Rangers Rumors

Quick Hits: Pujols, Blue Jays, Kennedy, Santana

By Mark Polishuk and TC Zencka | February 27, 2021 at 11:11pm CDT

There was a brief flurry of speculation about Albert Pujols’ future earlier this week when Deirdre Pujols, the Angels veteran’s wife, created an Instagram post that seemed to hint that the future Hall-of-Famer would call it a career after the 2021 season. Deirdre clarified her online statement soon after posting, and her husband also addressed the matter in speaking with media (including The Associated Press) today at Spring Training.

“This thing just got blown out of proportion,” Pujols said. “My mind is not even there. My mind is on staying focused, healthy, and hopefully trying to help this ballclub win this year, and that’s it. If I feel at the end of the year that that’s it, I’ll announce it [and] go home. But I’m not even there yet.”

Pujols is entering the final season of his ten-year, $240MM deal with the Angels, and 2021 will be the slugger’s 21st MLB campaign. After four years of subpar offensive production, it would certainly seem like the 41-year-old is nearing the end of the line, though it seems we won’t know for certain until the season is through.

Rangers To Sign Ian Kennedy To Minors Deal

By TC Zencka | February 22, 2021 at 10:37am CDT

The Rangers will sign reliever Ian Kennedy to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (via Twitter). The Boras Corporation client will earn $2.15MM if he makes the team, plus more in performance incentives, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via Twitter).

Kennedy is coming off a five-year run with the Royals that included a full-time transition to the bullpen in 2019. After more than nine seasons of working out of the rotation for the Yankees, Diamondbacks, Padres and Royals, Kennedy became Kansas City’s full-time closer in 2019, tossing 63 1/3 innings in 63 appearances with a 3.41 ERA/2.99 FIP, 44.4 percent groundball rate, 27.4 percent strikeout rate, and 6.4 percent walk rate. All three of those rate metrics clock in above average.

Kennedy unfortunately struggled to find his footing in 2020, logging a 9.00 ERA/8.83 FIP in 14 innings. He suffered a left calf strain that ended his season before September. If healthy, he’ll have a real chance to make a Rangers bullpen that’s light on sure-things beyond closer José Leclerc. Even entering his age-36 season, Kennedy represents a fairly high upside signing for Texas considering his hefty resume. Kennedy owns a 4.13 ERA/4.25 FIP in 1,781 1/3 innings in the big leagues.

Minor MLB Transactions: 2/20/21

By TC Zencka | February 20, 2021 at 5:06pm CDT

Let’s round up some minor moves from around the game…

Latest Transactions

The Cubs have outrighted infielder Sergio Alcantara to Triple-A, MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian reports (Twitter link). Alcantara was designated for assignment earlier this week, and has been invited to the Cubs’ Major League spring camp. Alcantara only joined the Cubs earlier this month via a waiver claim from the Tigers, as the 24-year-old looks to compete for a roster spot after making his big league debut (10 games, 23 plate appearances) in 2020. Over 2611 career minor league PA, Alcantara has hit .256/.340/.318.
The Rangers announced that right-hander Jimmy Herget has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A, though Herget will still be invited to the big league Spring Training camp. Herget was designated for assignment earlier this week. Selected off waivers from the Reds last winter, Herget posted a 3.20 ERA and 17 strikeouts over 19 2/3 innings for Texas last season, but control was a major issue, as he also walked 14 batters.

Earlier Today

The Indians announced the signing of Ryan Lavarnway to a minor league deal. The 33-year-old catcher has received an invite to spring training. The former Red Sox farmhand appeared in five games with the Marlins in 2020, collecting four singles in 11 plate appearances. He has generally served as catching depth with occasional stints at the big league level, though he hasn’t seen more than a few games worth of action since 2015. Since debuting with Boston in 2011, Lavarnway has gone on to log Major League playing time with the Orioles, Braves, A’s, Pirates, Reds, and Marlins. For his career, he owns a triple slash line of .215/.272/.344 in 456 plate appearances over nine seasons, with a 6.8 percent walk rate and 24.1 percent strikeout rate.

