Rangers sign RHP Luis Curvelo to Major League contract; club hires Skip Schumaker as senior advisor, baseball operations
Arlington, Texas ¡ª The Texas Rangers today announced the signing of free agent right-handed pitcher Luis Curvelo to a Major League contract.
Curvelo, who turned 24 on October 21, will be seeking his Major League debut. He went 4-0 with 3 saves and a 2.57 ERA (19 ER/66.2 IP) over 49 relief appearances in 2024 for Double-A Arkansas of the Seattle Mariners organization, ranking among Texas League pitchers in holds (1st, 14), games (2nd), WHIP (3rd, 0.86), and ERA (11th). The right-hander garnered Mariners Minor League Pitcher of the Month honors for August after allowing just one run in 11.1 innings while going 2-for-2 in save opportunities over 11 appearances during the month.
A native of Higuerote, Venezuela, Curvelo originally signed with Seattle as an international free agent on May 22, 2018, and has compiled a 21-8 record, 10 saves, and a 3.51 ERA (115 ER/294.2 IP) in 189 career games/4 starts spanning six minor league campaigns (all with SEA). His 189 appearances since 2018 rank 2nd among all Mariners farmhands, while his 334 strikeouts rank 8th and 1.13 WHIP sits 9th over that stretch. In addition to his stint in the Seattle organization, Curvelo has also appeared in the Venezuelan Winter League for Lara (2022-23) and Caracas (2024).
The Rangers now have 37 players on the club¡¯s 40-man roster.
SCHUMAKER JOINS FRONT OFFICE: The Rangers have hired Skip Schumaker as Senior Advisor, Baseball Operations. The 44-year-old spent the last two seasons (2023-24) as the manager of the Miami Marlins, including a 2023 campaign in which he was selected as the National League Manager of the Year after leading the Fish to an 84-78 record and their fourth postseason appearance in club history. Prior to his stint in Miami, Schumaker appeared on the Major League coaching staffs for St. Louis (2022 ¨C Bench Coach) and San Diego (2020-21 ¨C Associate Manager; 2018-19 ¨C First Base Coach). From 2016-17, he served as an Assistant to Baseball Operations and Player Development for the Padres.
An 11-year Major League veteran as a player, Schumaker compiled a career .278 batting average (905-3252) with 28 home runs and 284 RBI over 1149 games spanning stints with St. Louis (2005-2012), Los Angeles-NL (2013), and Cincinnati (2014-15). He was an integral member of the Cardinals¡¯ 2011 World Series championship squad, batting .381 (8-21) over 11 games during that postseason. The Torrance, Calif. native was originally selected by St. Louis in the 5th round of the 2001 MLB Draft from the University of California, Santa Barbara.