The Rangers are in agreement on a minor league contract with free-agent infielder/outfielder Brock Holt, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter link). The contract would pay the Lagardere Sports client $1.75MM if he makes the roster. He’ll be in Major League Spring Training.
Holt, 32, had a strong run with the 2018-19 with the Red Sox, hitting at a combined .286/.366/.407 while playing above-average defense at each of second base, third base and the outfield corners. Holt, who also has time at shortstop, still found something of a tepid market last winter and settled for a one-year deal with the Brewers. Things didn’t pan out in Milwaukee, however, as Holt hit just .100/.222/.100 before being cut loose. He bounced back after latching on with the Nationals, however, hitting at a .262/.314/.354 clip in 70 trips to the plate.
With the Rangers, Holt joins fellow non-roster invitee Charlie Culberson as a veteran bench option for manager Chris Woodward. With Isiah Kiner-Falefa now ticketed for everyday work at shortstop and Nick Solak likely getting the lion’s share of time at second base, Holt and Culberson will battle Rougned Odor for playing time at the hot corner as the Rangers organization awaits the eventual arrival of top prospect and former first-rounder Josh Jung.
Brock Holt!
Brock Holt?
Brock Hult?
Brock Cult?
BROCK CULT
YES
Brock Lesnar?
Broccoli
I can’t like this comment enough
“This kid’s popular? Looks like a chick I did once in high school.”
That was him. Ahead of his time.
Outstanding
We can’t help it that you tend toward girls built like guys.
You can only help yourself by watching arrested development
There’s Bangkok.
I’ve made a huge mistake….
I think he has a pretty high chance of making the team. There a few utility infield guys on the 40 man and Tejeda to me starts in Triple A or even Double A getting everyday at bats.
I’m shocked Boston signed MG for what they did and then Holt signs a minor league deal for about 50% of that cost IF he makes the team. I don’t see a difference between the two for what they offer.
…..MG is a switch hitter….
…..MG is a switch hitter….there is one difference…..maybe they think MG is better defensively…..or has more trade value at the trade deadline….
MG had 15 HRS in 463 AB in 2019. He had more power than Holt.
Well this moves the needle… somewhere.
i was so happy when the brewers got him last offseason. Was always a fan of him when he was with the Red Sox. Just could not get going at the plate, and was pretty bad in the field. Hopefully he can bounce back
Nice player. Hope he gets to play and get back to where he was when he was on the field most of the time.
Starting 3rd baseman.. sadly
Brockstar is a solid utility guy. Nice pickup with little risk by the Rangers
As a Giants fan I wished Panik would have panned out to be a better fit.
Oops wrong thread
Don’t go into a Panik over it.
And with that the team is filled out… seriously. Time to get ready for ST, and let’s see what this team can do.
I’ll ruin it for you, they can do absolutely nothing. It’ll be nothing.
Moneyballer
I’ll ruin it for you, they can do absolutely nothing. It’ll be nothing.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dude! WTF?
How about yelling out ‘Spoiler Alert’?
They can finish in last place in the AL West.
I’m more excited to see who wins the 3B job among Holt, Culberson and Ibanez
A strong start by the Rangers can get them 4th in the AL West
Lol to these replies. I didn’t mean it in a sense of us competing, but just to see who sticks this season. Trolls be trollin’ though.
Cue the Sox fans haha.
Sorry Rangers fans, he’s going into the HOF with a Sox hat.
Red Sox fans are committing mass suicide as we speak.
Actually the Brock-Stah pretty terrible defensively everywhere. But the guy’s a definite “happening”; he’s a real piece of work. If he breaks camp, he’ll keep the Rangers’ writers busy and hopefully keep their minds off the results.
He’s intensely lovable, and he hits a bit, in a utility kind of way. Good pick up.
Actually his defense isn’t too bad just looking at FP and he is a gold glove in comparison to Rafael Devers – then again who isn’t.