Rangers Sign Tyson Ross

By Steve Adams | February 19, 2021 at 2:24pm CDT

The Rangers have signed right-hander Tyson Ross to a minor league contract, per a club announcement. The Wasserman client won’t be in Major League camp and will instead report to Spring Training with the minor league rehab group, per the announcement.

Ross, 33, opted out of the 2020 season and hasn’t pitched at the big league level since an ugly 2019 run with the Tigers (35 1/3 innings, 6.11 ERA). He’s battled shoulder and elbow troubles throughout his career, including a thoracic outlet procedure back in 2016. This’ll be the second Rangers stint for Ross, who was with the club in 2017 as well.

While injuries have derailed much of Ross’ career, there was a point where he was one of the better young starters in the National League. From 2013-15, Ross tallied 516 2/3 innings with the Padres and turned in a tidy 3.07 ERA with a 24.6 percent strikeout rate. That mark was more impressive at that point, as the league-average strikeout rate for hitters in that three-year span was 20.2 percent — a good bit lower than today’s average 23.4 percent.

Ross hasn’t had much success since that first Padres run, thanks primarily to injuries, but he did mix in a solid 2018 showing amid a series of injury-marred seasons. He returned to the Padres as a free agent in the 2017-18 offseason and gave them 22 starts of 4.45 ERA ball before being traded to the Cardinals and pitching well out of their bullpen. All in all, that 2018 season resulted in 149 2/3 innings of 4.15 ERA output — a far cry from his 2013-15 peak but still plenty useful for both clubs whose uniform he donned.

It’s anyone’s guess whether Ross can shake off the rust and the persistent injuries and return to form in a second go-around in Arlington. That he won’t report to big league camp indicates that he’ll be more of a mid-season option than a candidate to crack the Opening Day roster, but Ross is a no-risk veteran depth stash with a fair bit of MLB success under his belt. There’s no harm in seeing what he can bring to the table at this point, and if he does regain his form, he’s a versatile pitcher familiar with multiple roles who can help the Rangers navigate a 162-game slate that will prove challenging after last year’s 60-game schedule.

Dodgers Trade Josh Sborz To Rangers

By Steve Adams | February 16, 2021 at 2:18pm CDT

The Dodgers have traded recently designated-for-assignment righty Josh Sborz to the Rangers, reports Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). The Rangers announced the move quickly after that initial report, revealing that they’ll send minor league righty Jhan Zambrano to L.A. in return. Fellow right-hander Jimmy Herget was designated for assignment by the Rangers in order to create roster space for Sborz.

Sborz, 27, lost his roster spot when the Dodgers made their three-year deal with reigning NL Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer official. He’s seen action in the Majors in both 2019 and 2020, pitching to a combined 6.08 ERA and 5.14 SIERA in a tiny sample of 13 1/3 innings.

On the minor league side, Sborz has had a bit more success, logging a 4.55 ERA in 87 Triple-A frames. That mark still isn’t especially eye-catching, but it’s come in a decisively hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League setting. Furthermore, Sborz’s 30.5 percent strikeout rate and 7.7 percent walk rate in Triple-A both give a bit more reason for optimism.

Sborz, a 2015 Competitive Balance draft selection (Round B), has a mid-90s heater with an average or better slider and, perhaps most importantly, a minor league option remaining. He’ll compete for a job in the Texas bullpen this spring and will head to Triple-A to serve as a depth piece if he can’t crack the Opening Day roster.

Texas will have a week to trade the 27-year-old Herget, attempt to run him through outright waivers or simply release him. The right-hander posted a 3.20 ERA in 19 2/3 innings with Texas last year, though the fact that he walked 14 of the 87 batters he faced and plunked another two suggests that he’s not likely to repeat that level of success over a larger sample of work.

Zambrano, 19, tossed 60 innings with the Rangers’ affiliates in the Dominican Summer League in 2019, notching a 2.55 ERA with 52 punchouts and 16 walks. He didn’t pitch in 2020 due to the lack of a minor league season and doesn’t rank among the organization’s top prospects.

