The Texas Rangers have had several hits and misses with low-risk, high-reward type guys in the past. For every Colby Lewis, there's been an Adam Eaton.
Now, the Rangers are making another one as they signed Rafael Perez over the weekend to a minor-league deal with an invite to spring training.
Perez has had some good seasons in the big leagues with the Cleveland Indians but has battled injuries in the past couple of years, undergoing shoulder surgery at the end of the 2012 season and not seeing a big-league mound since.
Perez has a respectable 3.64 ERA over 338 career appearances in the major leagues, all in relief with Cleveland from 2006-12. He's been durable in the past and even has postseason experience. With the way the Rangers are looking at shuffling their rotation if they move either Tanner Scheppers or Robbie Ross into the rotation, another bullpen arm will be needed, and Perez is a cheap shot worth taking.
In 2013, he went 3-2 with a 2.60 ERA in the minor leagues, pitching in both Double-A and Triple-A in both the Twins and Red Sox organizations.
