The A’s have recently made some roster moves, and it looks like the Texas Rangers are reaping the rewards. On Wednesday, the A’s announced that their division rivals had claimed both backup catcher Willie MacIver and right-handed reliever Michel Otañez.
Over the course of the season he batted .186 with a .252 OBP, three home runs and nine RBI. He was also in the middle of a few come-from-behind victories over the course of his 33 games with the club. Given that he was playing once or twice a week as the backup to Shea Langeliers, that’s not terrible production.
The Athletics transactions page says that MacIver was traded to the Rangers, so we’ll have to confirm that he was in fact claimed off waivers as the team has said, or if there will be a small return headed back to the club.
Otañez may be the bigger piece to the Rangers in the immediate term, however. The big right-hander made his MLB debut in 2024, pitching to a 3.44 ERA (2.72 FIP) across 34 innings of work while striking out 36.4% of the hitters he faced. Those are all huge positives in a relief pitcher.
Coming into the 2025 season, he was viewed as a late-inning option for the club, but he landed on the IL right before the start of the season with a , and he didn’t make his debut until the middle of May. That was also when the A’s were in the middle of their 1-20 stretch from May into June.
Otañez got six games with the club this season, holding a 13.50 ERA across 5 1/3 innings. His walk rate has ballooned to 17.9%, he was giving up a 93.8 mph average exit velocity, and every other batted ball was hard hit. He was sent back to the minors after a couple of weeks with the A’s and was placed on the IL from June 8 until August 15.
In 17 1/3 innings with Triple-A Las Vegas this season, Otañez posted a 7.27 ERA and a 2.077 WHIP. While he wasn’t projected to play a major role for the team in 2026, he could serve as a useful depth option for the Rangers with potential to develop further. He’s a hard-throwing pitcher with inconsistent command — but pitchers like that sometimes find their stride.
