Rangers Notes: Elbow Surgery to End Choo’s Season

Signed to a $130 million deal by Texas, Shin-Soo Choo could not generate consistent run production out of the leadoff spot this season.

Outfielder Shin-Soo Choo has become the latest Texas player to see his 2014 campaign cut short due to injury, as it was announced Monday that he will need surgery to remove a bone spur in his elbow and miss the remainder of the season.

Choo, in his first year with the Rangers after signing a seven-year contract worth $130 million last winter, is expected to have the operation performed within the next few days, as he is currently waiting for flu-like symptoms to subside.

The 32-year-old Choo struggled across 123 games in a Texas uniform this season, batting a career-low .242 while playing through a left ankle sprain (suffered in late April) and other ailments as the year has progressed.

“He has been dealing with the ankle and the elbow for a while,” Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said of Choo. “He’s a conscientious and caring player. And the more we struggled, the more I think he put on himself.”

Choo follows Prince Fielder, Derek Holland, Martin Perez and Jurickson Profar as key Texas players whose injuries have wreaked havoc on the club’s plans to contend this season. Instead, the Rangers now find themselves in last place in the A.L. West while laying claim to the worst record (52-81) in baseball.

The injuries to Choo and Fielder may help explain their subpar performances this year, as both produced batting and power numbers well below their career averages.

Fielder, acquired from Detroit in exchange for Ian Kinsler last November, had averaged 160 games played and 35 home runs per year since 2006, but he saw action in only 42 games this season while hitting just three homers.

Twenty-four-year-old Michael Choice was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock Monday to take Choo’s spot both on the Rangers’ active roster and as the team’s everyday left fielder.

Catchers Soto, Gimenez Traded Away

Texas parted ways with two of its big-league backstops over the past week, sending Chris Gimenez to Cleveland for future considerations Saturday before trading Geovany Soto to the Athletics in exchange for cash on Sunday.

Gimenez, 31, had been designated for assignment by the Rangers earlier this month after appearing in 34 games for Texas over the summer, receiving most of his playing time at catcher with the occasional start at first base.

As for Soto, he came to the Rangers in a July 2012 deadline deal with the Chicago Cubs, settling into a backup role behind Mike Napoli and, later, A.J. Pierzynski before getting tabbed as the club’s regular catcher last offseason.

Those plans were put on hold, however, when he was forced to undergo surgery on his right knee this spring, opening the door for Robinson Chirinos and J.P. Arencibia to split time at backstop to begin the year.

Soto was replaced on the active roster by 23-year-old Tomas Telis, a switch-hitter who made his major-league debut this week in Seattle and went 5-for-8 with three RBIs over his first two games.

Royals Take Two of Three in Texas

The Rangers’ summer-long slide continued over the weekend as they lost two out of three home games to the Kansas City Royals, a team that has now surged past Detroit and into first place in the A.L. Central division.

Starters Colby Lewis and Nick Tepesch were outpitched by Kansas City’s Yordano Ventura and Jeremy Guthrie, respectively, in the first two games of the series – both 6-3 victories for the Royals – before Scott Baker and the Texas bullpen teamed up for a 3-1 win Sunday at Globe Life Park.

The club managed to post back-to-back victories for the first time since Aug. 5-6 when Miles Mikolas tossed eight shutout innings Monday to lead Texas to a 2-0 win at Safeco Field in Seattle.

James Paxton and Robinson Cano paced the Mariners past the Rangers in a 5-0 shutout on Tuesday, but Texas salvaged the series with a 12-4 rout Wednesday afternoon, a win that included Rougned Odor’s first career grand slam.

Rangers Notes: Texas Adds Arencibia to Catching Corps

Catcher J.P. Arencibia, a first-round pick in 2007, will likely be the backup to Geovany Soto behind the plate for the Rangers next season.

The Rangers appear to have settled on their big-league catching tandem for 2014 after it was reported they would sign free-agent backstop J.P. Arencibia to a one-year deal late last week, a move that was made official on Tuesday at the annual MLB winter meetings in Florida.

Arencibia, 27, had been a trade target for some time while he was with the Blue Jays, and Texas was quick to pick him up when Toronto declined to tender a contract offer to him on Dec. 2.

The former first-round draft selection has spent his entire career to this point in a Blue Jays uniform, but he’s looking forward to a change of scenery and the chance to play for a perennial contender.

“From playing against the Rangers, I like the way they go about their business on the field,” Arencibia said Tuesday. “They’ve had a winning team for quite some time, [and] that’s a big deal for me.”

The addition of Arencibia gives Texas another major-league-ready backstop to share duties with Geovany Soto in 2014, and it came at a good time as free-agent catchers continued to fly off the market last week.

A.J. Pierzynski, who was the Rangers’ regular catcher this season, was signed to a one-year contract by the World Series champion Red Sox last Wednesday, and Boston also re-signed Mike Napoli while Jarrod Saltalamacchia agreed to a deal with Miami.

In a career-high 138 games for Toronto this season, Arencibia batted just .194 and led the club with 148 strikeouts against only 18 walks, but he still showed the potential to be a reliable source of power by surpassing 20 homers for the second time in three years.

His best campaign came in 2011, when Arencibia collected 20 doubles, 23 home runs and 78 runs batted in while drawing 36 free passes for the Blue Jays.

“Whatever it takes to win,” he said, “my goal is to go out there and work with Geo [Soto] every day, and put the best team on the field and help our pitchers get through the game.”

Nadel wins Ford C. Frick Award

On Wednesday, longtime Rangers radio voice Eric Nadel was announced as this year’s winner of the Ford C. Frick Award, given annually by the Baseball Hall of Fame to recognize excellence in broadcasting.

Nadel, in his fourth consecutive year on the ballot, received the highest point total out of the 10 broadcasters who had been nominated. He will be honored during next summer’s Hall of Fame induction ceremonies at Cooperstown in his home state of New York.

“I’m so excited,” Nadel said. “I’m happy, tremendously flattered. It’s an amazing thrill for a kid from Brooklyn, who grew up as a radio junkie. I’m still a radio junkie, I guess.”

After joining the Rangers in 1979 as a radio and television announcer, Nadel paired up with Mark Holtz on the radio side from 1982 through 1994, and he has been the club’s primary over-the-air voice ever since then.

Contreras, Adcock among Spring Invitees

The ballclub announced last Thursday that it had signed three players to minor-league deals which include invitations to big-league camp in Surprise, Ariz., among them 42-year-old right-handed pitcher Jose Contreras.

Right-hander Nate Adcock and outfielder Bryan Petersen were also signed to minor-league contracts by Texas.

Over parts of 11 seasons in the majors, Contreras has compiled a lifetime record of 78-67 while seeing action with the Yankees, White Sox, Rockies, Phillies and Pirates. In 2005, he helped Chicago win its first A.L. pennant since 1959 and its first World Series since 1917.

Adcock, meanwhile, was originally drafted by Seattle but has seen all of his big-league service time with the Royals, and Petersen has spent the entirety of his career in the Marlins organization.

Rangers Notes: Gentry, Lindblom Traded to Athletics

Craig Gentry was considered a superior defender and base runner with limited offensive tools.

Outfielder Craig Gentry and right-handed pitcher Josh Lindblom were dealt to Oakland on Tuesday in exchange for minor-league second baseman Chris Bostick and outfielder Michael Choice.

Gentry, who turned 30 last week, had been expected to compete for the Rangers’ vacancy in left field next spring, with Leonys Martin in center and Alex Rios in right.

It appears that opportunity will now go to the 24-year-old Choice, a North Texas native who holds the career home run record at the University of Texas-Arlington.

“Growing up here, I’ve been to a ton of Rangers games,” he said Tuesday. “Me and my dad would go to the Ballpark all the time. To be able to say that I’m going to play in front of this home crowd is an awesome feeling.”

Choice, who made his big-league debut and collected his first hit in September against Texas, had spent much of the season at Triple-A Sacramento in the Athletics’ organization, where set personal highs with a .302 batting average, 29 doubles and 90 runs scored.

Though the Rangers could still make a run at free agents like Carlos Beltran, Shin-Soo Choo or Kendrys Morales, their left-field candidates currently include Choice, Jim Adduci, Engel Beltre and even Mitch Moreland, displaced from his usual spot at first base by the addition of Prince Fielder.

“If today was Mar. 31, we’re comfortable we can put together a quality outfield,” Texas general manager Jon Daniels said. “But it is Dec. 3. We still have time to see what’s out there. We could add somebody else to the mix, or we may go with what we’ve got.”

The Rangers are also seeking a veteran presence to complement Geovany Soto behind the plate, although an already thin free-agent market for catchers got even thinner this week when Dioner Navarro, Wil Nieves and Jarrod Saltalamacchia all signed with new clubs.

Some have mentioned former Oakland and Washington catcher Kurt Suzuki as a possible fit for Texas, and with the recent flurry of backstop signings, some kind of move could be made at Major League Baseball’s winter meetings next week in Orlando, Florida.

“We’re looking for the best all-around fit,” Daniels said. “We place a high value on durability. If [Soto] went down, we would want somebody who could step in and be an everyday guy.”

Nathan, Pierzynski Shift to A.L. Central

In addition to the Gentry trade, Texas saw a bit more roster fluctuation Tuesday when closer Joe Nathan and catcher A.J. Pierzynski were signed by the Tigers and Red Sox, respectively.

An American League All-Star in each of his two years with the Rangers, Nathan compiled 80 saves and posted an earned run average of 2.09 across 129 innings of work.

Pierzynski, meanwhile, hit about 10 points below his career batting average during his lone season in Texas, but he still delivered 17 home runs and provided the Rangers with 15 years’ worth of big-league experience at backstop.

Texas will most likely look to fill Nathan’s role internally, with late-inning relievers Joakim Soria, Tanner Scheppers and Neftali Feliz appearing to be the leading candidates at this point.

Outfielder Ortega Claimed from Rockies

The Rangers acquired outfielder Rafael Ortega on a waiver claim from the Colorado Rockies last Wednesday and added him to their 40-man roster.

The 22-year-old Ortega spent last season at Double-A Tulsa in the Colorado farm system, hitting .228 with nine stolen bases. The extent of his big-league service time consists of two games with the Rockies in 2012.

Across parts of six seasons in the minors, Ortega has already racked up 156 stolen bases while compiling a .298 lifetime batting average.

Rangers Notes: Berkman, Nathan Unlikely to Return

Lance Berkman hit well to start the season before he was forced out of the lineup by nagging injuries.

Having paid $10 million to steer him away from retirement and be their designated hitter this year, the Rangers last week declined their $12 million option for next season on Lance Berkman, opting instead for a $1 million buyout.

Berkman hit safely in 13 of his first 15 games this season and was batting over .300 in mid-May, but his production took a dive over the next few weeks as he dealt with the effects of recurring knee and hip ailments, which ultimately sent him to the disabled in early July.

Upon his return when active rosters expanded in September, Berkman made back-to-back starts at Oakland before again being sidelined for more than a week, and he went 0-for-12 with four strikeouts across his final five games.

The switch-hitting Berkman, a native of the Lone Star State whose resume includes 366 career home runs, may still try to catch on with another team in 2014, but his short stint in a Texas uniform appears to be finished.

Veteran closer Joe Nathan, on the other hand, did have his $9 million club option picked up by the Rangers, although he exercised his right to void the option and become an unrestricted free agent.

Nathan has indicated his desire to receive a multiyear contract, and Texas was apparently unwilling to extend him beyond next season.

“I want at least two years,” he said last Thursday. “The last couple of years, I think I’ve proven that I’m healthy. I think I’ve proven to lots of skeptics and critics that I can handle a two-year deal or maybe two and an option.”

Since taking over as the Rangers’ closer prior to the 2012 season, Nathan appeared in 133 games and converted 80 out of 86 save opportunities while making the American League All-Star team both years.

With Nathan out of the picture, Texas could look to a couple of in-house candidates as a possible replacement, namely hard-throwing righty Tanner Scheppers and former Kansas City closer Joakim Soria.

As expected, the Rangers also made a $14.1 million qualifying offer to outfielder Nelson Cruz on Monday, meaning that Texas will receive a compensatory draft pick if Cruz signs with another team.

Soto Re-Signed to One-Year Deal

The Rangers are bringing back at least one of their free-agent catchers as Geovany Soto agreed to a one-year contract worth just over $3 million on Tuesday.

“Geo brings a lot to the club with his handling of the staff and defense,” general manager Jon Daniels said. “I think with his work and adjustments he made late in the year with [hitting coach] Dave Magadan, we’ve seen what he was capable of earlier in his career.”

Soto, who served as the backup to A.J. Pierzynski last season, would figure to be the team’s primary catcher heading into 2014, although Texas also seems like a logical suitor for 30-year-old Brian McCann, the top backstop on the free-agent market this winter.

B.B. Abbott, the agent representing McCann, indicated on Wednesday that his client may already have the Rangers in mind as well, noting that Arlington is “certainly an attractive place for [Brian].

“He’s a left-handed power-hitting catcher who likes to handle a mature and quality staff,” Abbott continued. “They have a good front office and a good coaching staff. He would be crazy not to look at that as a landing spot.”

