Rangers Sign Free Agent INF Matt Duffy to Minor League Deal
The Rangers have added more depth to their roster.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Rangers have agreed to terms with veteran infielder Matt Duffy on a Minor League contract. The club officially announced the deal Thursday afternoon.
If Duffy makes the Major League roster, he will earn $1 million with to potential of earning up to another $1.5 million in incentives.
Duffy, 29, slashed .252/.343/.327 with one home run and 12 RBI's in 169 plate appearances for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2019. He's a career .282/.338/.380 hitter and placed second in the N.L. Rookie of the Year voting in 2015 as a member of the San Francisco Giants. He also won a World Series with the Giants in 2014.
After a promising start to his career, Duffy has struggled with injuries over the past few seasons, including an achilles injury that kept him out the entire 2017 season. Duffy dealt with hamstring issues throughout 2019, limiting him to only 46 games.
Duffy has primarily been a third baseman throughout his career, but has also seen some scarce appearances at shortstop and second base. Before his achilles injury, Duffy was a plus defender, but his defensive metrics have dipped since returning in 2018.
The Rangers have been known to take fliers on veteran players, also known as a "low-risk, high-reward" signing. They've paid off in the past and even as recently as Hunter Pence only a season ago, who turned in an all star season with the Rangers.
Not all of these types of signings have been successful either. Shelby Miller and Drew Smyly were brought in last season in similar ways, but neither player was on the Major League roster past June.
The Rangers have a pretty deep depth chart already with infielders, including Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Nick Solak seeking as many at-bats as possible. But Duffy will have a chance to audition for a spot on the roster in spring training.
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