Texas Rangers: Could Ubaldo Jimenez Be A Fit in Arlington?

The chances of the Texas Rangers adding any of the remaining “top tier” free agents is unlikely. They want to continue to add depth, and could veteran Ubaldo Jimenez be part of that?

The Texas Rangers are open to moving Mike Minor from the rotation to the bullpen, if they sign another starting pitcher. Could Ubaldo Jimenez be part of the Rangers staff or are his best years behind him?

The 2017 season didn’t go as planned for 12-year veteran Jimenez. He went 6-11 with a 6.81 ERA in 31 games (25 starts) with the Baltimore Orioles. He allowed a league leading 108 earned runs last season.

Jimenez has seen plenty of success over the course of his 12 Major League seasons. He went 19-8 with a 2.88 ERA in 33 starts with the Colorado Rockies in 2010. Jimenez has a 4.34 career ERA, and could be a reliable backend of the rotation starter.

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The 34-year-old workhorse can eat up innings and has been reliable throughout his career. He doesn’t always put together the best statline, but he’ll be ready to pitch every fifth day. Jimenez is someone worth considering for a fifth or six man in the rotation.

He earned $13.5 million with the Orioles during 2017. There is absolutely no way Jimenez earns anything close to that in 2018. He’s coming off the worst season of his career and the pitching market is ice cold.

At this point in the off-season, Jimenez would be lucky to get half of his 2017 salary. To be honest, Jimenez might not even get a Spring Training invite. The Rangers should at least throw Jimenez an invite to camp this spring. It’s a low risk and probably low reward situation, but at least Jimenez adds depth to the organization.

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