Texas Claims Roe off Waivers from D’Backs

Right-handed pitcher Chaz Roe was acquired on a waiver claim from Arizona last Friday and placed on the Rangers’ 40-man roster.

The 27-year-old Roe made his major-league debut with the Diamondbacks this summer, posting a 1-0 record with a 4.03 earned run average across 21 relief appearances. He also saw action in 22 games at Triple-A Reno, where he picked up seven saves.

Roe was a 2005 first-round draft pick of the Colorado Rockies before being dealt to Seattle in exchange for infielder Jose Lopez in December 2010, then he was signed by Arizona late in the 2012 season.

Rangers Notes: Offseason Needs Shift into Focus

Shin-Soo Choo could give the Rangers a left-handed power hitter in the outfield, something missing since the departure of Josh Hamilton.

Trying to move past another stumbling finish to a disappointing season (not to mention the loss of the most notable icon in franchise history), the Rangers will be in the unfamiliar position of trying to improve their offense via free agency or trades this winter.

The Texas lineup that lost Josh Hamilton, Mike Napoli and Michael Young heading into this year did not fare as well as many had hoped, and Nelson Cruz’s late-season suspension highlighted multiple weaknesses in the batting order.

Cruz is going to be an unrestricted ‘Type A’ free agent for the first time in his career this offseason, and while the Rangers are expected to make him a qualifying offer of roughly $14 million, the Dominican slugger could elect to seek a more lucrative multi-year contract from another club on the open market.

Alex Rios has already supplanted Cruz as the team’s everyday right fielder, and both Craig Gentry and Leonys Martin saw regular playing time down the stretch, but Texas could look to add a left-handed power bat to the outfield mix.

Some of the top names available to that end include Shin-Soo Choo, Jacoby Ellsbury, Curtis Granderson and Grady Sizemore, each of whom is 33 years old or younger and has reached double figures in home runs at least once in their career.

Barring a blockbuster trade this offseason, the Rangers appear to have most of their infield set with Adrian Beltre, Elvis Andrus and Ian Kinsler, but they are likely to seek a utility man to replace free agent Jeff Baker.

In addition, the club could look for a more reliable power source than Mitch Moreland at first base, with Kendrys Morales, Justin Morneau and former Texas slugger Mike Napoli among the top players available at that position.

Behind the plate, both A.J. Pierzynski and Geovany Soto are eligible for free agency in a class that features a considerable gap between the most coveted name on the market — Atlanta catcher Brian McCann — and the next-best option.

The Rangers figure to be in the running for McCann’s services, and it would not be surprising if they brought back Soto because of the successful rapport he appears to have developed with starter Yu Darvish.

Aside from Darvish, left-hander Derek Holland is about the only other sure bet to begin next season in the Texas rotation, although 22-year-old Martin Perez certainly earned himself strong consideration by posting a 10-6 record across 20 starts this summer.

Matt Garza, acquired from the Cubs in a July trade, is eligible for free agency after winning just four of his 13 starts with the Rangers, but he’s thought to be one of the better pitchers on the market this offseason.

Also drawing interest this winter will be a handful of serviceable veterans who have shown the ability to surpass 200 innings pitched in a season, including Dan Haren, Ubaldo Jimenez, Ricky Nolasco, Ervin Santana and Jason Vargas.

Finally, the Texas bullpen does not figure to see a great amount of turnover next year, although some roles could be shifted if closer Joe Nathan decides to turn down his 2014 contract option and become a free agent.

Davis to Serve as Controlling Owner

With Nolan Ryan resigning from his ownership post, Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig said last week that Ray Davis will replace Ryan as the controlling owner of the team.

Davis, who already serves as co-chairman of the organization with Bob Simpson, is expected to be bestowed with his new title at the annual meeting of MLB owners in mid-November.

Following six years as a Rangers executive, Ryan announced two weeks ago that he will be stepping down from his front-office position at the end of this month, at which time he will sell his stake in the team to Davis and Simpson.

Leyland Retirement Could Open Door for Maddux

While he does not appear to among the finalists for the vacant Cubs’ managerial job, Texas pitching coach Mike Maddux is now being discussed as a potential candidate to replace Jim Leyland in Detroit.

Leyland announced he would not return as manager just two days after his Tigers lost to the Red Sox in the American League Championship Series, and Maddux has said he would “absolutely be interested” in the Detroit opening.

“This team is built to win now,” Maddux said of the Tigers. “I would try to put my own brand on it and just try to fill Jim Leyland’s shoes — not that anyone will be able to fill his shoes.”