The Texas Rangers still need a fifth starter, and there’s no reason they can’t sign a guy like Kyle Lohse as a stop-gap fifth starter until Colby Lewis is ready to return.
In each of his last two seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, Lohse has put up double-digit wins, including a 16-win season in 2012. Say what you want about bringing in a National League pitcher, especially after seeing what happened with the acquisition of Ryan Dempster from the Chicago Cubs last July, Lohse is a proven pitcher with postseason experience.
He isn’t someone you expect to be a number-two pitcher in the rotation, and he’s a guy who can be a better version of Scott Feldman and Roy Oswalt from a year ago.
The Rangers front office is throwing around names like Robbie Ross, who will enter his second big league season with no experience as a starter, Justin Grimm, who got a taste of the big leagues before with the Rangers but wasn’t great after his debut, and Martin Perez, who didn’t exactly light Rangers Ballpark on fire either. Or the fans for that matter.
Are these names just a bluff by general manager Jon Daniels and CEO Nolan Ryan, or are they serious about trying inexperienced pitchers in what could be a big spot for this ballclub?
Bringing up Ross from the bullpen puts yet another hole in a bullpen that is already void of Mike Adams and Koji Uehara who signed new deals with other teams. Ross made a huge impact on the Rangers last season as the lefty specialist out of the bullpen, and most will tell you that’s where he belongs.
Bringing in Lohse allows you to keep the pieces you need in the places you need them. Lohse is a good piece to bring in on a one-year deal. The Rangers need a fifth starter and Lohse needs a new team.
This is a good fit for both.