The Texas Rangers have wrapped up a huge deal with veteran right handed reliever, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo.
Across nine Major League seasons, top star has logged 325 appearances and carries a 3.90 career ERA. His MLB journey has included stops with the Los Angeles Angels, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Cubs before landing with the Rangers. The move also represents a homecoming. Brasier was born and raised in Texas, hails from Wichita Falls, and played his college baseball at Weatherford College, located roughly 40 miles from Arlington and Globe Life Field.
Brasier also brings postseason credibility to Texas’ bullpen competition. He was a key contributor to Boston’s 2018 World Series championship, allowing just one earned run in 8⅔ playoff innings while posting a 1.60 ERA during the regular season. He later earned a second championship ring with the Dodgers in 2024, compiling a 1.89 ERA over 66⅔ combined innings across the 2023 and 2024 seasons. During the 2024 postseason, Brasier even served as an opener twice, including a shutout performance in an elimination game, though he surrendered five earned runs across nine total playoff innings.
Injuries have limited Brasier’s workload in recent years, but the effectiveness has largely remained. A right calf strain restricted him to 28 innings with Los Angeles in 2024, yet he still delivered a 3.54 ERA along with a 22.7 percent strikeout rate and a 4.5 percent walk rate. Over his past three seasons combined, excluding a rough 2022 campaign, Brasier has produced a 3.48 ERA, a 22.3 percent strikeout rate, and a 6.4 percent walk rate across 113⅔ innings, while keeping the ball in the park at an impressive rate of just 0.63 home runs per nine innings.
Now 38, Brasier arrives in Texas after a frustrating 2025 season with the Chicago Cubs. Injuries prevented him from ever finding a consistent rhythm, as a left groin strain sent him to the injured list twice and limited him to just 28 outings and 26 total innings. In those appearances, he posted a 4.50 ERA with 20 strikeouts and five walks. Despite the surface numbers, several underlying metrics painted a much more encouraging picture. Brasier finished with a 3.17 FIP and a 3.74 SIERA, generated a strong 30.5 percent chase rate, and allowed barrels on only 6.3 percent of batted balls. Opponents also hit .321 on balls in play against him, a figure well above both league average and his own career norms, suggesting some poor luck played a role.
The Rangers’ interest in Brasier comes amid a significant bullpen overhaul. Texas saw several relievers depart in free agency, including Hoby Milner, Phil Maton, Shawn Armstrong, Jacob Webb, and Danny Coulombe. To compensate, the club added veterans Chris Martin, Alexis Diaz, Tyler Alexander, and Jakob Junis on Major League contracts, signed Josh Sborz and Brasier to minor league deals, and selected Carter Baumler in the Rule 5 Draft. Although the Rangers posted a respectable 3.62 bullpen ERA last season, they converted only 37 of 66 save opportunities, highlighting a clear need for greater reliability in late inning situations.