Bobtillman, methinks your comments about his defense and hitting make lots more sense than Steve Adams with is “above average defense at multiple positions and his “strong combined .286 blah, blah, blah……if this guy was what Steve describes him as, then why couldn’t he find a home, including Boston, last year and was actually pretty lucky after getting cut to find a new home in DC?
Come on Steve…don’t get caught up in the “rockstar” bull!
He’s been an All Star, a World Champion, hit for the cycle in the Postseason (anyone else ever do that?), and has an excellent baseball IQ. Otherwise, he’s a below average performer. So why not like the guy?
I really do not understand Bloom of the Red Sox. He could have signed Brock Holt to a minor league contract. He really is in over his head with a large market team like Boston
There is no reason to get Holt.
You need some self-control. You can bash the RS and Bloom. But not every minor league signing is worth a post.
Holt won’t be good on a everyday role at third. They better use him as a utility guy.
Seeing as how both Holt and Culberson can play the OF as well as all over the IF there is no reason the Rangers cannot carry both on the ML roster.
I find it interesting that Woodward seems to have this idea that anyone can play anywhere. IKF wins a Gold Glove at 3B so they move him to SS. Rougned Odor has only ever played 2B, at least at the ML level is being moved to 3B. And Nick Solak, who can actually play 3B is going to play 2B. It’s like he thinks he’s managing a little league team.
Age aside, Chaim Bloom goes out of his way to sign two utility players who average .240 and .260 without having a great on base percentage, but he neglects to sign Brock Holt, who was phenomenal in Boston, a fan favorite, a great clubhouse guy and an overall better player. Logic?
I’d say that the first order of logic is that Brock is now a minor leaguer. 30 teams passed on him. And the two guys they signed are major leaguers. You can’t compare major league signings with minor league signngs.
Theoretically, every player that signs a minor league contract, could’ve been signed by the RS. But, theoretically, that goes for all 30 teams.
I’d say that the second order of logic is that players that sign minor league contracts, do so for the opportunity to play in the major leagues. Holt would need 2-3 injuries to earn a promotion with the RS.
IRT to Brock being a better player, I just have to assume you are kidding.
@JoeBrady I’m not kidding. If you aren’t a Sox fan you might not get it, but that guy was one of the most passionate players in Boston. He had clutch hits and plays and played everywhere. He was also an All-Star. He had one bad year and deserves more than a minor league deal.
4 of his 7 years in Boston were solid. I think a couple of the stinkers were because of injury. He was solid in 2019 but couldn’t get untracked last year. He is one of those under the radar players who often gets priced out of being in the major leagues before his value has diminished. It’s the salary inflation house of cards pyramid scheme that undermines players like this while helping the big stars get ridiculous wealth for themselves. There’s really no solution to the problem. No amount of manipulation will change the fact that teams are bidding for the services of every player who has been in the major leagues long enough to be a free agent. There will always be ridiculous contracts and downstream impacts of said contracts.
I’m a RS fan. For years and years and years, I always wondered we couldn’t ever seem to develop that #25 jack-of-all-trades type of guy. Then, lo and behold, Holt arrives as the PTBNL in the Hanrahan deal.
And Holt was that perfect, perfect guy, and he got two WS rings with us. But he doesn’t compare to a guy like Kike. There is nothing that Kike doesn’t do better. Maybe you could prefer him over Marwin, but I’d rather have Marwin. Holt just doesn’t seem like the Swiss Army Knife he use to be.
Well, in your defense both Kike and Marwin have more career WAR but Holt has the better career BA and OBP.
He also has virtually no power. Hence the career slugging percentage of .361
He’s just not as valuable as Sox fans think he is. I understand the emotional attachment, but it doesn’t change the fact that he’s not that good.
I would have loved to see the Sox bring him back, especially on a minor league deal. But it was pretty clear they were going in another direction after adding Kike and Marwin. Best of luck to Brock Star.