It appears the Rangers have a closer. Jacob Latz wanted to start. He’s had a lot of success as a starter. But the Rangers invested too much in Jack Leiter, Kumar Rocker, and MacKenzie Gore—Latz is a better choice as a starter over all three—to admit failure and do the right thing.

So, Latz was banished to the pen. But his arm was too valuable to be an eighth-inning guy, especially considering the Rangers haven’t had a closer for years.

They tried Chris Martin and Robert Garcia. Both failed in 2026 as they did in 2025. Then, they tried to see if Tyler Alexander could do it. Or Cole Winn. Or Jakob Junis. Or Cal Quantrill. 

Sometimes it takes major league managers a while to figure things out. It took Skip Schumaker 27 games. That’s when he put Latz in to close out a game against Sacramento. His next appearance was a save against the Yankees. Then, last night, against Detroit.

If Latz can be the closer the Rangers have been lacked for so long, that checks one important need off the list.

Now, all they need are batters who can hit lefties, batters who can hit at home, and batters who can bunt, and batters who can make contact, batters who can hit with runners in scoring position. But mostly batters who can hit lefties. And at home.

One thing at a time. The Rangers seem to have a closer.

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