Considering he had surgery to repair a torn meniscus earlier this offseason, and is a 36-year-old veteran of labrum surgery and hip resurfacing the past few years; and in light of the recent Hisashi Iwakuma failed physical, this is by no means a done deal.

However, the dollar amount and one-year term seems to indicate that the Rangers probably intend to get him signed regardless of the outcome of the physical.  Probably more an issue of standard procedure and making sure there isn't anything *else* wrong that needs to be fixed before next season.

I was wrong about this, unless something comes to light after the physical.  I thought this deal would be a repeat of last year, when Colby was reported to be disappointed with the Rangers' offer and sought out other contracts, only to eventually sign for one year/$4 million.  This one year/$6 million deal is right in line with Lewis's worth minus discounts for health and regression:  his STEAMER projection of 1.1 fWAR next year is certainly dragged up from normal progression by his 2.6 fWAR 2015 which you have to consider an outlier at this stage of his career.

Still, considering the contracts that similarly-aged and similarly-talented (and less talented) pitchers have received this year, a lot of observers were wondering of Lewis could actually command deal of $16m over 2 years.  Surely *somebody* was willing to go 2/$10.  I don't personally believe the "home team player discount" concept is a real, going concern for most players; although Lewis fits the profile of someone who would do such a thing.  He's at the end of his career one way or another; he was drafted by the Rangers, and Texas is the team that gambled on him being able to lead a rotation when he came back from Japan.

On the other hand, that's been the narrative for three years now.  Colby is cheap because Colby wants to be in Texas.  Since coming back from multiple surgeries, Colby has been paid a relative pittance for the value he has generated.  This year being the exception, I can't imagine Colby turned down offers at value to pitch for Texas cheaply the past few years...and that indicates that the market for Lewis was never strong.

The article notes that the signing, maybe even the physical, won't actually happen until next year.  So, we have to consider that there could still be drama ahead.  But I hope not.  Colby is a solid back-end starter, and a Texas Ranger.

Posted by: Ben at 11:01 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 425 words, total size 3 kb.