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Texas Rangers rumors: Kyle Lohse, free agent starting pitcher, is generating interest from the Texas Rangers, according to Jon Heyman on Twitter.
Lohse, 37, just finished up a three year deal with the Milwaukee Brewers last season, and put up a 5.85 ERA and a 5.12 FIP in 152 IP, splitting time between the bullpen and the rotation. Heyman mentioned last weekend that the Rangers were one of the teams showing interest in Lohse, and I just sort of ignored it, but since it has come up again, well...
It is worth noting that Lohse is a Scott Boras client, and Heyman is seen by some as being someone Boras uses to leak stories he think will be advantageous for his clients. If he's trying to squeeze a more lucrative deal out of the Angels -- the other team mentioned as a possible Lohse destination, and really, the team that makes the most sense right now -- then saying Texas is looking at him as well would be consistent with that.
At the same time, the Rangers very well might have interest in Lohse on a minor league deal, with the idea that he can be in the AAA rotation and provide some depth, particularly with Anthony Ranaudo no longer being in the organization. With Yu Darvish not back yet and A.J. Griffin on the d.l., the Rangers are utilizing Cesar Ramos for a spot start, so one could argue that Lohse has an opportunity here. Still, with six guys for five spots once Darvish and Griffin are healthy, I'm not sure this would be the best choice for Lohse if he's trying to get back into a big league rotation.
UPDATE -- Multiple folks on Twitter are now saying the Rangers have a major league deal in place with Kyle Lohse, with Ken Rosenthal saying it as a $2 million base with $1.5 million in incentives. I guess Lohse is going to go to the bullpen and be a long man, although this does lead one to wonder whether someone in the rotation has an injury that we haven't learned about yet. Derek Holland, for example, who had his start pushed back to Monday, and who hasn't looked great, comes to mind...
UPDATE II -- Now the reports are indicating it is a minor league deal with a June 1 opt-out, which would seem to make more sense than it being a major league deal and joining the 25 man roster immediately.