Rangers signing free agent reliever Declan Cronin He signed a two-year contract with the minor leagues, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported. Cronin had Tommy John surgery last month and will miss next season, so this is an effort to add depth to the bullpen in 2027.
Cronin reunites with former Marlins coach Skip Shoemaker, who will take over the Texas dugout next season. In Shoemaker’s final season at South Florida in 2024, he led Miami relievers with 70 1/3 innings. Cronin had a 4.35 ERA, solid strikeout and walk rates, and a 58% ground ball rate, and he looked like a good find after the Fish released him from waivers the previous offseason.
The right-hander started the season on the 15-day injured list after straining his hip in spring training. When he returned from injury, Miami chose to join Class 3A Jacksonville. Cronin’s pitch velocity has declined, with his sinker velocity at 93.4 mph last year during his time in the MLB compared to an average of 91.8 mph in the minor leagues.
Six weeks later, Cronin was placed on the minor league injured list. He returned briefly in August before being sidelined again with an elbow injury that required surgery. Miami released him to open a spot on the 40-man roster. They could have placed him on the MLB injured list, but they would need to keep him on the 40-man roster throughout the offseason. They decided not to do that and fired him.
Cronin, 28, has been in Major League Baseball for just over a year. He’ll likely attend spring training two years from now, where he’ll try to earn a middle-relief spot. Cronin has two options left.
