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 -- Tyler Mahle has always been drawn to Texas.
He hasn’t been there all that often, but the Dallas-Fort Worth area had an undeniable pull for him, from the restaurants and food to the American Airlines Center to see the Stars play and everything in between. Add in the reigning World Series champion Texas Rangers and Mahle knew the Metroplex was the place for him.
On Thursday, Mahle and the Rangers agreed to a two-year, $22 million deal. The right-hander had been on Texas’ radar since the 2022 Trade Deadline, when Mahle first began considering the possibility of living in DFW. That ultimately didn’t happen, but the two sides finally teamed up this offseason.
“It's obvious they're trying to win and they're trying to win now,” Mahle said of the front office. “They've been making a big push for it. I think anyone would be crazy not to want to go play for this team that obviously is really good. Their focus is trying to win and trying to win the World Series. You have to respect that, so talking with them over Zoom and [manager Bruce Bochy], I loved what they had to say.”
The 29-year-old won’t pitch until midseason at best after undergoing Tommy John surgery last May. His right elbow issues cut short a promising 2023 campaign with the Twins after he posted a 3.16 ERA with 28 strikeouts to five walks over his first five starts. Mahle was acquired by Minnesota from Cincinnati at the 2022 Trade Deadline after spending all of his professional career with the Reds organization.
But because of injuries, Mahle ultimately only made nine starts for the Twins.
“It was a lot,” Mahle said of his frustration with his injuries. “You get traded to a team that's in the playoff hunt and you're not able to help out. Then the next year, the team’s obviously going to make the playoffs -- we were a very good team -- and I'm not able to contribute to that team either. So it was very frustrating. All you want to do as an athlete is compete and I was hurt. So, yeah, I mean, it was super frustrating.”
Despite the injury and delayed start to the season for Mahle, general manager Chris Young sees the right-hander as a valuable piece of the Rangers' plans, both in 2024 and ‘25.
Before injuries derailed his Minnesota stint, Mahle firmly established himself in the Reds’ rotation from 2020-21, going 15-8 with a 3.72 ERA (127 ERA+) across 43 games (42 starts).
“I think before the surgery, Tyler was really coming into his own, and a couple years ago he had a tremendous season,” Young said. “He was a Deadline target of ours in 2022, and we've continued to monitor him -- and we're excited about where he is in his career with his age, the recovery he's going to make and the ability to hopefully help our team in the second half of this season and certainly in 2025 as a mid-rotation starter and with upside potential there.”
Mahle said he’s about five weeks into his throwing program post-surgery, which continues trending in the right direction.
Mahle is one of three Rangers starting pitchers -- along with Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer -- set to return from injury in the second half of the 2024 season. When he’s healthy and at his best, Mahle easily complements a rotation with Nathan Eovaldi and Jon Gray, along with the returning deGrom and Scherzer.
“[At my best], I’m locating my fastball,” Mahle said. “That's it right there. I'm able to throw my fastball up and in, located in the zone, out of the zone. Then everything kind of falls off it. Then they have to respect the splitter and the slider. Everything just comes off my fastball. I mean, it's not a secret, everyone knows that. That's what I do. If I'm able to locate that, that’s when I’m at my best.”
Mahle had other two-year offers on the table, but he did not go into the specifics of his discussions with other clubs. He did note that the Rangers were the first team to reach out on the first day officials could speak to prospective free agents after the World Series.
That, Mahle said, told him everything he needed to know about the Rangers’ trajectory and his place in their plans for another World Series.
“I think it was the day after the World Series, my agent said, ‘Hey, the Rangers called to check in and blah, blah, blah,’ and I'm thinking like, ‘They should be hungover right now,’” Mahle said with a laugh. “Like nobody should be awake. And they were the first team to call. That just shows you like they're hungry and they want to win. They want to win right now and they want to win for a long time. And I think it's pretty obvious.”