The Rangers have not been quiet this winter. If you went to the awards banquet last night, you got to meet some of those additions. With it becoming more and more evident that Colby Lewis won’t return, the Rangers have gone other directions. Here is a list of additions so far.
Carlos Gomez – Gomez was retained earlier this off-season, and he will primarly be the Rangers center fielder going forward. With Ian Desmond gone, the Rangers plan on trusting Gomez with the job. Gomez had a bad season for the Astros, but played well for the Rangers at the end of the 2016 season. The Rangers should have a backup plan in center just in case.
Andrew Cashner – Cashner had a combined ERA of 5.25 last season with the Padres and Marlins. From Texas originally, Cashner has never pitched in the American League before in his career. His career ERA is 3.89. We shall see how he does in the American League. He is listed as the the number four starter on the depth chart right now.
Josh Hamilton – Josh was signed to a minor league contract. He says he feels great. He says he still has a lot to give. He is going to work at first base. If Josh has anythimg left, he could be a good addition to the squad. It will be fun to watch him in spring training and see how hw progresses.
Dillon Gee – Gee was 8-9 with a 4.68 ERA in 14 starts and 19 relief appearences in Kansas City. He spent the rest of his career with the Mets. Gee will compete for a rotation spot, but I believe his chances are slim. He is going up against Andrew Cashner, Martin Perez and AJ Griffin for one of those spots.
Tyler Wagner – Wagner will most likely begin in the minors. He only has six games of major league experience. Last year in ten innings pitched, he had an ERA of 1.80. He came from Arizona.
Will Middlebrooks – Another Texas born player the Rangers picked up. He is on a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. Middlebrooks has a career batting average of .228. As a third baseman, I don’t see him getting a lot of playing time with the Rangers.
Tyson Ross – Ross was very recently signed by the Rangers. Ross was at his best in the 2014 and 2015 season. In 31 starts in 2014, Ross was 13-14 with an ERA of 2.81, and in 33 starts in 2015 Ross was 10-12 with a 3.26 ERA. Ross hasn’t pitched since October on 2016, where after just one start he had to go on the DL with a shoulder injury. Ross is a possile high risk, high reward pick up. Hopefully Ross will be a good addition. His contract doesn’t become official u til he passed a physical.
Hopefully rhe Rangers will still add Mike Napoli, we will just have to wait and see.
