Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy, center, congratulates his players after their win over the Kansas City Royals in a baseball game, Wednesday, April 19, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)
Rangers acquire former Tigers outfielder in trade with White Sox
DETROIT – Former Detroit Tigers outfielder Robbie Grossman is on his way to Texas.
Grossman, who spent all or parts of the 2021 and 2022 seasons with the Tigers, was traded from the Chicago White Sox to the Texas Rangers Wednesday in exchange for minor-league pitcher Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa.
Grossman, 34, signed a minor-league contract this season with the White Sox after helping the Rangers win the 2023 World Series.
In 25 games with Chicago this season, the 12th-year switch-hitter batted .211 with four doubles, no home runs, four RBIs and 13 walks in 85 plate appearances. He has a career average of .243 with 90 home runs and 419 RBIs in 4,401 plate appearances.
Grossman’s best season was with the Tigers in 2021, when he hit 23 homers, knocked in 67 runs and stole 20 bases. All are career highs.
During his stint in Detroit, Grossman batted .228 with 25 home runs, 90 RBIs and 23 stolen bases.
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Potential future closers — one for each team
Big league closers can come from all areas of the pitching world. Some are guys who have always been relievers, from college all the way up to the big leagues. Some were starters whose power stuff (and perhaps lack of command) were better suited for shorter stints coming out of a bullpen. It’s not always clear who can handle the pressure of the ninth inning until they get the ball.
- MLB Pipeline | Top 100 prospects | Prospect video
Below is a list of 30 potential future closers, and there’s obvious crossover with our recent Top 10 future closers list. Some are still in Minor League rotations, while others have already made the transition to the ‘pen. It’s a list worth keeping an eye on. Our 2022 future closers list included Félix Bautista, a 2023 All-Star, and Jhoan Duran, one of the most overpowering stoppers in the game.
AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST
Blue Jays: Connor Cooke, RHP (No. 19)
The highest-ranked pure reliever in the system, Cooke hasn’t gotten off to a tremendous start at Triple-A Buffalo (5.73 ERA, 10 K, 11 BB in 11 IP), but the pieces are there for him to return to dominance. His fastball still sits 94-96 mph, but it’s his low-80s slider that steals the show. The pitch has averaged 18.2 inches of horizontal sweep, seventh-most among Triple-A pitchers with at least 50 sliders thrown in ’24. If Cooke can work more in the zone and set up that slider to get swing-and-miss, he could be a bullpen arm in Toronto in short order.
