Texas Rangers Interested in Wily Peralta
Opening day is just a few days away, but the search for starting pitching depth continues for the Texas Rangers. However, they may have found someone who will fit in perfectly with the team.
Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News has reported that several Rangers officials stayed to watch Brewers pitcher Wily Peralta play against the Kansas City Royals last Saturday, and he said they were looking for an affordable pitcher who's under team control for several seasons.
That sounds like Peralta. He pretty much ticked all the boxes. The pitcher is signed for $4.275 million in 2017 and he is eligible for arbitration in 2018 and 2019. However, Grant also stated that Peralta doesn't have any minor league options left, so he will have to stay in the majors.
A number of observers have noted that the Rangers need all the help they can get at the position since they don't have many healthy players available. Well, Peralta is certainly an interesting option.
"The Rangers could certainly use some major league quality pitching depth, as the club is dealing with a shortage of healthy starters this spring. Neither Tyson Ross nor Andrew Cashner [is] expected to be ready for Opening Day, and Chi Chi Gonzalez figures to be out until at least June with a UCL issue," Kyle Lesniewski of Brew Crew Ball said in his report.
Peralta played for the Dominican Republic in this year's World Baseball Classic and he did well. In fact, it sounds like he's ready to play this season. "I feel pretty good about how my spring went this year. It's usually a little rough for me in Spring Training, but this year was different. I think the World Baseball Classic helped me out a little bit," Peralta said, according to the official Major League Baseball (MLB) website.
Peralta got off to a rough start the past two seasons, so it's good to hear that he's ready this time.