Entering the 2026 MLB season, the Texas Rangers knew that they needed some help at the catcher's position. The club non-tendered Jonah Heim after the season ended, so Texas needed to do something.

Therefore, the Rangers have picked up Danny Jansen, who played last season for the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers. The ballclub also added left-handed pitcher Tyler Alexander to their pitching staff. Besides Alexander, there's been some reporting from MLB.com that Texas might be close to a deal with Alexis Díaz.

Jansen agreed to a two-year contract for a reported $14.5 million with an option for 2027. Alexander is joining Texas on a one-year deal.

Jansen's defense is something that the Rangers really must have liked a lot. Last season, Jansen had 14 blocks above average. Jansen, though, has spent time during his MLB career on the injured list. In 2025, though, he managed to appear in 98 games, hitting .215 with a .720 OPS.

He avoided going on the injured list last season, too. When hitting, Jansen is known for pulling the ball and putting it in the air. The Rangers hope that Jansen continues that trend next season, too.

Alexander will be a strong addition to the Rangers' bullpen. In seven MLB seasons, Alexander has a 4.63 ERA while playing for four MLB clubs. This also is a coming home of sorts for Alexander, who played high school ball at Southlake Carroll in Southlake, Texas, which is just miles away from Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. 

Alexander played his college ball at TCU in Fort Worth, so that put him in close proximity to go and see Rangers games while he was in college.

As for Díaz, he played for three teams last season and put together a not-so-impressive 8.15 ERA. That happened on the heels of a pretty outstanding 2023, when Díaz was an All-Star, and posted a 3.99 ERA in 2024.

Texas set a foundation for its bullpen last season. With Alexander and, hopefully, Díaz coming on board, that just adds some additional arms that Rangers manager Skip Schumaker can look at to bring in as needed.

While at the Winter Meetings last week in Orlando, Fla., Rangers general manager Ross Fenstermaker talked about what type of pitching philosophy the team is taking at this time.

"Last year, we wanted to get back to dominating the strike zone, so we targeted pitchers with a historical track record of throwing strikes and attacking the strike zone," Fenstermaker said. "I think it's going to be much of the same going forward. But that is kind of a fundamental truth and a through point for us in terms of our pitching philosophy."

Look for these additions to the Rangers' roster to come through for Schumaker, Fenstermaker, and Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young in 2026.

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