The Texas Rangers, looking to solidify their bullpen depth, are bringing in right-handed reliever Jakob Junis on a one-year, $4 million contract, a source confirmed to ESPN on Sunday.
Junis, 33, excels at throwing strikes and avoiding hard contact. With the Cleveland Guardians last season, he put up a 2.97 ERA in 57 appearances, striking out 55 batters and issuing only 18 walks in 66⅔ innings in his first season working exclusively out of the bullpen.
Junis came up as a starting pitcher with the Kansas City Royals and remains capable of pitching multiple innings. For his nine-year career, he has put up a 4.36 ERA in 847 innings while walking just six percent of the batters he has faced.
Junis is one of several relievers added to a Rangers bullpen that has undergone a lot of turnover the last two years, joining the likes of Alex Diaz, Tyler Alexander, Carter Baumler, Zak Kent and Chris Martin, the latter of whom returned on a similar one-year, $4 million deal.
The Athletic first reported Junis’ agreement with the Rangers.
