During Chris Martin’s introductory press conference, Rangers GM Ross Fenstermaker made some headlines about the team’s closer situation.

Fenstermaker said the Rangers are comfortable with the group of relievers they have signed and that signing a closer is no longer a primary target.

However, the newly appointed Rangers GM didn’t close the door on signing a proven closer saying they are still open to it.

In the hypothetical that Texas does decide to add a proven 9th-inning guy, let’s break down who could be traded to make that happen.

Two players could be traded to add some salary cap while not affecting the team’s roster too much.

Moving Jon Gray would free up $14 million if the Rangers can find a team to take on the final year of his contract.

Coming into Spring Training, Gray will compete with the likes of Kumar Rocker, Dane Dunning, and Jack Leiter for the fifth and final spot in the starting rotation.

We’ve also seen Gray have strong performances coming out of the bullpen, which could be an option in 2025 if Texas holds onto him.

Gray is a sneaky option to be the Rangers’ closer if they choose to not add a proven 9th-inning guy.

Despite never closing in his career, Gray’s strong past performance out of the bullpen combined with his closer-type stuff makes an easy link.

On the position player side of things, Leody Taveras is someone whose role might be better used elsewhere in 2025.

Taveras is arbitration-eligible so we will soon find out how much money he is owed for the 2025 season.

According to projections, Taveras is slated to make around $4-6 million after a down season in 2024.

Currently slotting in as the fourth outfielder, Taveras is not the type of player who will flourish as a bench player.

Plenty of big league teams would love to have a switch-hitting outfielder such as Taveras on their roster so the Rangers should have no shortage of suitors if they choose to move the now longest-tenured player on their team.