition to the bullpen. This is a sensible move for them as humanitarian aid is a critical need and budget is a concern. Kirby Yates, David Robertson, José LeclercAND José Urena they were the relievers with the most innings pitched for Texas in 2024 and all four are now free agents. Beyond that, Josh Sborz he underwent shoulder surgery which will keep him out of action until mid-season.

From a budgetary point of view, the club hopes to avoid the Competitive Balance Tax next year, which could mean that more expensive concessions are not an option for them. RosterResource pegs its CBT number just above $220 million right now, which means they’re still about $20 million away from the $241 million base mark, but they probably want to save some wiggle room for moves during the season.

Taking all of that into account, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Rangers take fliers on some cheap relief tickets, starting with this one. Webb now has 187 innings of major league experience with a 2.98 ERA, a 23.5% strikeout rate and an 11.1% walk rate. If he has a good year with Texas in 2025, he can be retained via arbitration for the 2026 season as well.