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RHP Bush, Rangers agree on minor-league deal

ARLINGTON, Texas — Free agent right-hander Dave Bush has agreed to a minor-league deal with the AL champion Texas Rangers that includes an invitation to major league spring training.

Bush spent the last five seasons with Milwaukee. He was 8-13 with a 4.54 ERA in 32 games (31 starts) last year.

He made at least 29 starts in four of the last five seasons. He won 12 games in both 2006 and 2007 when Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux held the same job with the Brewers.

In 193 games over seven major league seasons with Toronto (2004-05) and Milwaukee (2006-10), the 31-year-old Bush is 56-68 with a 4.66 ERA.

With the addition of Bush on Sunday, the Rangers have 54 players on their spring training roster.

Not much else going on in the MLB planet today.

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Grant: Why the Rangers, Michael Young should back off trade talk

TO

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RHP Bush agrees to minor league deal with Rangers

ARLINGTON, Texas — Free agent right-hander Dave Bush has agreed to a minor league deal with the AL champion Texas Rangers that includes an invitation to major league spring training.

Bush spent the last five seasons with Milwaukee. He was 8-13 with a 4.54 ERA in 32 games (31 starts) last year.

He made at least 29 starts in four of the last five seasons. He won 12 games in both 2006 and 2007 when Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux held the same job with the Brewers.

In 193 games over seven major league seasons with Toronto (2004-05) and Milwaukee (2006-10), the 31-year-old Bush is 56-68 with a 4.66 ERA.

With the addition of Bush on Sunday, the Rangers have 54 players on their spring training roster.

Gotta run!.

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Texas Rangers agree to terms with RHP Dave Bush on minor league contract with spring training invite

Updated: January 30, 2011, 3:23 PM ET

By Richard Durrett
ESPNDallas.com
Archive

The Texas Rangers agreed to terms Sunday with free agent right-handed pitcher Dave Bush to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.

ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reported that if Bush makes the team, he’ll earn $1 million in base salary and could earn another $1 million in incentives. The deal also includes a clause allowing Bush to opt out of the minor league deal if he’s not on the big league roster.

The 31-year-old was 8-13 with a 4.54 ERA in 32 games (31 starts) for the Brewers in 2010. The Rangers see him as someone who can add depth to the pitching staff. Assistant general manager Thad Levine said Bush could end up helping the team as either a starter or a long reliever who could spot start when needed.

“I think we’ve got a player that’s been an accomplished starting pitcher, very versatile and there are a lot of ways he can contribute as we put together the best 12-man staff we can,” Levine said.

Bush had 18 quality starts last season, his highest total since 2006, and his 20 unearned runs allowed in 2010 were the highest single-season total for any major league pitcher the past three seasons.

Bush has pitched at least 174 1/3 innings in four of his last five seasons with at least 29 starts in those four years.

Bush, 56-68 with a 4.66 ERA in 193 games, started his career in Toronto in 2004 (he was taken in the second round of the 2002 draft by the Blue Jays). He was traded from Toronto to Milwaukee as part of the deal that brought Lyle Overbay to Toronto. Bush worked with current Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux when the two were in Milwaukee, and Levine said that relationship was instrumental in the Rangers signing Bush to a non-roster deal.

“You know he will help us at some point this year, whether it’s Opening Day or beyond,” Levine said. “I think you have an open competition in spring training, you break camp with 12 guys and you see what happens. In the average year you need 18 to 20 pitchers, and if you get decimated it can be a lot more. One reason we won the AL West and advanced in the playoffs was that when we had injuries, we replaced them with Major League-caliber pieces. We want to be sure our manager and pitching coach have good pitchers that can plug any holes.”

Richard Durrett covers the Rangers for ESPNDallas.com. You can follow him on Twitter or leave a question for his mailbag.

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Rangers add Dave Bush

The Texas Rangers have agreed to terms with pitcher Dave Bush on a minor league contract that includes an invitation to spring training.

Arlington, TX (Sports Network) – The Texas Rangers have agreed to terms with pitcher Dave Bush on a minor league contract that includes an invitation to spring training.

Bush spent the past five seasons with Milwaukee and last year posted a record of 8-13 with a 4.54 earned run average in 32 games, all but one of which were starts.

The 31-year-old right-hander has made at least 29 starts in four of the past five seasons, the lone exception coming in 2009 when he missed two months because of a triceps injury.

Bush has a career record of 56-68 with a 4.66 ERA in 193 games, including 184 starts, for Toronto and Milwaukee since making his big league debut with the Blue Jays in 2004.

© 2011 The Sports Network

That’s all for today.

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Rangers agree to $5.8M deal with Napoli

Last Updated: Saturday, January 29, 2011 | 7:13 PM ET

The Associated Press

Mike Napoli was traded to Texas from Toronto on Tuesday, his second move in five days. Mike Napoli was traded to Texas from Toronto on Tuesday, his second move in five days. (Harry How/Getty Images)

The Texas Rangers agreed to terms Saturday on a $5.8 million US contract for Mike Napoli, avoiding arbitration with the catcher-first baseman the AL champions just acquired in a trade.

With Napoli’s agreement, the only Texas player still eligible for arbitration is AL MVP Josh Hamilton. The slugger has asked for $12 million, $3.3 million more than the team has offered. Hamilton has said he is “counting on” having the case go to a hearing Feb. 14.

The Rangers also announced the signing of Cuban first baseman Jose Ruiz to a minor league contract with an invitation to major league spring training. Ruiz spent last summer in Tampa Bay’s organization.

Napoli was traded to Texas from Toronto on Tuesday, his second move in five days. Los Angeles Angels had sent him to the Blue Jays in the Vernon Wells deal Jan. 21. Before those two trades, Napoli had exchanged salary figures and requested $6.1 million from the Angels, who proposed $5.3 million.

Ruiz was released from Tampa Bay’s 40-man roster in November, then given his unconditional release. He hit .447 (21-of-47) with a homer and nine RBIs in 13 games for the Rays’ team in the Dominican Summer League and finished the season at double-A Montgomery, where he hit .272 with a homer and 11 RBIs in 23 games.

The addition of Ruiz gives Texas 13 non-roster invitees for spring training.

Texas also signed right-hander Ty Taubenheim and catcher Robinzon Diaz to minor league deals. Both have previously appeared in the majors.

Taubenheim, who spent last season in Philadelphia’s organization, is 1-5 with a 5.09 earned-run average in 14 major league games for Toronto (2006-07) and Pittsburgh (2008).

Diaz spent all last season at triple-A Toledo in Detroit’s organization. He hit .281 in 44 major league games for Toronto (2008) and Pittsburgh (2008-09).

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

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