The Rangers announced on Wednesday that the club has agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher Justin Germano on a minor-league deal with an invitation to big league spring training.
Here's some information about Germano according to the club's release:
Germano, 31, spent last season in the Toronto organization, making one appearance for the Blue Jays on May 1 vs. Boston (2.0 IP, 2 R-ER). He spent the rest of the year at Buffalo (AAA), going 8-9 with a 4.47 ERA (75 ER/151.0 IP) in 25 games/24 starts. He had 2 complete games, 27 walks, and 103 strikeouts. Originally drafted by the Padres in 2000, Germano has gone 10-30 with a 5.29 ERA over 94 games/48 starts in his major league career with San Diego (2004, 2007-08), Cincinnati (2006), Cleveland (2010-11), Boston (2012), Chicago-NL (2012), and Toronto (2013). He pitched for the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball in 2009, going 5-4 with a 4.38 ERA in 14 games/13 starts. One of his starts that year came against Hokkaido’s Yu Darvish on July 31, 2009, a game in which Germano took the loss.
The Rangers now have 11 nonroster invitees to camp: pitchers Nate Adcock, Jose Contreras, Germano, Colby Lewis, Aaron Poreda, and Armando Rodriguez, infielders Kevin Kouzmanoff, Brent Lillibridge, and Josh Wilson, and outfielders Bryan Petersen and Brad Snyder.
Darren Oliver wins 2014 Mark Holtz Alumni Award: Oliver, who retired after last season, played 20 years in the big leagues, including three different stints with the Texas Rangers (1993-98; 2000-01; 2010-11). Oliver will receive the award as part of the Dr Pepper Texas Rangers Awards Dinner on Friday, Jan. 24, at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center in Grapevine.
Oliver was 118-98 in 766 appearances/229 starts in his big league career with Texas, St. Louis, Boston, Colorado, Florida, Houston, New York Mets, Los Angeles Angels, and Toronto. He was 3-4, 4.08 in 50 games with the Blue Jays in 2013. Oliver pitched in 30 career postseason games.
