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Texas Rangers starting pitcher Mike Minor is done for the season, per the beat guys on Twitter. Minor, in his first season as a starter since 2014, is at 157 innings for the year, and the Rangers apparently feel that’s a good place for Minor to stop.
Minor, signed to a 3 year, $28 million free agent contract this past offseason after missing 2015 and 2016 due to injury, and after pitching out of the Kansas City bullpen in 2017, had a solid year for the Rangers. He struck out 132 batters against 38 walks, though he was homer prone, giving up 25 long balls on the season. He ends the year with a 4.18 ERA and a 4.42 FIP, good for a 3.6 bWAR and a 2.2 fWAR.
The Rangers were cautious with Minor’s workload this season, but he likely will go into 2019 without those limitations. The question is whether he will be doing that for the Rangers or someone else — with the Rangers in rebuilding mode, and starting pitching always in demand, he could end up being a trade target for teams this offseason.