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Rangers To Select Charlie Culberson, Matt Bush; Matt Carpenter Assigned To Triple-A

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Charlie Culberson and Matt Bush have both been told they will be making the Rangers’ Opening Day roster, while Matt Carpenter has been assigned to Triple-A.  (Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News was among those to report the info.)  The Rangers will need to make two corresponding moves to create a pair of 40-man roster spots in advance of their April 8 opener in Toronto.

The two veterans are known quantities in Arlington, as Culberson played for the Rangers last season and Bush has spent all four of his MLB seasons in a Rangers uniform.  Culberson came to Texas on another minors contract last year and appeared in 91 games in 2021, batting .243/.296/.381 in 271 plate appearances and mostly playing third base, though Culberson also got a bit of action at six other positions.  The Rangers will again deploy Culberson in a utility role, with Grant noting that Culberson can back up any position besides shortstop, as Marcus Semien could likely move from second base to short in the event that Corey Seager gets a day off.

Bush signed a two-year minors deal prior to the 2020 season, owing to the fact that he underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2019.  He missed all of 2019 and 2020 recovering from the surgery, and then missed almost all of 2021 as well, pitching just four innings due to a flexor strain.  Texas outrighted Bush off its 40-man roster after the season and he opted to remain in the organization rather than become a minor league free agent.

It’s hard to know what to expect from Bush after essentially three lost seasons, plus even a 2018 season that was cut short by elbow problems.  However, the Rangers have liked what they’ve seen from the 36-year-old in camp, and it isn’t out of the question that Bush might even earn some save chances given that Texas doesn’t have an established closer.

Carpenter told MLB.com’s Kennedi Landry and other reporters that he would be accepting his assignment to Triple-A rather than taking his opt-out clause, as Carpenter figured that he would need more time to ramp up.  Due to the lockout, Carpenter only signed his minors deal with the Rangers a little over two weeks ago, and “for anybody with my kind of situation, it would have been better suited to have a normal Spring Training to get more opportunities, more reps and more at-bats.  So I totally understand their decision.  It just wasn’t enough time to really get a good idea of what was going on.  But I’m not gonna shy away from an opportunity down there [in Triple-A].”

Three years of diminished productivity for Carpenter led the Cardinals to decline their 2022 club option on his services, and Carpenter has spent the offseason completely changing his swing mechanics and approach at the plate.  With only 18 PA during Spring Training, the time at Triple-A will give Carpenter a chance to “get at-bats and hopefully open some eyes with the way I’m swinging.”

Yankees Acquire Jose Trevino From Rangers

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The Rangers and Yankees have announced a trade, as catcher Jose Trevino is headed to New York in exchange for right-hander Albert Abreu and left-hander Robby Ahlstrom.

The deal represents the latest shuffle in the Yankees’ catching situation, after Gary Sanchez was dealt to the Twins as part of the blockbuster deal that brought Josh Donaldson, Ben Rortvedt, and (Trevino’s former Texas teammate) Isiah Kiner-Falefa to the Bronx.  The initial plan seemed to be a defense-first platoon of Rortvedt and Kyle Higashioka, though Rortvedt has yet to play in any Spring Training games due to an oblique strain.  With Rortvedt not expected to begin the season on the active roster, the Yankees instead now turn to a more experienced big leaguer in Trevino, who has 156 MLB games played to Rortvedt’s 39.

Trevino and Higashioka are both right-handed hitters, making for more of an imperfect platoon fit than the Higashioka/Rortvedt combo, yet the first priority still seems to be defense considering Trevino’s lack of offensive pop.  Over his 516 career plate appearances with the Rangers, Trevino has batted only .245/.270/.364.  Framing-wise, Statcast considered Trevino to be among the best in baseball last season.

Today’s trade marks the third notable swap between the Yankees and Rangers in less than a year, following last season’s deals that saw Texas sent Joey Gallo and Rougned Odor to New York.  It’s probably safe to assume that the two teams discussed Trevino, Abreu, or Ahlstrom at some point during those many negotiations before things finally lined up due to changing roster needs.

