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The Texas Rangers have purchased the contracts of catcher Jorge Alfaro, shortstop Hanser Alberto, and pitchers Luke Jackson and Jerad Eickhoff, adding them to the 40 man roster, according to John Blake on Twitter.
To make room for those four, the Rangers have sent Daniel Robertson to the Angels for a player to be named later or cash, designated Jim Adduci for assignment, and released Miles Mikolas and Aaron Poreda, who are being sold to Japan.
Alfaro and Jackson were slam-dunks to be added to the 40 man roster, and Eickhoff seemed like a likely add. Alberto, Odubel Herrera and Will Lamb were the three guys who appeared to be on the bubble, with one likely added. Alberto's defensive ability and versatility, I suspect, gave him the edge, as he's the type of player that a team could have potentially stashed on the 25 man roster as a utility player for a full season.
Robertson being dealt is a surprise, as he was one of the really positive stories from 2014, and appeared to have the inside track on a bench job in 2015. However, the Rangers have, at least for now, opted to keep Jake Smolinski, another fringe RH outfielder, on the roster instead of Robertson.
Adduci had, essentially, a lost 2014 season, after putting himself on the map with a solid 2013. If he clears waivers, he can be outrighted to AAA.
Today was the deadline for adding a player to the 40 man roster in order to protect the player from the Rule 5 Draft.
UPDATE -- Adduci is also apparently Japan-bound, per T.R. Sullivan:
Rangers looking to sell Jim Adduci to Japan along with pitchers Miles Mikolas and Aaron Poreda. Maybe Japan will bring Adduci better luck
— TR Sullivan (@Sullivan_Ranger) November 21, 2014
