{"id":8950,"date":"2023-12-05T14:19:24","date_gmt":"2023-12-05T22:19:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportrelay.com\/mlb\/?p=8950"},"modified":"2023-12-05T14:30:24","modified_gmt":"2023-12-05T22:30:24","slug":"rangers-sign-kirby-yates-to-bolster-bullpen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportrelay.com\/mlb\/2023\/12\/05\/rangers-sign-kirby-yates-to-bolster-bullpen\/","title":{"rendered":"Rangers Sign Kirby Yates to Bolster Bullpen"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Texas Rangers<\/a> have made their first splash of the 2023 Winter Meetings by signing right-hander Kirby Yates<\/strong><\/a>. The one-year pact between the two sides was first reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>For the moment, the financial details of the deal, which is pending a physical, are unknown. This move is an indication that the Rangers are making the bullpen a top priority this offseason. Kirby Yates should be a welcomed addition to a Rangers team that, despite winning its first World Series, finished 24th in the majors in bullpen ERA (4.77) in the regular season.<\/p>\n

Yates’ Emergence in 2023<\/h4>\n

Kirby Yates had a nice bounce-back season in ’23. He logged a 3.28 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 60 1\/3 innings for the Atlanta Braves<\/a>. Yates finished with a respectable record of 7\u20132 with a WHIP of 1.193. This was a refreshing change of pace, both for for him and the Braves. That stretch came after a string of injuries that limited him to 11 1\/3 innings over the previous three seasons. Those injuries forced Yates to sit out the entire 2021 season during the Braves’ World Series run in which they beat the Houston Astros<\/a> in six games. In 2019, Kirby Yates established himself as of the most dominant relievers in baseball. He led the National League with 41 saves that year, compiling a 1.19 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 60 2\/3 innings.<\/p>\n

What He Brings to the Rangers<\/h4>\n

Yates brings a much-needed veteran presence to the Rangers’ bullpen. As previously mentioned, they ranked in the bottom-five in ERA. These are results that manager Bruce Bochy<\/strong><\/a>, as well as the both the coaching and front office staffs, would like to see improvement. Yates is a veteran of nine seasons in the major leagues. He owns a career ERA of 3.53 over 361 games. Along with his tour of duty with the Braves, he has also spent time with the Tampa Bay Rays<\/a>, New York Yankees<\/a>, Los Angeles Angels<\/a>, and the San Diego Padres<\/a>. Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see what the Rangers do with their remaining time at the Winter Meetings. They run through Wednesday in Nashville, Tennessee.<\/p>\n

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Main Photo:<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>