ARLINGTON -- A Sunday meeting with free-agent third baseman Anthony Rendon was the highlight of two busy days for the Rangers. Here is what went down for the Rangers in the 48 hours prior to Monday's non-tender deadline.
Rendon meeting
Major League sources said Rangers general manager Jon Daniels and other club officials met with Rendon on Sunday in Houston. Addressing third base is the Rangers' top priority this offseason. The meeting was first reported by The Dallas Morning News.
The Rangers have also expressed interest in free-agent third baseman Josh Donaldson. Mike Moustakas, another highly rated third baseman on the free-agent market, has agreed to a four-year deal with the Reds. The Rangers have yet to make an offer to Rendon.
The Rangers are reluctant to go beyond five years with any free agent, but they will likely have to do so if they have any hope of signing Rendon. He played in 146 games for the Nationals this past season and hit .319 with 34 home runs and 126 RBIs. The 29-year-old had a .412 on-base percentage and a .598 slugging percentage for the World Series champions.
Goody gets contract
The Rangers used Monday¡¯s deadline to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players by resolving right-handed reliever Nick Goody¡¯s uncertain situation.
Goody has accepted his assignment to the Rangers and agreed to a one-year, $915,000 contract for 2020 after being added to the 40-man roster. Goody was claimed off unconditional release waivers from the Indians last week and had the right to reject the assignment and become a free agent.
The 28-year-old began last season at Triple-A Columbus and was called up on June 5 after posting a 1.69 ERA in his final eight appearances for the Clippers. He pitched in 39 games for the Indians and was 3-2 with a 3.54 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP.
Goody struck out 11.1 batters and allowed just 6.6 hits per nine innings. He also walked 4.87 batters per nine innings. He relies on a 92.7 mph fastball and a swing-and-miss slider, and he could be a solid candidate to make the Rangers' bullpen in Spring Training.
Goody was a sixth-round pick by the Yankees in the 2012 MLB Draft out of LSU and pitched in parts of the 2015-16 seasons for New York before being traded to Cleveland. He was 1-2 with a 2.80 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP in 56 games for the Indians that season, striking out 11.9 batters per nine innings.
He was limited to 12 games for the Tribe in 2018 before undergoing debridement surgery on his right elbow.
Huang, Gibaut non-tendered
The acquisition of Goody left the Rangers with a full 40-man roster, and they opened up two spots by non-tendering pitchers Wei-Chieh Huang and Ian Gibaut. That allows room for free-agent pitcher Kyle Gibson, who has reached a three-year deal with the Rangers pending the outcome of a physical.
Gibaut and Huang are now free agents, but the Rangers are planning to try to re-sign both on Minor League contracts with invitations to Spring Training.
The Rangers did tender contracts to their other arbitration eligible players on Monday: Joey Gallo, Nomar Mazara, Danny Santana, Rafael Montero and Delino DeShields. There might have been some uncertainty about DeShields, but the Rangers still view him as a viable candidate to be their starting center fielder next season.
The Rangers will exchange salary figures on Jan. 10 with their five arbitration-eligible players. If an agreement is not reached with any of their players, an arbitration hearing will be set. The Rangers have not had an arbitration hearing with a player since Lee Stevens in 2000.