The Ticket just reported that John Wasdin has agreed to a one year deal to remain with the Rangers in 2006. The deal is a one year, $600,000 major league deal.
This is probably a good fit for us, provided he’s not one of the opening day rotation guys. I intially didn’t like Wasdin, but he’s been relatively stable in a number of roles, but I still don’t think that a regular rotation guy is one of them.
Edit: There’s a story on the Rangers site about it now. Link.
AP Wire Story:
DALLAS (AP) — Right-hander John Wasdin agreed to a $600,000, one-year contract Wednesday to stay with the Texas Rangers.
Wasdin is a long man and middle reliever who can make an occasional start for the Rangers. The team still had to make room for the former first-round draft pick on its 40-man roster.
“John turned a corner last season,” manager Buck Showalter said at the winter meetings. “He’s a valuable part of the team, potentially.”
Showalter said Wasdin, who has split the past two seasons between the Rangers and Triple-A Oklahoma, will still have to make the big league team in spring training. He was 3-2 with a 4.28 ERA and four saves in 31 appearances last season, including six starts. Three of his saves came when he pitched at least three innings.
“He is a key piece to our ‘pen and our staff,” general manager Jon Daniels said. “He can pitch in a variety of roles.”
When the Rangers traded Chan Ho Park last July, Wasdin made an emergency start and allowed one run over 4 1-3 innings against Toronto. He combined with three relievers on a six-hitter in Texas’ 4-1 victory.
Drafted 25th overall by Oakland in 1993, Wasdin was traded to Boston for slugger Jose Canseco after going 8-7 with a 5.96 ERA in 25 games in ’96. His only full season in the major leagues came with the Red Sox in 1997, when he was 4-7 with a 4.40 ERA in 53 appearances.
When Wasdin signed with the Rangers as a free agent before the 2004 season, he had pitched in only three major league games (for Toronto in 2003) since 2001 with Colorado and Baltimore. He spent 2002 in Japan, then split most of 2003 in the minors with Pittsburgh and Toronto.
Wasdin was 9-2 with a 4.93 ERA in 13 games (11 starts) at Oklahoma last season before returning to the majors on June 12.