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The Texas Rangers missed out on signing the high-upside, stable Cliff Lee. They missed out on trading for the high-upside, stable Zack Greinke. So on Sunday, they went down a different route, signing the high-upside but far more fragile Brandon Webb.
According to Ed Price, the deal is still pending a physical. If Webb passes, it's assumed that the free agent starter will receive a low base salary with a lot of innings-based incentives. It's possible that his will be a one-year contract with a vesting 2012 option. Whatever the case, Webb won't be guaranteed close to the $8.5 million he pulled home in 2010.
The 31-year-old righty was once one of baseball's most effective front-of-the-rotation starters, posting a 3.24 ERA over more than 1300 innings between 2003-2008. He missed a fair number of bats and did an excellent job of using his sinker to keep the ball on the ground. However, he threw just four innings in 2009 and zero innings in 2010 after undergoing major shoulder surgery, and the big question now is how much of his old ability he still has. If he's back at full strength, he'll be a great bargain for the Rangers. If he's near full strength, he should still be effective. But if his sinker velocity is down in the low- to mid-80s, he may struggle. There's also no guarantee that he stays healthy.
In signing Webb, the Rangers beat out the Reds as a suitor. It's expected that Webb will begin the year in the rotation. For more, check out Lone Star Ball.
Brandon Webb Contract With Rangers Worth At Least $3 Million
On Sunday, we learned that free agent starter Brandon Webb had signed with the Rangers. As such, the Rangers beat out a number of suitors, of whom the Reds were the strongest.
Now, on Monday morning, we get some contract details. According to Jerry Crasnick, Webb's is a one-year contract with a $3 million base. However, it also comes with incentives - presumably based on playing time - and if Webb hits all of them, he could stand to make $8-10 million. In other words, while Webb looks like a bargain, a healthy, effective Webb will stand to earn some good money.
Webb is expected to begin the season in the Rangers starting rotation, along with C.J. Wilson, Colby Lewis, Tommy Hunter, and Derek Holland. If his sinker is back to normal movement and normal velocity, he could be a real weapon. However, his workouts since undergoing major shoulder surgery have been mediocre, and it's for that reason that the Rangers are taking a bit of a gamble.
Dec 27 12:18p by Jeff Sullivan - 0 comments