The Rangers have signed right-hander Jamey Wright to a minor league contract, the team announced in a press release. The deal contains an invitation to Texas’ Major League Spring Training camp. Wright will earn $1MM if he makes the Rangers’ big league roster, Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest reports (Twitter link). Wright is represented by Excel Sports Management.
The well-traveled Wright has pitched for 10 different teams over his 19-year career, and this is his second stint in Texas, having previously pitched for the Rangers from 2007-08. The team was known to be looking for bullpen depth options, though they’d recently been linked to left-handed options like Joe Thatcher and Phil Coke.
Wright threw 70 1/3 innings for the Dodgers last season, all but two of them (coming in a spot start) out of the bullpen. Wright posted a 4.35 ERA, 6.91 K/9 and a 2.0 K/BB rate for the Dodgers, turning in reverse-splits numbers by limiting left-handed batters to a .620 OPS while allowing a .737 OPS against right-handed hitters. The ground-ball specialist posted a 56.3% grounder rate last year, right in line with his 55.9% career mark. Though Wright is entering his age-40 season, he is still very durable, having averaged 71 innings per season from 2008-14.
