Texas Rangers Sign Three Players to Minor League Contracts

The slow off-season continues around Major League Baseball, but the Texas Rangers continue to make low-cost signings. They’ve added three more players to their roster, but how will they impact the organization?

On Tuesday, the Texas Rangers officially signed lefty pitcher Brandon Mann and hitters Michael Ohlman and Ryan Brett. All three were signed to minor league deals and have invitations to Spring Training.

Both Ohlman and Brett have MLB experience, but oddly the oldest of the bunch does not. Mann, 33, has been in the minor leagues since 2002 with a few stints to foreign and independent baseball.

Mann has experience as both a starter and reliever, but hasn’t been able to find success consistently. He went 3-8 with a 4.40 ERA in 46 games (two starts) in Double-A with the Oakland Athletics in 2017.

This signing looks nothing more than the Rangers adding more depth. Mann is an experienced pitcher who can pitch in both the rotation and bullpen. He’s not likely making the MLB roster, but doesn’t hurt to have him as depth in Triple-A.

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The Rangers also added catching depth with Ohlman. The 27-year-old played in seven games with the Toronto Blue Jays last season. He hit .216 with 12 home runs and 38 RBIs in 90 games in Triple-A.

Texas has four catchers on their 40-man roster, but none of them besides Robinson Chirinos are guaranteed a roster spot. A strong performance in Spring Training could land Ohlman a spot on the 40-man or even 25-man roster.

Lastly, the Rangers added former 3rd round pick of the Tampa Bay Rays, Ryan Brett. The 26-year-old has put together solid numbers in the minors, but it’s resulted in just three Major League games.

He played in just 20 games last season, hitting .284 with two homers and five RBIs in the minors. The Rangers don’t have much MLB ready infield depth in the minors, so adding Brett was a smart idea. He likely won’t make the 25 man roster, but might find a way on the 40-man squad at some point.

Next: Rangers Early Expectations for 2018

All of these players added don’t have much of a shot at making the MLB club out of Spring Training. The good news is, they all have plenty of experience and if called upon should be able to help the MLB club at some point. We’ll see what happens when spring rolls around.