In an ongoing series, we'll address offseason questions the Texas Rangers have to answer.
The Texas Rangers have had one of the best bullpens in Major League Baseball over the past three seasons, and they've done it with two different closers, two different set-up men and many different pieces in between.
But that bullpen that fans have grown to know could be completely different in 2013, most notably with the fact that set-up man Mike Adams and valuable sixth- and seventh-inning guy Koji Uehara, who were both acquired at the 2011 trade deadlne, are free agents.
Uehara finally became the guy the Rangers thought they had traded for over the second half of 2012 after struggling in 2011 and being left off postseason rosters. He'll be 38 when the 2013 season begins. Then, there's Adams who has been incredibly solid for his season and a half in Texas but is coming off thoracic outlet surgery. Both of their contracts could end up being fairly significant given the deal the Los Angeles Dodgers just gave reliever Brandon League (three years for nearly $20 million for a non-closer).
Mark Lowe will be gone and Yoshi Tateyama was set free earlier this week. So was Scott Feldman, though he could be brought back as a reliever.
There are several names out there to fill bullpen spots, whether they're free agents or available via trade, and we'll talk about some of those names in the coming days. One of them was League, and now he's a Dodger for the next few years.
Adams and Uehara are both guys you'd want back based on their performance, but whether you can afford to keep both of them while upgrading in other spots on the roster is a completely different question.
