Rangers Rumors

Rangers Agree To New Deal With Dillon Gee

By Steve Adams | April 3, 2017 at 7:50pm CDT

APRIL 3: Gee will earn at a $2MM annual rate while playing in the majors and can achieve up to $1MM in incentives, according to Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). Also of note: Gee has agreed to a 45-day advance consent provision.

MARCH 31: The Rangers have agreed to a new contract with right-hander Dillon Gee, reports MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan (all Twitter links). Gee triggered the opt-out clause in his minor league deal with Texas earlier this week, giving the team 48 hours to add him to the 40-man roster or grant him his release. Gee is a client of SSG Baseball.

Instead, the two sides have agreed to a new Major League pact with the understanding that Gee will open the year as a starter at Triple-A Round Rock and have a chance to quickly emerge as the Rangers’ fifth starter, according to Sullivan. Gee will be on the 40-man roster — Sullivan notes that Chi Chi Gonzalez will likely head to the 60-day DL in a corresponding move — and could potentially be called upon when Texas first needs a fifth starter, on April 15. It’s not known if right-hander Andrew Cashner, who is currently dealing with biceps tendinitis, will be ready to take the hill at that time, but Gee represents a solid alternative in the event that Cashner isn’t able to pitch by that point.

The 30-year-old Gee enjoyed a very nice Spring Training with Texas, putting him in position to force a decision out of the Rangers. In 19 2/3 innings during Major League camp, Gee logged a 3.20 ERA with a stellar 18-to-3 K/BB ratio. While he’s been tagged for 25 hits, only one of those has left the yard for a home run. His final outing, which came against his former Royals teammates, included six shutout innings with just two hits allowed and nine strikeouts.

Gee underwent surgery in October to alleviate thoracic outlet syndrome, though his high-quality Spring Training results suggest that he’s perfectly healthy now, of course. It’s not known to what extent that medical issue hampered Gee in 2015-16 (if at all), but the right-hander has struggled in the past two seasons with the Mets and Royals (4.97 ERA in 164 2/3 innings). Prior to that he’d logged a 3.91 ERA with 6.5 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9 in 639 1/3 innings for the Mets.

Rangers Could Push Andrew Cashner's Season Debut Back

By Connor Byrne | April 1, 2017 at 10:41pm CDT

Rangers righty Andrew Cashner seemed likely to return from biceps tendinitis by April 15, the first time the team will need a fifth starter, but that’s n0w in doubt. Pitching coach Doug Brocail told Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News that he’s “not real optimistic” Cashner will debut in two weeks, and noted: “I want to make sure that when we get him back, we get him back for the full year. I don’t want any setbacks.” In the meantime, Texas could turn to Dillon Gee and/or Nick Martinez to fill in for Cashner.

Rule 5 Pick Mike Hauschild Makes Rangers

By Connor Byrne | April 1, 2017 at 8:37pm CDT

Righty Mike Hauschild has made the Rangers’ Opening Day roster, according to TR Sullivan of MLB.com. The Rangers took Hauschild from the AL West rival Astros in December’s Rule 5 draft. The 27-year-old is now in line to make his major league debut, having spent the previous five years in the minors after going to Houston in Round 33 of the 2012 amateur draft. He worked exclusively as a starter at Triple-A over the past two seasons and posted a 3.33 ERA, 7.9 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 227 1/3 innings.

Adrian Beltre To Begin Season On DL

By charliewilmoth | April 1, 2017 at 4:32pm CDT

Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre will begin the season on the DL, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com tweets. Beltre turned up with a tight calf on Monday and hasn’t appeared in a Spring Training game since. An MRI that day didn’t turn up anything serious, as Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets. It’s possible, then, that Beltre won’t be out long. Until he returns, slugger Joey Gallo will be first in line for playing time at third base, tweets Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Jurickson Profar is another potential option. Here are more quick notes on West rosters.

Rangers Demoted Keone Kela As Disciplinary Measure, Not Looking To Trade Him

By charliewilmoth | April 1, 2017 at 3:46pm CDT

The Rangers’ surprise demotion of hard-throwing 23-year-old righty Keone Kela on Friday was due to the team’s unhappiness with how Kela behaved during a “B” game, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal writes. The Rangers have evidently received trade calls about Kela, but they plan to keep him and are not planning to trade him at a discount.

