Former Mariner Jarred Kelenic's deal with Rangers is right out of a tired playbook

Jarred Kelenic is getting another shot, and the fact that it's with the Texas Rangers is one of those things that makes your eyes roll. Of course they would sign him, given their apparent inability to keep former Seattle Mariners out of the AL West.

Before there was Kelenic on a minor league deal, there was Sam Haggerty, Rowdy Tellez, Dylan Moore and Donovan Solano in Rangers threads after stints in Seattle. This is all just in the last year and change, so pardon us if we're sensing and indeed harping on a trend even if it requires some gymnastics to apply it to Kelenic.

He hasn't been a Mariner since 2023, after which he spent a couple years with the Atlanta Braves and a hot minute with the Chicago White Sox before they designated him for assignment last month. All the while, the only constant in his career has been a mismatch between talent and results.

The Rangers obviously have some hope they can change that. And who knows? Maybe even some belief as well. Kelenic will turn 27 on July 16, and he's at least found a level of zen that wasn't there when he was trying and failing to live up to the hype he had as a prospect in Seattle's system.

It's fair to be skeptical. Kelenic has -0.1 rWAR to show for a six-year major league career, largely because he's prone to swing and miss. A contact-oriented team like the Tampa Bay Rays or Toronto Blue Jays might be able to fix that, but the Rangers are on the other side of the spectrum. Their 22.9 strikeout percentage is tied for 10th in the league.

The Rangers might as well throw a Hail Mary in hopes of saving their sagging offense

Of course, context matters.

If the Mariners had been the ones to sign Kelenic, we'd be wondering why they felt they needed another bat of any kind, much less a third left-handed-hitting OF/DH type under Luke Raley and Dominic Canzone. The Rangers are in a different boat, specifically in the sense that their offense is taking on water.

They're seventh from the bottom of MLB in runs per game, and May (.707 OPS) didn't bring much forward momentum after a stagnant April (.691 OPS). After Brandon Nimmo, their three most oft-used outfielders have a combined 88 wRC+.

So, the Rangers might as well throw a bunch of stuff at the wall and see what sticks. Because if anything does, they do have a chance of making a move up the AL West. Their rotation has been good enough to carry the team to a 28-31 record, putting them just 2.5 games off Seattle's pace.

Still, here's guessing the Mariners aren't quaking in their boots. It's not like the Rangers have had much luck with former Mariners recently. And besides, it's the other Texas team that looks scarier.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow