In one of the more odd arbitration cases to settle in recent memory, the Texas Rangers had seven cases to settle this offseason, and on Thursday they settled their second — avoiding arbitration yet again with the last hearing coming in 2000 with Lee Stevens.
Jurickson Profar and the Rangers struck a one-year deal for $605,000 for the 2016 season despite the fact he hasn't taken the field as a Ranger since 2013 after missing the past two seasons with shoulder injuries.
Profar, who will turn 23 years old next month, hit the majors at age 19 in 2012 and last made an appearance for the Rangers as a pinch-hitter in September 2013 yet earned himself a pretty nice 17 percent raise. The former No. 1 prospect in all of baseball is expected to start the 2016 season in the minor leagues in an effort to "rehab" his game to get back to the majors.
He will now be eligible for arbitration for three more seasons if he isn't locked up before then, and that makes him nice and cheap for a while, whether it's for the Rangers or for another team if the Rangers involve him in a trade.
