Texas Rangers sign four pitchers to minor league deals

The Texas Rangers have added four pitchers for 2019 on minor league deals with invites to the major league camp this spring, per Evan Grant. Those four are Jeanmar Gomez, Ariel Hernandez, Phillips Valdez, and Miguel del Pozo.

Neither del Pozo nor Valdez have any major league experience. Del Pozo is a 26 year old lefthanded relief pitcher who has spent his career in the Miami Marlins organization, and put up a 3.97 ERA in AA in 2018. Valdez, 27, is a righthanded who has spent his career in the Washington Nationals organization, and who worked mostly as a starter last season. He had a 2.73 ERA between AA and AAA in 2018, but with a FIP about a run higher.

Gomez, 30, is a righthanded who has spent at least part of each of the last nine seasons in the majors. He has a career 4.40 ERA and 4.35 FIP in 540 major league innings. He had a solid run as a reliever from 2013-15, but hasn’t really been good since then.

Hernandez, 26, is a righthander who had 19 relief appearances in 2017 with a 5.18 ERA. He throws hard and is wild, and spent all of 2018 in the minors, with the Dodgers, Reds and Brewers.

None of these signings are needle-moving, but they give the Rangers some pitching depth for the spring and for Nashville, and one of these guys could emerge and play a role in the majors at some point this season.