Texas Rangers Add Two Players On Minor League Deals

The Texas Rangers front office continues to add depth, as they bring in two more players to their 2018 roster. Will these players make the roster, and if they do, how will they impact the Rangers organization?

According to T.R. Sullivan, the Texas Rangers have signed Steve Delabar and Destin Hood to minor league deals. Both players receive an invite to Spring Training, and an invite to big league camp.

The Delabar signing is the most interesting of the two. The 34-year-old righty reliever was an All-Star with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2013. That season, Delabar went 5-5 with a 3.22 ERA in 55 games with one save.

In 2012 he posted a 3.82 ERA in 61 games and 92 strikeouts with Seattle and Toronto. After those two seasons, Delabar has seen little success in the MLB. He last pitched in the MLB in 2016 with the Reds. He posted a 6.75 ERA in seven games and walked 10 batters in eight innings.

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He was with the Cleveland Indians organization in 2017, but did not pitch. Delabar was released on July 5 after serving an 80-game suspension after breaking MLB’s drug policy. The six-year veteran will look to win a job in the Rangers pen this spring.

The Rangers also brought in Hood to give them outfield depth. The 27-year-old most recently played in the MLB with Miami Marlins in 2016. He hit .240 with one homer and two RBIs in 13 games that season.

Hood played all of the 2017 campaign in Triple-A with Miami. He hit .260 with 14 home runs and 41 RBIs in 62 games. He walked 33 times with 66 strikeouts and added five stolen bases to his total.

Neither signing is “blockbuster” for the Rangers, but it gives them depth. If a player does down then possibly Delabar or Hood can fill-in. Both players will get a chance to prove themselves this spring.