For the Rangers, the acquisition of Mitch Garver made Trevino expendable, as Jonah Heim now takes over as the backup catcher.  Meibrys Viloria and Yohel Pozo are also in camp on minor league deals, and top prospect Sam Huff is still in the mix at catcher, even though he played only at first base after returning from knee surgery early last season.

It wasn’t long ago that Abreu was garnering attention on top-100 prospect lists, except injuries and control problems hampered his progress up the minor league ladder.  Abreu has a 3.77 ERA, 24.2% strikeout rate, and an 11.26% walk rate over 455 2/3 innings in the minors, and he started 87 of his 115 games.  In the majors, Abreu didn’t do much to retain a foothold in the Yankees’ bullpen, posting a 5.68 ERA and 12.6% walk rate in 38 innings as a big leaguer.

Abreu is out of minor league options, thus making him something of an expendable piece for the Yankees.  The Rangers will replace Trevino with Abreu on their 40-man roster and see if the righty can get a fresh start working out of the Texas relief corps.

Ahlstrom was selected in the seventh round of the 2021 draft, and the former Oregon Duck has yet to officially begin his pro career.  Baseball America’s pre-draft scouting report described the southpaw as “a fiery presence on the mound,” with the ability to consistently throw each of his three pitches (fastball, curve, changeup) for strikes.  The latter two pitches are only graded as average, however, and Ahlstrom’s fastball generally clocked in the 88-89mph range, topping out at 92mph.

Latest On Michael Conforto

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Michael Conforto is the top free agent remaining on the market and the lone qualifying offer recipient who remains unsigned. We’re now less than two weeks from Opening Day, and it’s still difficult to glean just where Conforto might sign. And, as ESPN’s Buster Olney points out, Conforto will have a hard time following the path of some other QO recipients who waited things out and took a midseason deal. Dallas Keuchel, Kendrys Morales and Stephen Drew, for instance, all waited to sign until after the draft had passed, thus freeing them from the burden of draft-pick compensation. That tactic already caused a player to sit out two months of the season, but with the draft now pushed back to mid-July, it’s an even less palatable approach for Conforto to take.

There’s been some talk of a potential reunion with his old team, but Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reported yesterday evening that returning to the Mets is “extremely unlikely,” citing multiple sources close to the situation. With Starling Marte and Mark Canha joining Brandon Nimmo in the outfield, plus holdover infield/outfield bats like Dominic Smith and J.D. Davis still in the fold, at-bats for Conforto would be hard to come by — even with the designated hitter now in the National League.

Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi, meanwhile, writes that the Blue Jays have “checked in” on Conforto, though perhaps only as a means of due diligence. The Jays have been looking for left-handed hitting to help balance a right-leaning lineup, and yesterday’s trade with the Rockies, swapping outfielders Randal Grichuk and Raimel Tapia, was a step toward that end. There’s arguably still a fit for Conforto in Toronto, as the Jays could cycle him, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., George Springer and Teoscar Hernandez through the outfield and designated hitter spots in the lineup. However, GM Ross Atkins also threw some cold water on the idea of another big-ticket addition, telling reporters yesterday that it’s “getting harder for us to continue to add from a resource standpoint and from a flexibility standpoint” (Twitter link via TSN’s Scott Mitchell).

The Guardians have been an oft-cited fit for Conforto, due both to the team’s paltry $56MM payroll and a generally unproven mix of outfield options. General manager Mike Chernoff didn’t comment directly on Conforto or any other free agents this morning, but did say in an appearance on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM that the front office is prioritizing its young players (Twitter link, with audio).

“One of the big challenges for us has been, how do we make sure we’re creating opportunities for those guys and not taking opportunity?” said Chernoff. “Not just signing a veteran guy that’s going to eat into some of the playing time that allows these guys to get their feet underneath them in the big leagues.”

