The Texas Rangers have made a habit in recent years of taking a low-rish/high-reward flier on once-great players trying to come back from injuries. Sometimes they've worked out (Joe Nathan) while others haven't (Roy Oswalt).
A couple of seasons ago, they did just that with former NL Cy Young winner Brandon Webb, who hadn't pitched in the majors since 2009 after dealing with a series of shoulder problems. He never pitched for the Rangers that season, and on Monday the 33-year-old confirmed he is retiring from baseball.
Webb won the NL Cy Young in 2006 when he went 16-8 with Arizona and led the league in home runs allowed per nine innings with 0.6, using a heavy sinker that he became known for. You could argue he had better seasons for the Diamondbacks in 2007 and 2008, when he finished second in the Cy Young voting both years. He pitched four innings on Opening Day in 2009 before exiting with a shoulder issue. Now he's finished.
It's too bad for Webb, who attempted to come back a couple of times and just never was able to find his groove again.
