This story was excerpted from Kennedi Landry’s Rangers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ARLINGTON -- It's less than a month until pitchers and catchers report, so what’s on your mind?

With Spring Training just around the corner, it’s about time for another Rangers Inbox as the World Series champs look to repeat. Let’s dive in.

All questions via X (formerly Twitter).

How different will the bullpen look compared to last season? -- @lorechata

It’s not much of a shock, but there are quite a few question marks in the bullpen going into Spring Training. Losing veterans like Aroldis Chapman and Will Smith is significant, no matter how many high-tension moments the two of them provided in 2023.

I believe that by Opening Day José Leclerc will have reclaimed his position as the closer, while somebody like the newly signed Kirby Yates fulfills the high-leverage left-hander spot. Josh Sborz will likely keep getting high-leverage looks if he enters camp healthy, and guys like Brock Burke and Jonathan Hernández will probably enter the regular season as middle relief, with the opportunity to earn more high-leverage spots.

The biggest change I see will come in a duo of rookie relievers who I think will make a big impact going into 2024: Marc Church -- the Rangers’ No. 19 prospect, per MLB Pipeline -- and left-hander Antoine Kelly (No. 26). Both were added to the 40-man roster this offseason and finished 2023 with Triple-A Round Rock. It wouldn’t be a shock to see the youth make some contributions out of the bullpen.

Is there any substantive update on how [Jacob] DeGrom is progressing? I guess [Tyler] Mahle and [Max] Scherzer too? -- @shawndavidterry

At the time that Mahle signed with the Rangers the week before Christmas, he had already begun throwing. According to general manager Chris Young, Mahle is exactly where he should be in terms of his progression.

Young also said that day that deGrom had not yet started throwing at that point. He was expected to start ramping up around the start of the new year after a checkup, and there had been no substantial setbacks with his recovery.

Scherzer had successful surgery on his back for a herniated disk in December, but we have not heard an update since.

[Nathaniel] Lowe played in 161 games and definitely faded in September and October. Would you envision them getting him at least a few days off throughout the season? -- @RookieMisteak

Honestly, I wouldn't envision manager Bruce Bochy and the coaching staff giving Lowe too many extra days off in 2024.

Last season, before the All-Star break, Lowe hit .270/.360/.421 in 90 games. He hit .251/.361/.404 in 71 games in the second half. But it’s worth noting that he played in 157 games in each of the 2021 and '22 seasons, and in both of those years, he was better in the second half than the first.

Lowe may not play 161 games again, but I would not expect fewer than 150 games for the first baseman -- barring an intense drop-off later in the season.

Why did the Rangers lowball Bombi? -- @RobinBlueWater

The Rangers agreed to terms with seven of their eight arbitration-eligible players ahead of last Thursday’s deadline, but Adolis García was the lone outlier, a development that may send the club to its first arbitration hearing since 2000.

García is coming off a career year in which he earned his second All-Star selection and first Gold Glove Award, while slashing .245/.328/.508 with career highs in home runs (39) and walks (65). He was also named the AL Championship Series MVP as part of the Rangers’ World Series run.

When the two parties exchanged numbers, the Rangers’ offered $5 million and García requested $6.9 million, which was the largest arbitration gap in MLB this offseason. It’s easy to see why it seems like the Rangers lowballed their star outfielder, but García’s case seems to be an anomaly across the board. Even projections had big gaps.

García was projected by Cot’s Baseball Contracts to earn just over $5 million in his first year of arbitration. MLB Trade Rumors projected $6.6 million. More than anything, it seems like García’s age (30) entering his first year of arbitration affected how the exchanging of numbers played out.

• Best of Adolis García in 2023

The club and García will likely continue to negotiate before an arbitration hearing (typically held in February), and none of this may matter by the time players report to Surprise, Ariz., next month.

Any specific goals to focus on for Spring Training? Defense, walks, plate discipline? Where/What does the team think it can/needs to improve on over last season (Other than not blowing saves, obvi!) -- @TheComicSource

Honestly, the biggest thing that stood in the Rangers' way last season -- other than an unreliable bullpen -- was health. It’s been acknowledged in this very newsletter many times that five of Texas’ six All-Stars -- Corey Seager, Josh Jung, Jonah Heim, García and Nathan Eovaldi -- spent various amounts of time on the injured list in the second half of 2023.

Marcus Semien (162 games) and Nathaniel Lowe (161) were the only starters to play consistently.

There’s always room for improvement across the team. García will likely work to continue taking more walks; Lowe will always want to improve on his defense; Evan Carter will need to learn to hit left-handed pitching, just to name a few examples. But through all of that, keeping the stars healthy should be the No. 1 priority going into Spring Training and throughout the season.

Are the Rangers going to be good again? -- @codfish42

I think they will be, yes.