A “B” game is a side Spring Training game in which statistics don’t count toward Cactus (or Grapefruit) League totals. Rosenthal doesn’t report the exact nature of Kela’s behavior, but notes that it upset many veteran Rangers players. He describes the demotion as “a trip to the penalty box,” so although it’s unclear when Kela will return to the Rangers, it seems reasonable to guess he’ll be back at some point.

Kela had a terrific rookie season in the Rangers’ bullpen in 2015, posting a 2.39 ERA, 10.1 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 over 60 1/3 innings while throwing his fastball in the mid- to high 90s. He struggled despite an 11.9 K/9 in 34 innings in 2016, however, posting a 6.09 ERA and 4.5 BB/9 and missing a large chunk of the season after having surgery to remove a bone spur in his elbow.

Notable Roster Decisions: Friday

By Steve Adams | March 31, 2017 at 9:45pm CDT

As Spring Training draws to a close, the final determinations about each team’s roster will be continue to come into focus. Here are some of the day’s more notable roster decisions…

Prized righty Tyler Glasnow will take the final spot in the Pirates rotation, Stephen Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports on Twitter. He had been competing with Trevor Williams, who’ll head to the bullpen, Adam Berry of MLB.com adds on Twitter. With southpaw Wade LeBlanc also taking a job, that seems to set the stage for Rule 5 pick Tyler Webb to hit the waiver wire.
The Giants have nailed down their bench and rotation, as Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports. Aaron Hill and Chris Marrero will round out the bench. The veteran Hill figures to share the infield reserve duties with Conor Gillaspie, while Marrero will surprisingly open the season as a part of a left field platoon with the left-handed-hitting Jarrett Parker. Meanwhile, Matt Cain will keep a rotation spot, though Ty Blach will also make the club as a reliever — where he could often spell Cain in lengthier outings.
With injuries and young arms entering the picture, the Rockies’ pitching plans were interesting to watch this spring. As Nick Groke of the Denver Post tweets, the team will roll with lefty Kyle Freeland and righties Antonio Senzatela and German Marquez to fill out their starting staff. It seems likely that the former two will open the year in the rotation, with Marquez heading to the pen and staying on hand if a need arises.

Click to read earlier updates …

By optioning Ben Gamel and placing several relievers on the DL, the Mariners signaled their Opening Day Roster, as Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports (Twitter links). Guillermo Heredia will serve as a reserve outfielder, while both Dillon Overton and James Pazos are slated to take up spots in the bullpen.
Righty Oliver Drake has been named as the final member of the Orioles bullpen, Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com reports on Twitter. It had been suggested yesterday that Drake was placed on waivers, but it seems that was premature. Though he had a rough spring, Drake has shown an ability to induce lots of swings and misses with his deceptive pitch mix. The 30-year-old is out of options, so Baltimore had to carry him on the active roster to maintain control rights.
The Rangers made the surprising decision to option righty Keone Kela, as Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets. Indications are that the move was related to off-field issues rather than performance questions or a need for roster space. Indeed, Kela was — and, perhaps, still is — expected to fulfill an important role in the Rangers’ pen. Though he dealt with elbow issues and struggled in the earned-run department last year, the 23-year-old was dominant this spring and seemed a good bet to bounce back.
A groin injury will land Matt Garza on the 10-day disabled list to open the season, meaning that the Brewers’ rotation will now consist of right-handers Junior Guerra, Zach Davies, Wily Peralta, Chase Anderson and Jimmy Nelson, reports Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Left-hander Tommy Milone, who inked a one-year deal after being non-tendered by the Twins, had been in the mix for a rotation spot but will instead pitch out of the bullpen, Haudricourt adds. The 30-year-old Milone, who has made only 11 career relief appearances, will be the lone southpaw in Milwaukee’s bullpen (and on its entire pitching staff, for that matter).
Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union Tribune reports that Trevor Cahill and Luis Perdomo have won spots in the Padres’ rotation, thereby pushing Jarred Cosart to the bullpen. Cahill and Perdomo will be joined by Jhoulys Chacin, Jered Weaver and Clayton Richard in a reconstructed San Diego rotation that was pieced together in cost-effective fashion but still carries myriad question marks. Manager Andy Green didn’t rule out a return to the rotation or an eventual late-inning role for Cosart, but for the time being it sounds as if he’s slotted for long relief. Given the uncertainty that permeates the San Diego starting corps, that role could lead to plenty of innings for the 26-year-old Cosart early in the year.
The Yankees announced last night that right-hander Chad Green has been optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The 25-year-old Green had been in consideration for a rotation spot and turned in a strong 1.50 ERA in 12 spring innings, though that was accompanied by a less-encouraging 8-to-6 K/BB ratio. The Yankees aren’t planning to name a fifth starter before Opening Day and will utilize early off days to avoid needing a fifth starter for the early portion of April. Still, it’d be a surprise if Green didn’t at least enter the team’s rotation conversation at some point this season. For now, the team’s rotation will be comprised of Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda, CC Sabathia and Luis Severino.
Jandel Gustave has won the Astros’ final bullpen spot, beating out fellow righty James Hoyt, per Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). The 24-year-old bounced to three different teams after being taken in the 2014 Rule 5 Draft before ultimately returning to the ’Stros. Gustave averaged 97.1 mph on his fastball in his brief MLB debut last season and turned in a 16-to-4 K/BB ratio in 15 1/3 innings of work.
Right-hander Austin Pruitt has beat out Chase Whitley and Jaime Schultz to make the Rays’ roster, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Injuries to Shawn Tolleson and Brad Boxberger likely helped to pave the way for Pruitt, 27, to break camp with the team. The 2013 ninth-round pick turned in a solid 3.76 ERA with 8.2 K/9 against 1.5 BB/9 in his first taste of Triple-A work last year. Manager Kevin Cash tells Topkin that delivering the news that Pruitt would make the Opening Day roster was “probably the best conversation all spring.” The manager also noted that a decision on the final bench slot may not come until Saturday (or even Sunday morning, Topkin adds via Twitter).