MLB Network’s Jon Heyman suggests a new suitor in his latest podcast (Conforto talk around the 41-minute mark), calling the Rangers perhaps the likeliest team to jump on Conforto. Texas has already forfeited a second-round and third-round selection in order to sign Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, meaning the draft-pick cost of signing Conforto would be down to a fourth-rounder for them. That, however, would still run counter to prior reports on the Rangers’ spending plans; Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reported shortly after the lockout lifted that Texas viewed Matt Olson and Clayton Kershaw (both of whom they pursued but were unable to acquire) as special cases but otherwise did not plan to plan to spend significantly.

Rangers Sign Garrett Richards

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TODAY: The Rangers officially announced the Richards deal.  Jonathan Hernandez was placed on the 60-day injured list in the corresponding move, as Hernandez is still rehabbing after undergoing Tommy John surgery in April 2021.

The Athletic’s Levi Weaver reports (via Twitter) that Richards will earn $4.5MM in 2022, and the 2023 club option is worth $9MM.  There is a $1MM buyout if the Rangers decline the option, so Richards’ total guarantee is $5.5MM.

MARCH 17, 10:38pm: It’s a one-year contract with an option for 2023, reports Jon Heyman of the MLB Network (on Twitter).

10:26pm: The Rangers are in agreement with Garrett Richards, as first reported by MLB Drops (Twitter link). The deal is pending a physical, writes Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.

Richards hit the open market when the Red Sox declined a $10MM club option on his services, buying him out for $1.5MM. Boston also bought out southpaw Martín Pérez at the same time. They’ll reunite in Arlington, as Pérez signed a one-year deal to rejoin the Rangers last week.

The 33-year-old Richards has had a decade-long run in the big leagues as a starter. He looked like a mid-rotation or better arm during his best days with the Angels, but the righty’s career was thrown off by a series of injuries. He combined for 31 starts between 2016-19, with recurring elbow/biceps injuries culminating in a July 2018 Tommy John procedure. Richards worked 51 1/3 innings of 4.03 ERA ball over 14 outings (10 starts) with the Padres during the shortened 2020 season, and Boston signed him to a $10MM guarantee heading into last year.

That started unfortunately, as Richards posted a 5.22 ERA while allowing opponents to hit .300/.371/.497 in 22 starts. In mid-August, the Red Sox bumped him out of the rotation into a multi-inning relief role. He began well in his new situation but had a tough final couple weeks of the season. Altogether, Richards posted a 3.42 ERA in 26 1/3 innings over 18 relief appearances late in the year. He struck out a roughly average 24.8% of batters in relief while walking a slightly higher than par 10.6% of opponents.

The Rangers are planning to keep Richards in a relief role this season, Grant tweets. He averaged north of 94 MPH on his heater while generating swinging strikes at a slightly above-average rate on his curveball. Richards adds a high-powered arm to the middle to late innings for skipper Chris Woodward. He becomes the biggest bullpen pickup to date for the Rangers, whose bullpen finished in the bottom ten last season in strikeout/walk rate differential.

Rangers, Matt Carpenter Agree To Minor League Deal

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March 19: Carpenter’s deal will pay him $2MM if he makes the big league club, per Jon Heyman of the MLB Network (via Twitter). The Rangers have officially announced the deal, including an invite to spring training.

March 18: The Rangers and free-agent infielder Matt Carpenter are in agreement on a minor league contract, tweets Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The Fort Worth native will head to Spring Training and hope to win a roster spot with his hometown club.

Carpenter, 36, was a top-10 finisher in National League MVP voting but has seen his offensive production go into a precipitous decline ever since that 36-homer season. While the lifelong Cardinal at least came within reach of league-average offensive production in 2019, his bat has evaporated over the past two years. Overall, he’s slashed just .203/.325/.346 through his past 910 trips to the plate.

Last month, Carpenter spoke with Rosenthal about the exhaustive measures he’s taken to revamp his swing mechanics and his overall approach at the plate this winter. After a lengthy chat with longtime division rival Joey Votto about Votto’s own late-30s resurgence, Carpenter set to work changing his entire process. The veteran candidly acknowledged to Rosenthal that he previously “never bought into analytics” even as his production waned. However, talking things through with Votto, former Mariners hitting coach/Dodgers hitting coordinator Tim Laker, longtime teammate Matt Holliday and others, Carpenter adopted a new approach to his training and to hitting as a whole. It’s a lengthy but excellent piece that’s well worth a full read for this interested in Carpenter’s quest to revive his career.

