The Texas Rangers missed out on signing the high-upside, stable Cliff Lee. They missed out on trading for the high-upside, stable Zack Greinke. So on Sunday, they went down a different route, signing the high-upside but far more fragile Brandon Webb.
Brandon Webb, Rangers Agree To Contract
According to Ed Price, the deal is still pending a physical. If Webb passes, it’s assumed that the free agent starter will receive a low base salary with a lot of innings-based incentives. It’s possible that his will be a one-year contract with a vesting 2012 option. Whatever the case, Webb won’t be guaranteed close to the $8.5 million he pulled home in 2010.
The 31-year-old righty was once one of baseball’s most effective front-of-the-rotation starters, posting a 3.24 ERA over more than 1300 innings between 2003-2008. He missed a fair number of bats and did an excellent job of using his sinker to keep the ball on the ground. However, he threw just four innings in 2009 and zero innings in 2010 after undergoing major shoulder surgery, and the big question now is how much of his old ability he still has. If he’s back at full strength, he’ll be a great bargain for the Rangers. If he’s near full strength, he should still be effective. But if his sinker velocity is down in the low- to mid-80s, he may struggle. There’s also no guarantee that he stays healthy.
In signing Webb, the Rangers beat out the Reds as a suitor. It’s expected that Webb will begin the year in the rotation. For more, check out Lone Star Ball.
See More:
