The Texas Rangers and right-hander Jakob Junis have agreed to a one-year, $4 million contract, according to reports. The deal includes a mutual option for the 2027 season, as noted by Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News. The signing is pending a corresponding move on the Rangers’ 40-man roster.
Bullpen Boost: Junis Transitions to Relief Role in Texas
The Rangers are reshaping their bullpen with veteran additions, and Junis brings a unique skillset honed during a breakout 2025 season.
- Junis will pitch exclusively out of the bullpen for Texas, a role he excelled in during 2025 with the Guardians.
- The 33-year-old veteran posted a solid 2.97 ERA and limited hard contact in his first season as a full-time reliever.
- Texas has been active this offseason, adding several new arms to address departures from last year’s bullpen.
Texas intends to utilize Junis as a reliever, building on his successful transition in 2025. Throughout his nine-year MLB career, Junis has made 249 appearances, starting 116 of them, and even made some spot starts in 2023-24. However, in 2025, he signed a one-year, $4.5 million deal with the Cleveland Guardians and focused solely on relief work, appearing in 57 games and throwing 66 2/3 innings.
What’s the key to Junis’ recent success? He drastically limited home runs, halving his HR/9 rate from 1.4 over his first eight seasons to 0.7 in Cleveland. This improvement stemmed from a strategic shift in his pitch mix, increasing his changeup usage from 8.7% in 2024 to 20% in 2025. This adjustment transformed both his changeup and primary slider into highly effective out pitches.
Junis enters his age-33 season with a familiar face in the Rangers organization. He broke into the majors with the 2017 Kansas City Royals alongside current Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young. He’s the latest addition to Young’s ongoing overhaul of the Texas bullpen this offseason.
Chris Martin opted to return to the Rangers for another season, but Hobby Milner, Shawn Armstrong, Jacob Webb, and Phil Maton have all departed in free agency. Texas has responded by bringing in Alexis Diaz, Tyler Alexander, Carter Baumler, Zak Kent, and now Junis, whose 2025 performance stands out among the group. Junis’ ability to pitch multiple innings and handle high-leverage situations will be a valuable asset as the Rangers finalize their bullpen configuration.