Rangers Announce Several Roster Moves

By Steve Adams | February 12, 2021 at 10:00pm CDT

The Rangers have signed veteran catcher John Hicks to a minor league deal with a Spring Training invitation, per a club announcement. Outfielder Adolis Garcia, who was designated for assignment earlier this week, will also be invited to Major League camp after going unclaimed on outright waivers, according to the Rangers. Texas also confirmed its previously reported minor league deals with Korean lefty Hyeon-jong Yang and with infielder Brock Holt.

Hicks, 31, didn’t play in the big leagues last year, instead spending the 2020 season at the Diamondbacks’ alternate training site. He’s appeared in parts of five big league seasons between the Mariners and Tigers, logging a combined .235/.280/.391 batting line with 28 homers and 15 doubles in 871 plate appearances.

He’s never graded out as a particularly strong framer, but Hicks has an above-average 31 percent caught-stealing rate at the MLB level and will add some depth to a Rangers club that is presently lacking in that department. Jose Trevino currently projects as the starter, with Jonah Heim and non-roster veteran Drew Butera serving as backup candidates. Top prospect Sam Huff got his feet wet in the big leagues last year, but he skipped both Double-A and Triple-A, so he’s likely in line for additional minor league seasoning.

Yang, as noted in the linked post above, is a former KBO MVP who has long had his sights set on pitching in the Majors. His decision to do so this winter wasn’t particularly well-timed, given not only the economic climate in MLB but also the fact that he’s coming off one of the rougher seasons of a generally strong career in South Korea. Still, he’s made 29 starts or more in each of the past eight seasons and prior to 2020 carried a 3.35 ERA over a seven-year stretch. If nothing else, the fact that he threw 172 1/3 innings last year — nearly 100 more than any MLB pitcher — ought to be of benefit while the Rangers look to monitor the workloads of the rest of their staff.

Rangers, Hyeon-Jong Yang Reportedly Nearing Deal

By Steve Adams | February 12, 2021 at 11:28am CDT

The Rangers are nearing a deal with left-hander Hyeon-Jong Yang, according to multiple reports out of South Korea (hat tip: Jee-ho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency, on Twitter). Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports that an announcement of a minor league agreement could come from the Rangers today. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Jeff Wilson tweets that the deal would contain an invite to Spring Training and pay Yang $1.3MM should he make the roster.

Yang, 32, has long had his sights set on eventually testing his abilities against Major League opponents. His original club, the Kia Tigers, posted him for MLB clubs seven years ago. However, the Tigers were unsatisfied with the top bid — a bid which came from the Rangers — and opted to instead hang onto him. The Tigers controlled Yang for multiple seasons beyond that point, and he opted to re-sign on a series of lucrative contracts that made him one of the KBO’s highest-paid players.

Now on the verge of his 33rd birthday and with ample career earnings in the KBO, however, Yang has appeared dead set on pursuing MLB opportunities this winter. He recently cut off negotiations to return to the Tigers for what would’ve been his 15th season, indicating he’d instead exhaust his opportunities at securing a Major League job. It seems that no club was willing to make Yang a guaranteed offer — he struggled through a down season in 2020 — so he’ll now look to earn a spot on the Rangers’ staff.

Yang’s 2020 season — which featured 172 1/3 innings of 4.70 ERA ball, a 20 percent strikeout rate and 8.6 percent walk rate — surely hampered his market this winter, but he still has several points working in his favor as he looks to realize his MLB dream.

First and foremost, he has a lengthy track record as one of the KBO’s most successful arms. Yang is a former KBO MVP who, from 2013-19, worked to a combined 3.35 ERA in more than 1200 innings. He’s also been a durable workhorse, starting at least 29 games in each of the past seven seasons. Thirdly and perhaps most importantly, Yang tossed 172 1/3 innings over the life of 31 starts last season. While no MLB pitcher reached even 85 innings in 2020, Yang tossed more than double that workload. As teams look to navigate the season and monitor the workloads of their rotations, Yang would be one of the few pitchers in MLB who could at least theoretically be entrusted with a typical workload of 180-plus innings and 33-34 starts.

