Rangers could hire new pitching coach to Bruce Bochy’s staff?

Texas Rangers fans may have another reason to smile this offseason.

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reported on Tuesday that former Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux has emerged as a leading candidate for a major role with the organization. Maddux would “likely” serve as the team’s pitching coach once again, but Grant adds that Texas could move forward with a pitching department featuring more non-traditional roles.

Maddux, 61, served as pitching coach for the Rangers from 2009 to 2015. He was a very highly-regarded asset who helped bring the team to back-to-back American League pennants in 2010 and 2011. Maddux also strengthened his reputation with subsequent stints as pitching coach of both the Washington Nationals and, most recently, the St. Louis Cardinals. Over the last decade-and-a-half, Maddux teams have made the playoffs a total of 11 times.

The Rangers, who themselves have not made the playoffs since 2016, just hired three-time World Series champion Bruce Bochy to be their manager. Now a reunion with Maddux could be next (with some major free agent moves possibly to come on top of that).