Time will tell whether Carpenter’s arduous offseason actually yields to gains on the field, but the Rangers should provide him with plenty of opportunity if he indeed looks sharp during Spring Training. With top third base prospect Josh Jung out six months due to shoulder surgery and presumptive starter Isiah Kiner-Falefa instead twice traded in a span of 24 hours, Texas is now looking at utilityman Andy Ibanez and recent signee Brad Miller as the likeliest candidates for playing time there. At designated hitter, oft-injured outfielder Willie Calhoun is the likeliest candidate for regular at-bats, but he’s in search of a rebound himself.

Suffice it to say, if Carpenter is able to rekindle his offensive production in Spring Training or at least impress the Rangers with his new approach at the dish, he ought to find himself with an opportunity. It’d make for a similar success story to that of Hunter Pence, another Fort Worth-area native who enjoyed a late-30s renaissance with the Rangers a few years back.

Latest On Trevor Story

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The Rangers are one of the latest clubs to be linked with free agent shortstop Trevor Story, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. On the surface, it might seem rather absurd that either the Rangers or Story would entertain a union. The Rangers, after all, have already signed two of the top free agent shortstops on the market in Corey Seager and Marcus Semien.

But the Rangers have a hole at third base right now, and if Story is indeed willing to entertain a position change and/or a short-term contract, which is the latest, then Story’s fit with in Texas is actually much smoother than it seems at first glance. Even if Story isn’t the target, the Rangers are known to be on the lookout for a third baseman, going so far as to approach the recently-retired Kyle Seager about the possibility of playing along his younger brother in Texas. Seager the elder kindly declined, the offer, however, per Jon Heyman of the MLB Network (via Twitter).

Beyond Story, there aren’t a lot of options left in free agency for the Rangers to add a third baseman. The players available – Jed Lowrie, Asdrubal Cabrera, Starlin Castro, Todd Frazier – are veterans who don’t necessarily upgrade on Texas’ in-house options. Right now, the Rangers would field a third base by committee approach while awaiting the arrival and good health of prospect Josh Jung. Even though he’s injured, Jung’s presence means that the Rangers might only be interested in securing Story if they can do so with a very short-term deal.

Without Story, Andy Ibanez, Nick Solak, and Brad Miller are all candidates to get regular playing time at the hot corner. The Rangers also recently signed Matt Carpenter and Charlie Culberson to minor league deals.

If the Rangers were to end up signing Story, it would be a fairly remarkable sequence events, not only because it would mean a 102-loss team signing three of the top free agent shortstops in a single offseason, but because of the sequence of events that have led the Rangers and Story to a place where this could even be possible.

It wasn’t long ago that the Rangers had Isiah Kiner-Falefa ready to return to the hot corner to be their regular third baseman. But when the Rangers traded Kiner-Falefa to the Twins for catcher Mitch Garver, the machinations of the offseason really kicked into high gear. Kiner-Falefa ended up as the Yankees’ pick at shortstop (at least for now), which opened up shortstop again in Minnesota, improbably, for a short-term pact with Carlos Correa. If Story is willing to take a deal similar in style to Correa’s, the Rangers could swoop in and be the beneficiary.

Of course, they’re not the only team with interest. The Yankees themselves have recently been tied to Story as well, despite their recent acquisition of Kiner-Falefa and Josh Donaldson. The Red Sox are also lurking, though like the Rangers, they’d ask Story to move off his preferred position.

Heyman suggests that the Yankees and Astros “likely have an edge” to sign Story because they would allow him to remain at shortstop. The Yankees had reportedly discussed a four-year contract with Correa that included opt-outs before he signed with Minnesota, per Andy Martino of SNY (via Twitter). A similar contract structure might be enough to reel in Story, assuming a more modest AAV. Story won’t come cheap, but he’ll be cheaper than Correa, which seems to be fueling the Yankees’ interest. All that said, it’s a bit of an overcrowded fit, with Anthony Rizzo now penciled in at first base, Giancarlo Stanton locking down the DH spot, and Gleyber Torres, Kiner-Falefa, and Donaldson already potentially cutting into DJ LeMahieu’s playing time.

