REPORT: Texas Rangers to Sign 1B Greg Bird to Minor League Contract
Per multiple reports, the Texas Rangers have agreed to terms with first baseman Greg Bird on a Minor League deal with an invite to spring training. The club confirmed the acquisition on Tuesday afternoon.
First base has been a position the Rangers have looked to possibly upgrade all winter. Incumbent youngster Ronald Guzman has potential and is already an accomplished defender for his age, but hasn't been able to put everything together with that bat.
The Rangers have looked externally for first base help, but more to address depth or create a platoon partner for Guzman. They've also been known to take chances on the low-risk, high-reward type of players and Greg Bird fits that bill to a tee.
Bird, 27, was Baseball America's #4 Yankees prospect after the 2014 season. He made his Major League debut in 2015 and burst onto the scene, showing tons of potential. He slashed .261/.343/.529 and hit 11 home runs in only 46 games.
Along with Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez, Bird was part of a young crop of prospects the Yankees stocked up on to help bring them back into contention. Then, injuries derailed his career.
He missed all of 2016 with a torn labrum in his right shoulder. He missed 114 games in 2017 because of surgery to remove a bone in his right foot. He played a career-high 82 games in 2018, but a bone spur in his right ankle cost him 80 games. By 2019, Bird had taken a bit of a back seat in the Yankees' plans for first base. Even then, he still missed some time due to a torn planter fascia in his left foot.
Bird has always had the potential to be a good Major League player. The Rangers are properly exploring the opportunity with a Minor League deal. If he goes to spring training and shows that he's healthy and he can possibly perform like his 2015 version, the Rangers will have found another Danny Santana in 2020.
Being a left-handed hitter, platooning with Guzman (also a lefty) isn't a likely scenario. Bird will be given the chance to come in and show the Rangers he can still be the same player we all saw back in 2015 – and it won't cost the Rangers almost anything. It's a shrewd move that can't hurt them and has potential to be highly rewarding.
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