The Rangers nearly traded for J.P. Arencibia before he was non-tendered by the Blue Jays. Now they have him anyway, signing him to a one-year deal, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.
It’s worth $1.8 million and includes $300,000 in incentives, according to FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal.
Arencibia, who turns 28 next month, will battle Geovany Soto for playing time in Texas. He spent the last three years as the Blue Jays’ starting catcher, hitting 62 homers. However, his OBP during that time was a pathetic .260, the second worst mark among all players with 1,000 plate appearances the last three seasons (Yuniesky Betancourt was worst, at .257). He had 389 strikeouts versus just 72 walks in 1,264 at-bats.
Last season, Arencibia bottomed out to a .227 OBP.
Soto projects better offensively and is the superior defensive catcher, so he should get most of the starts in Texas.
