Matt Treanor sent to the Kansas City Royals

The Texas Rangers have apparently sent catcher Matt Treanor to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for cash.

This is a weird move, for a couple of reasons.

First of all, all indications this offseason have been that the Rangers acquired Mike Napoli to be a 1B/DH type, and that they weren't planning on using him behind the plate other than in the occasional spot appearance.  Now, Napoli is the team's backup catcher, which means he's probably not ever going to DH, and his appearances at first base will probably be few and far between, since managers generally want to have a catcher on the bench and available during games.

Secondly, Matt Treanor was signed as a free agent this offseason.  That means that Treanor couldn't be traded before June 15 of this season without his consent.

So, presumably, Treanor consented to this deal.  But why?  Why agree to go to the Royals, rather than, say, just take your release and sign with whomever you wanted?

Third, this appears to be a move motivated by the desire to keep eight pitchers in the bullpen at the start of the season.  If Alexi Ogando is in the rotation, that means that, along with Mason Tobin and Dave Bush, two out of the group of Mark Lowe, Pedro Strop, and Brett Tomko will be in the bullpen. 

Alternatively, if the Rangers decide to go with Michael Kirkman in the rotation, Ogando goes back to the pen, and just one of those three -- probably Strop -- makes the Opening Day roster.

Its been suggested that this could open up a bench spot for Chris Davis, but I don't see what purpose he would serve.  There simply aren't at bats for him, particularly since Mitch Moreland is also a lefty hitter.

And this seems a drastic move in order to allow for an arrangement -- an eight man bullpen -- you probably are only going to want to use for a short period of time.

I wonder if there isn't some sort of understanding here between Kansas City, Texas and Treanor -- Texas send Treanor to the Royals for a month or so, with the understanding that they'll acquire him back once they're done with this eight man pen silliness, paying Kansas City more than what the Royals paid to land Treanor.

That scenario makes more sense, to me, than just jettisoning Treanor.