When the Texas Rangers officially announced the signing of right-handed reliever Luis Curvelo, one could be excused for asking, “who?”
After all, he’s never pitched at the Major League level. But it didn’t stop the Rangers from placing him on their MLB roster.
The move stands in stark contrast to the two major bullpen moves the Rangers made last offseason, signing two well-heeled veterans in Kirby Yates and David Robertson.
Yates emerged as the Rangers’ closer and earned an All-Star nod. Robertson was Texas’ primary set-up man. Both are free agents, along with long-time Rangers reliever Jose Leclerc.
Texas could lose all three. Curvelo may represent the first piece of starting over.
Per MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, Curvelo was “one of the most popular free agents” at the annual GM Meetings in San Antonio earlier this month.
Why? It’s possible the former international signee of the Seattle Mariners has finally figured something out.
The 24-year-old played at Double-A Arkansas in 2024, going 4-0 with three saves, and a 2.57 ERA in 66 2/3 innings over 49 appearances. He was the Mariners’ minor league pitcher of the month in August and was among Texas League pitching leaders in holds (first with 14), games (second), WHIP (third, 0.86), and ERA (11th).
His 189 appearances since 2018 rank second among Mariners minor league pitchers, his 334 strikeouts rank 8th, and his 1.13 WHIP rank 9th. He may lack MLB experience, but he’s shown durability.
He’s never pitched above Double-A, however, so he would have to make a quick jump to help the Rangers in 2025. The Mariners had to move him to their 40-man roster or allow him to be a free agent. Texas had spots open on its 40-man and pounced.
Aside from Yates, Robertson and Jose Urena — who is also a free agent — the Rangers’ bullpen was below the league average in most major categories. A look at the team’s 40-man roster right now shows that president of baseball operations Chris Young needs to continue the work of rebuilding this bullpen.
The 40-man roster includes relief options like Grant Anderson, Marc Church, Carson Coleman, Roansy Contreras, Matt Festa, Gerson Garabito, and Jake Latz. Others, like Owen White and Cole Winn could be swingmen. World Series hero Josh Sborz remains an unknown quantity with a lingering shoulder issue.
Signing Curvelo represents low-risk and high reward for Texas, which needs to hit the jackpot this offseason when it comes to the bullpen.
