Former Mariners reliever lands with division-rival Rangers as spring training begins

The Texas Rangers just made a move that stings a little for Seattle Mariners fans, who just watched another reliever depart after an impressive 2024 season. Fans continue to ask why these low-cost moves couldn't have been made by the M's.

The division-rival Rangers are signing former Seattle reliever JT Chargois to bolster their bullpen. While Chargois isn't exactly a household name, he played a key role for the Mariners in 2021 before being shipped to Tampa Bay in the Diego Castillo trade. He was also reacquired at the 2024 trade deadline and was extremely effective as Seattle tried to hold on to the AL West division lead. Now, he’s back in the AL West — just not in the right uniform.

Chargois was a solid contributor during short 2024 stint in Seattle, posting a 2.75 ERA in 21 appearances. His mix of a high-velocity sinker and nasty slider made him a valuable arm in mid-to-high leverage situations. While his time with the Mariners has been short during both trips to the Pacific Northwest, he was part of a bullpen that helped fuel the team’s wild 90-win season in 2021. Seeing him land with the Rangers, a team that has all of the talent in the world to make another World Series run, is a tough pill to swallow.

Texas Rangers sign former Mariner JT Chargois ahead of spring training

Texas had a bad year in 2024, but their offense was about as good as the year when they went on their World Series run. Their pitching was their Achilles heel, as Max Scherzer threw just 43 1/3 innings, while Nathan Eovaldi and Michael Lorenzen were their best pitchers. Their bullpen consisted of a dominant year from Kirby Yates (who left for the Dodgers) and not a whole lot else. Adding Chargois gives them another experienced reliever who can get outs in key spots, something the Mariners are still trying to figure out in their own bullpen after Gregory Santos threw just 7 1/3 innings and Matt Brash missed the entire year.

Chargois alone isn't going to make Texas the AL favorites, but it's yet another example of other AL West teams loading up while the Mariners are completely blowing yet another offseason. It’s been a frustrating few months for Mariners fans, and seeing a familiar face head to another division rival only reinforces the feeling that the front office needs to do more to keep up.