Minor MLB Transactions: 3/31/17

By Jeff Todd | March 31, 2017 at 8:23pm CDT

Here are the latest minor moves from around the game:

Utilityman Munenori Kawasaki is heading back to Japan after inking a deal with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, his former NPB club, as Nikkan Sports reports (Japanese language link). The 35-year-old has enjoyed an interesting stint in North America, drawing plenty of attention for his clown prince role in the dugout. But he hasn’t played all that much, particularly over the past two seasons. If this is it for Kawasaki stateside, he’ll stand on a .237/.320/.289 slash line with one single dinger over 738 plate appearances.
Righty Mark Montgomery has landed a minor-league deal with the Cardinals after being released by the Yankees, Josh Norris of Baseball America reports (Twitter links). The 26-year-old has battled control problems at times, but has also shown his share of promise. Last year, over 45 2/3 innings in the upper minors, he worked to a 2.56 ERA with 12.4 /9 against 4.3 BB/9 while allowing only 31 hits.
The Indians released slugger Wily Mo Pena, the team announced. The 35-year-old hasn’t played in the majors since 2011, but had been quite productive during a stint in Japan. Over four years with three different NPB clubs, he slashed .264/.355/.460 with 71 long balls. Pena did not play last year and didn’t get much of a look this spring; it’s not clear at this point what his future intentions are.
Plenty of other players have also been set free by organizations that do not have anywhere to put them. Among them, the Braves have released first baseman Balbino Fuenmayor, MLBTR’s Steve Adams tweets. He has put up big numbers at times, most recently in the Venezuelan winter league, but has yet to receive a shot at the majors. Also hitting the open market, after spending camp with the Rangers, is righty Anthony Carter. (Also per Steve, via Twitter.) The 30-year-old, who’s also looking to stamp a ticket to the majors for the first time, did at least show that he’s back to health. And seven-year MLB veteran southpaw James Russell followed Pena out the door. He was cut loose today by the Indians, per a club announcement.

Extension Notes: Odor, Mazara

By Jeff Todd and Steve Adams | March 30, 2017 at 10:35pm CDT

Rougned Odor’s representatives were prepping a counter-offer to the Rangers’ six-year, $49.5MM extension proposal when they were informed, firmly, that the $49.5MM sum was the team’s best and final offer, according to Heyman. Ultimately, the 22-year-old and his reps at the Beverly Hills Sports Council elected to take the deal, locking in the powerful young second baseman’s first massive payday. While there have been talks with another promising young Rangers talent, Nomar Mazara, Heyman adds that there’s “nothing substantive” between the two sides to this point.

[SOURCE LINK]

Rangers Extend Rougned Odor

By Mark Polishuk | March 30, 2017 at 10:18am CDT

MARCH 30, 10:18am: Texas will announce the deal today, per Rangers executive VP of communication John Blake (via Twitter). He also confirmed the six-year term, beginning in 2017, and presence of a single club option.

Jon Heyman of Fan Rag has the full breakdown: Odor receives a $2MM signing bonus, with salaries of $1MM, $3MM, $7.5MM, and $9MM before the would-be free-agent years, which are valued at $12MM apiece.