That won’t matter, of course, if he proves ineffective against big league hitters. But a player with his track record, recent workload and modest price tag is a perfectly reasonable flier for any team — particularly a rebuilding club like the Rangers.

Rangers, Brock Holt Agree To Minor League Deal

By Steve Adams | February 12, 2021 at 10:18am CDT

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.

Rangers Designate Adolis Garcia For Assignment

By Steve Adams | February 10, 2021 at 1:00pm CDT

The Rangers announced Wednesday that they’ve designated outfielder Adolis Garcia for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster goes to right-hander Mike Foltynewicz, whose previously reported one-year contract is now official.

Garcia, 27, went 0-for-6 with a walk in seven plate appearances with Texas in 2020. That marked his first and now perhaps his only season with the organization. The Rangers originally acquired him from the Cardinals in exchange for cash in Dec. 2019.

Garcia has only 24 big league plate appearances to his name, and he hasn’t done much with them. He was an accomplished hitter in the Cuban National Series before defecting and eventually landing with the Cardinals, for whom he’s spent considerable time in Triple-A. Garcia’s free-swinging ways have resulted in a paltry OBP, but his power is readily apparent. In 1104 plate appearances with Triple-A Memphis, he’s a .260/.299/.505 hitter with 57 homers, 58 doubles and a dozen triples.

Garcia has some speed, as evidenced by those triples and by 26 stolen bases. However, he’s not particularly efficient on the basepaths either; he’s been caught 14 times. Texas will have a week to trade him, release him or attempt to pass him through outright waivers. Garcia does have a minor league option remaining, so it’s possible an outfield-needy club will take a shot on his right-handed power despite the lack of plate discipline.

Rangers Sign Mike Foltynewicz

By Steve Adams and Connor Byrne | February 10, 2021 at 12:45pm CDT

Feb. 10: The Rangers have announced the signing.

Feb. 5, 5:22pm: Foltynewicz will earn $2MM with incentives, per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, who tweets that the deal is done pending a physical. The incentives could reach $500K, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com relays.

2:54pm: The Rangers are closing in on a one-year, Major League contract with free-agent right-hander Mike Foltynewicz, reports Kiley McDaniel of ESPN (via Twitter). Foltynewicz is a client of Excel Sports Management.

Foltynewicz was a quality starter earlier in his career with the Braves, especially in 2018. That year, he threw 183 innings of 2.85 ERA/3.77 SIERA ball while averaging a career-high 96.4 mph on his fastball and posting a well-above-average strikeout percentage of 27.4. But Foltynewicz’s production dropped off in 2019, in which the Braves demoted him to the minors. And though he did enjoy a late-season rebound in 2019, he wasn’t able to carry that into last year.

Foltynewicz made one appearance with the Braves in 2020 (on July 27) and allowed six earned runs on four hits and and four walks in 3 1/3 innings. The 29-year-old’s fastball averaged a startlingly low 90.5 mph in that contest, and the Braves then booted him from their 40-man roster. He went unclaimed on waivers, as no club was willing to pick up the remainder of his salary, and he spent the rest of the year at their alternate site before electing free agency earlier in the offseason.

The right-hander could have elected free agency at the time he was outrighted, but doing so would’ve meant forfeiting the remainder of his salary, as he was just a couple weeks shy of the five years of service time required to reject an outright assignment while still retaining salary. Because he’s shy of that five-year service mark, he’s now controllable for the Rangers through the 2022 season via arbitration.

Foltynewicz will get a chance to bounce back from his horrid 2020 as a member of the Rangers, whose rotation was among the worst in the game last year. Kyle Gibson, Jordan Lyles and Kolby Allard had terrible years a season ago, though Foltynewicz and new acquisitions Dane Dunning and Kohei Arihara could provide reasons for hope.

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