The Rangers have signed corner infielder Will Middlebrooks to a minor league deal, as Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News notes. Middlebrooks has spent most of his professional career playing third base, and the Rangers already have a top third baseman in Adrian Beltre. Grant notes, though, that Middlebrooks could provide the Rangers with an insurance policy at first base for 2017 — Mitch Moreland is set to depart via free agency, and the team currently lacks a clear starter at first, with Jurickson Profar, Ryan Rua and Joey Gallo among the available options.
The 28-year-old Middlebrooks played sparingly in the big leagues in 2016, collecting just 31 plate appearances with the Brewers and hitting .282/.308/.508 in 264 plate appearances for Triple-A Colorado Springs. Before that, he’d collected at least 200 plate appearances in four straight years in the big leagues with the Red Sox and then the Padres, hitting a combined .231/.274/.399 and struggling to get on base after a productive rookie season. Signing with the Rangers represents something of a homecoming for Middlebrooks, who hails from Greenville, 45 minutes east of Dallas.
Signing a FHOF to minor league deal will always be a great move.
Ol’ Will “Low and Away” Middlebrooks, good luck.
At least middlebrooks has a ws ring………
He’s an insurance policy for 1st base, not really 3rd base
So if Middlebrooks is insurance in case of injury to Beltre, then does that insinuate that the stock of Joey Gallo has declined even more than most people thought?
hard to think Gallo’s stock could be any lower after only getting one hit this year and 19 strikeouts in 30 trips to the plate.
It could be if he completely flames out in a future attempt at the majors. At least right now, he has upside (with serious K issues, but that could potentially be fixed) to his value. If a team feels they could fix his K issues, it wouldn’t be a terrible decision to try and buy low on him.
Rangers insurance policy at first base for 2017? Don’t think so….AAA depth only.
He can mentor Gallo about what its like to future Hall of Famer.
be a*