When searching for lefties for his bullpen, Texas Rangers’ GM Jon Daniels must believe in the phrase “Age is just a number.” He already has one 40-year-old in the pen, who has done pretty well in his stint in a Ranger uniform in Darren Oliver, so why not add another 40-year-old?
The Rangers added 41-year-old Arthur Rhodes to their bullpen on Thursday by signing him to a one-year contract with a vesting option for 2012. According to SI.com’s Jon Heyman, Rhodes could make around $8 million if his option vests.
Rhodes is really an amazing story.
It looked like he was done with baseball after undergoing Tommy John surgery back in 2007 when he was 38, but amazingly, Rhodes has done his best pitching since the surgery.
Rhodes missed the entire 2007 season, but since then Rhodes has pitched to a 2.32 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 8.6 K/9 in 143.2 innings. And for the first half of the 2010 season for the Cincinnati Reds, Rhodes might have been at his very best.
In the first half of the 2010 season, Rhodes had a 1.54 ERA and held hitters to a .174 batting average. He was really ridiculous in April and May when he had a 0.45 ERA in 20.2 innings. His amazing first half earned him his first All Star Game appearance.
Rhodes slowed down a little in the second half, but in his defense, he was battling a foot injury for a good part of the second half of the season. Despite that injury, Rhodes was still able to average 8.1 K/9. If Rhodes is over his foot injury and is completely healthy, there is nothing to suggest he can’t continue his success in Texas.
The Rangers have two guys now in Oliver and Rhodes that I wouldn’t trust in big spots at all in the postseason, but should help stabilize their bullpen and be effective in the regular season.
You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @theghostofmlg
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
- Login to post comments