Jeffrey Springs traded for Sam Travis

Texas Rangers transactions: Jeffrey Springs has been traded to the Boston Red Sox for first baseman Sam Travis, the Rangers announced today. Springs had been designated for assignment earlier today, and Travis was outrighted off the Boston 40 man roster last week, so this doesn’t impact the Rangers’ 40 man roster.

As we noted earlier today when Springs was outrighted, after a solid 2018, he struggled in 2019 and was non-tendered at the contract deadline in December, only to be re-signed to a major league deal a few weeks later. That was odd, but then DFA-ing him a month after signing him, in the middle of the offseason, is especially odd.

Travis, 26, was a 2nd round pick in the 2014 draft by Boston. He’s had some major league time every year the last three years but has never hit in the majors, or, for that matter, in AAA, which helps explain why he went unclaimed on waivers last week. A righthanded hitter, he presumably is some Nashville depth, and maybe the Rangers think they can unlock something with the bat.

Sam Travis is a different person from Travis Shaw, even though I sometimes get them confused.