Back on Jan. 18, 2026, the Texas Rangers agreed to a one-year deal with relief pitcher Jakob Junis.

The contract had a mutual option in place for 2027, but Junis decided not to exercise that option, therefore forgoing the $5 million and electing free agency, according to Dallas Morning News' Shawn McFarland.

Fresh off a year where he appeared in 53 games, this is a blow to the Rangers bullpen.

Junis, 34, is at that same age as designated hitter Joc Pederson who declined his option as well.

For what it's worth, Pederson's option was worth far more money, and that move came as much more of a surprise than the one here.

Junis was a 0.6 WAR player this season, which is officially the lowest it's been in a full season since 2021.

Keep in mind, Junis only played in 24 games combined during 2020-21, so while he was a -0.2 WAR and 0.1 WAR player those years, the sample size is nowhere near what he just did this past season.

It's crazy to think that 18 of his 27 career holds came this year with the Rangers. Junis was used as the set-up man quite often, but he also had six saves this year which proved that he could bounce around when needed.

With only a pair of blown saves on the year, Junis ended the 2026 campaign with a 3.64 ERA. He allowed eight runs in just eight innings during the month of September, though it's worth noting four of those came in that appearance where he blew a save.

Junis finished with a sub-3.00 ERA in March, April, May, July, and August. 

May and September marked the only months where he finished with just one hold, though those two months weren't comparable in the slightest.

In May, Junis had a 1.74 ERA in 10.1 innings pitched. He picked up his first loss of the season in the month, though he only gave up one earned run in 2.2 innings pitched. He also ended the month with his first blown save in another appearance where he allowed just one run.

In September, Junis was clearly dealing with fatigue and simply wasn't able to get the job done consistently. He had three appearances combine for just 0.2 innings. For reference, prior to his four-run outing where he didn't record an out, he pitched a full inning in 13 of his last 14 appearances.

The Arkansas native will officially hit free agency and free up $5 million for the Rangers to use wherever they deem necessary.