Texas Rangers sign Cesar Ramos to minor league deal

The Texas Rangers have signed Cesar Ramos, a 31 year old lefthanded pitcher who spent the 2015 season with the Angels, to a minor league deal, per John Blake on Twitter.  Ramos is also invited to the major league camp for spring training, with Jeff Wilson saying Ramos will be "stretched out" as a starter.

The news that Ramos is going to get a look as a starter is eye-opening, as Ramos spent last year as a reliever, and has only 10 major league starts, against 241 relief appearances in the majors.  Ramos will presumably be competing with Chi Chi Gonzalez, Nick Martinez, Anthony Ranaudo, Phil Klein, and fellow NRI A.J. Griffin for the fifth starter spot this spring.

Ramos was a supplemental first round pick of the Padres out of Cal State Long Beach in the 2005 draft, and was sent to the Rays in the 2010-11 offseason as part of the deal that sent Jason Bartlett to the Padres.