The Rockies made one last call to Story before inking Kris Bryant, per The Athletic’s Nick Groke, but that door appears to be closed. From the same division, the Giants are the other team that have been mentioned as a potential suitor for Story. The Giants have Brandon Crawford at short, Evan Longoria at third, and Tommy La Stella at second, a trio that would certainly make room for Story, should that be his ultimate landing spot.

Rangers Sign Brad Miller To Two-Year Deal

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March 17: Miller has been signed to a two-year contract, the Rangers announced Thursday. It’s a $10MM guarantee for Miller that’ll pay him $6MM in 2022 and $4MM in 2023, tweets Chris Halicke of Sports Illustrated.

March 15: The Rangers have reached an agreement with free agent infielder Brad Miller tweets MLB Drops. The financial terms of this deal have not yet been reported.

The 32-year-old Miller is coming off a decent season with the Phillies, as he batted .227/.321/.453 (107 OPS+) with 20 home runs  in 337 plate appearances in 2021. Additionally, Miller lined up at both outfield corners and every infield position besides shortstop last season. Defensive metrics have been bearish on his performance at most of those positions, though there’s little denying the utility of a bat-first player who can play five positions in a pinch.

<a rel=While Miller is coming off his third straight above average offensive campaign, his limitations are reflected in that modest plate appearances total. After seeing fuller playing time earlier in his career, the left-handed Miller has been platooned with greater frequency in recent years. The results bear that decision out, as the former-Phillie has a lifetime .610 OPS against left-handed pitchers but a solid .780 OPS when holding the platoon advantage. Last year’s splits were even more drastic, as those OPS numbers dipped and climbed to .538 and .842, respectively.

The signing makes ample sense for a Texas squad that has playing time up for grabs at third base and in the outfield. After losing top third base prospect Josh Jung for most of the season to shoulder surgery and parting with Isiah Kiner-Falefa in the deal that netted them Mitch Garver, the Rangers very quickly found themselves without a slam dunk starter at third base. That may well continue to be the case after this signing, as Miller has just 49 big league games at the position to his name.

Texas now seems primed to platoon Miller with some combination of its incumbent third base options, Andy Ibanez and Nick Solak, who have each shown demonstrably better against left-handed pitchers in their brief careers. Because of all three players’ ability to bounce around the field, manager Chris Woodward should have no trouble finding at-bats for the trio, barring future additions.

The addition of Brad Miller to a Rangers team coming off a 60-win season is the continuation of a busy winter for the front office braintrust of Jon Daniels and Chris Young. After a season in which the Rangers did very little competing, the young talent from last season’s team will now have to vie against their new veteran teammates for maximum reps. Given the pace of their offseason so far and the amount of players jockeying for a large role on an improved 2022 team, the Rangers’ truncated spring training camp figures to be one of the league’s most hotly contested sites in the coming weeks.

Rangers Sign Greg Holland To Minor League Deal

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The Rangers announced this evening they’ve signed reliever Greg Holland to a minor league contract with an invitation to big league Spring Training. If he cracks the Opening Day roster, he’ll receive a $2.1MM base salary, reports Levi Weaver of the Athletic (Twitter link).

Holland is a 12-year big league veteran and a three-time All-Star. An elite closer and vital piece of the bullpens that made the Royals so tough to beat in the middle of the last decade, he unfortunately blew out his UCL late in 2015 and required Tommy John surgery. Holland returned to post an NL-best 41 saves with the Rockies in 2017, but he wasn’t quite as dominant as he’d been in K.C. before the surgery.