8:15am: The deal is official, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets. The option year is valued at $13.5MM, with a $3MM buyout.

MARCH 25: The Rangers are “increasingly optimistic” of finalizing a contract extension with second baseman Rougned Odor before Spring Training is over, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. The deal “may only be lacking formalities” at this point. Grant reports the deal is six years in length, while FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman reports that Odor will earn $49.5MM and the contract also contains a club option year. Odor is represented by the Beverly Hills Sports Council.

The two sides have discussed a long-term deal at various points over the last year, and Odor may have helped his case delivering a 33-homer season in 2016, albeit with a unimpressive on-base percentage (Odor hit .271/.296/.502 over 632 PA). Odor’s defense at second base has also drawn consistently below-average grades. While some deficiencies exist, however, Odor did generate 4.4 fWAR over the last two seasons and he just celebrated his 23rd birthday last month.

Odor is already slated to earn $563, 180 this season in his final year as a pre-arbitration player. Assuming the extension overwrites that salary, then the six-year agreement will cover 2017, Odor’s three arbitration-eligible seasons and his first two free agent years. Should Texas exercise that club option for 2023, that will extend the Rangers’ control through Odor’s third free agent year, though he’d still be just 30 years old when he’d be eligible for the open market.

The deal is only slightly less expensive than the six-year, $52.5MM extension Jason Kipnis signed with the Indians prior to the 2014 season, which was a deal often used as a comparable during Odor’s extension talks (and also negotiated by the Beverly Hills Sports Council). Kipnis signed his deal entering his age-27 season but also had a more solidly established track record as a star player, so those two factors could have weighed out to deliver Odor roughly the same amount of money.

Rangers GM Jon Daniels has long sought to lock up star players (both young and old) throughout his tenure in the Texas front office, with Odor joining the likes of Elvis Andrus, Adrian Beltre, Ian Kinsler, Martin Perez, and Derek Holland as notable Rangers who inked long-term deals with the team. The Rangers could face a somewhat more difficult challenge in reaching extensions with two veteran stars (Yu Darvish and Jonathan Lucroy) before the two hit free agency next winter.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Dillon Gee Exercises Opt-Out Clause

By Steve Adams | March 30, 2017 at 1:16am CDT

Right-hander Dillon Gee has utilized the opt-out provision in his minor league deal with the Rangers, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Texas will have 48 hours to add Gee to its 40-man roster. If the Rangers decide against adding Gee to the roster, he’ll become a free agent that can sign with any club.

Gee, 30, reeled off six shutout innings against his former Royals teammates today, yielding just two hits and racking up nine strikeouts to put an exclamation point on a solid Spring Training with the Rangers. In 19 2/3 innings during Major League camp, Gee logged a 3.20 ERA with a stellar 18-to-3 K/BB ratio. While he’s been tagged for 25 hits, only one of those has left the yard for a home run.

The Rangers signed Gee to a minor league deal this offseason as the right-hander sought to work his way back from surgery to alleviate thoracic outlet syndrome, which he underwent last October. Gee spent the 2016 season with the Royals — his first professional season pitching anywhere other than the Mets organization — and logged a 4.68 ERA in 125 innings split between the rotation and the bullpen. The 2015-16 seasons were something of a struggle for Gee, but prior to that he’d logged a 3.91 ERA with 6.5 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9 in 639 1/3 innings for the Mets.

The Rangers could utilize Gee either as a long man in the bullpen or as a starter early in the season while Andrew Cashner rehabs from a bout with biceps tendinitis. With the Rangers seemingly relying on a combination of Cashner and right-hander Tyson Ross (who also had thoracic outlet surgery this offseason, but later than Gee) to contribute regularly in the rotation down the stretch, retaining Gee as a depth option is undoubtedly a tempting option for Texas. The team does have alternatives, including A.J. Griffin, Nick Martinez and Mike Hauschild, but Gee comes with more experience and a greater track record of MLB success than those options.

Of course, the Rangers also have to weigh the financial component of the situation. Gee’s minor league deal with Texas reportedly comes with a $2MM base salary. If he cracks the Opening Day roster, that figure will become guaranteed regardless of whether he sticks on the roster for the entire season. While it’s hardly a prohibitive sum for a big league team, the Rangers may not be keen on paying Gee at that rate if they don’t feel there’s a long-term spot for him on the roster.

Load More Posts

Show all

Headlines

Rangers Rumors

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect