When Neftali Feliz was designated for assignment late last week, there as still a small chance he could end up staying in the Rangers organization.
The first part of that equation come to fruition when the former AL Rookie of the Year and all-star closer cleared waivers with teams hesitant to pick up the remaining part of his $4.13 million arbitration deal and have him under control in 2016. The second part of the equation didn't come true.
Feliz rejected an assignment to the Rangers' minor league system and opted for free agency, making his tenure with the Rangers officially over and meaning he'll still retain his salary for this season.
Feliz posted a 5.09 ERA this year and lost his closer's role to Shawn Tolleson in mid-May, when the Rangers then took off and became the league's best team in May. His velocity has returned to an extent, as he consistently hit the mid-90s with his fastball, but his command would disappear often and that makes it fairly unlikely he'll get a big-league contract immediately.
It'll be interesting to see where he ends up, and it's hard to believe his career as a big-leaguer is over considering he just turned 27 years old, but his future won't be in Arlington.