Since then, Holland’s performance has fluctuated wildly as he’s bounced between a few different clubs. He posted an ERA above 4.50 in both 2018 (which he split between the Cardinals and Nationals) and 2019, where he played in Arizona. Holland returned to his old stomping grounds in Kansas City for 2020, where he pitched to a 1.91 ERA over 28 1/3 frames. The Royals re-signed him to a $2.75MM guarantee last winter, but he couldn’t replicate that success over a larger body of work.

Holland posted a 4.85 ERA in 55 2/3 frames last season. His 21.8% strikeout percentage and 10.7% walk rate were each a bit worse than the respective league averages, although he still generated swinging strikes at a decent 12.3% clip. The 36-year-old joins a rather crowded list of righty bullpen options the Rangers have added as non-roster invitees. Dan Winkler, Brandon Workman, Matt Bush, Justin Anderson and Jesús Tinoco are among the other players in camp.

Jon Heyman of the MLB Network reported Holland was signing with the Rangers shortly before the team announcement.

Rangers Re-Sign Charlie Culberson To Minor League Deal

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Charlie Culberson is returning to the Rangers on a minor league deal, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Culberson signed a minor league deal with the Rangers prior to last year’s season as well, eventually having his contract selected and playing 91 games.

Culberson spent his first five seasons getting limited playing time with the Giants, Rockies and Dodgers. With the Braves in 2018, Culberson burst forth for the best season of his career. In 113 games, he hit .270/.326/.466, wRC+ of 107. Unfortunately, he couldn’t keep up that pace the following year, with his line dropping to .259/.294/.437, wRC+ of 84. He was non-tendered at the end of that season and re-signed with Atlanta, getting into 10 more games as a Brave in 2020 before being outrighted at the end of that campaign.

Joining the Rangers last year, Culberson served a super-utility role for the club, spending time at every position on the diamond except center field, even logging two innings on the mound. His overall line wasn’t especially impressive, coming in at .243/.296/.381, earning a wRC+ of 85 in his 271 plate appearances. However, as Grant mentioned, Culberson was much better with the platoon advantage. In 144 plate appearances against lefties, he hit .346/.376/.556 for a wRC+ of 152. (His line against righties was a putrid .123/.206/.175, wRC+ of 10.)

The club has had a busy offseason, upgrading their position player mix with Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Mitch Garver and Kole Calhoun. They also added another multi-position guy yesterday when they signed Brad Miller. Given that Miller hits from the left, he and Culberson could make for a nice platoon pairing, perhaps at third base or in the outfield corners, depending on how some of the other players on the roster perform.

Rangers To Sign Dan Winkler To Minor League Deal

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The Rangers are signing reliever Dan Winkler to a minor league contract, pending a physical, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter links). Presumably, the right-hander will get a look in big league Spring Training once the deal’s finalized.

Winkler ranked third among Cubs relievers in innings last season, tossing 39 2/3 frames over 47 outings. The 32-year-old didn’t get particularly strong results, though, due in large part to control woes. Winkler walked 15.8% of batters faced while striking out a personal-low 21.1% of opponents. That led to a 5.22 ERA, even as opposing hitters managed only a .255 batting average on balls in play against him. The Cubs designated him for assignment in late August, and he elected minor league free agency after passing through waivers unclaimed.

It was the third consecutive season of mediocre strikeout and walk numbers for Winkler, who has posted an ERA near 5.00 in two of the past three campaigns. He did have an excellent 2018 season with the Braves, however, a year in which he worked 60 1/3 frames of 3.43 ERA ball with a 27.1% strikeout rate and a 7.8% walk percentage. Winkler’s control has been spotty aside from that year, but he’s maintained a fastball in the 93-94 MPH range and typically generated swinging strikes at an average or better clip.

Winkler will have to earn a big league roster spot, but he should have a good opportunity to do so in Texas. Rangers relievers ranked in the bottom ten in both ERA (4.80) and SIERA (4.48) last year. Joe Barlow, Spencer Patton, Brett Martin and perhaps Josh Sborz looked to have carved out season-opening roles, but the rest of the unit seems unsettled. Brandon Workman, Matt Bush, Justin Anderson and Jesús Tinoco are among the other players who’ll be in camp as non-roster invitees.

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