GaryMrMets
01-29-2002, 10:44 PM
http://rangers.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/tex/news/tex_news_story.jsp?article_id=tex_20020128_valdes_ news&team_id=tex
News
1/28/2002 4:00 pm ET
Valdes, Seanez added to Rangers' list of new arms
By Jesse Sanchez
TexasRangers.com
ARLINGTON, Texas -- John Hart's race for arms continues.
On Monday, the Rangers general manager agreed to one-year deals with starting pitcher Ismael Valdes and reliever Rudy Seanez. The pair mark the 10th and 11th new pitchers signed since Hart took over as GM in November.
Valdes, 28, agreed to a Major League contract worth $2.5 million and will be placed on the team's roster. He will be in Arlington on Wednesday and is scheduled for a physical with Rangers team doctors on Thursday and Friday. The Associate Press reports Valdes can earn an additional $1,225,000 in performance bonuses: $400,000 each for 150 and 175 innings, and $425,000 for 200 inning. Of his base salary, $1 million will be deferred with interest, payable from 2003 to 2006.
Seanez, who agreed to terms on a contract with Triple-A Oklahoma, will be invited to Major League Spring Training camp as a non-roster player. Financial terms of the agreements were not disclosed.
"In the case of Valdes, what we have is a 28-year-old, youthful right-hander who will help us in a position of need, and that is starting pitching," Hart said. "Over his career, he has provided a number of innings. He is an established Major League-caliber pitcher."
Plagued by hamstring and an arm injuries last season, Valdes was 7-6 with a 3.72 ERA through July. He struggled and posted a 2-7 record over the final three months with a 5.66 ERA to finish the season at 9-13 with a 4.45 ERA.
Once considered one of the Los Angeles Dodgers' top pitching prospects, Valdes won 10 or more games with the Dodgers for four consecutive seasons from 1995-98. He pitched 225 innings and won 15 games in 1996. However, he has pitched more than 200 innings only once since then and has not won more than 11 games in a season.
He ranked among the National League leaders in complete games (third, with six), ERA (fourth, 3.05), innings (seventh, 197 2/3), and strikeouts (eighth, 150) in 1995 and established career bests for wins (15), innings (225), and strikeouts (173) in 1996. He also had the National Leagues's fourth-lowest ERA (2.65) in 1997, establishing a career best.
Valdes actually worked with new Rangers pitching coach Oscar Acosta in 2000 while with the Chicago Cubs but went 2-4 with a 5.37 ERA and was traded back to the Dodgers. Anaheim signed him as a free agent before last season.
The Rangers' starting rotation entering Spring Training next month will include Chan Ho Park, Kenny Rogers and Valdes. Doug Davis, Dave Burba, Aaron Myette, Mario Ramos, Rob Bell and Hideki Irabu are competing for the final two spots in the rotation. Davis, Ramos, Bell and Myette all have options remaining.
"We have improved ourselves with our starting pitching, and at some point, what you look for is depth," Hart said. "The ability to have quality depth is something we have helped here. Certainly, that does not mean that one or two or our youngsters cannot make the team, because they certainly can."
Seanez, 33, pitched with Atlanta and San Diego last season after recovering from tendon-transplant surgery, otherwise known as "Tommy John Surgery," in June of 2000. He began his career with Cleveland in 1989 and is the fourth former Indians pitcher Hart has added to the Texas roster.
The right-hander is 16-13 with a 4.32 ERA and 11 saves in 242 Major League appearances with Cleveland (1989-91), San Diego (1993, 2001), Los Angeles (1994-95) and Atlanta (1998-2001). He has held opponents to a .233 average in his career and had career highs for appearances (56) and wins (six) with Atlanta in 1999.
Jesse Sanchez is the site reporter for texasrangers.com. He can be contacted via email at jsanchez@texasrangers.com.
http://www.mlb.com/tex/photo/ph_news_seanez.jpg
Rudy Seanez
http://rangers.mlb.com/tex/photo/ph_news_valdes.jpg
Ismael Valdes
News
1/28/2002 4:00 pm ET
Valdes, Seanez added to Rangers' list of new arms
By Jesse Sanchez
TexasRangers.com
ARLINGTON, Texas -- John Hart's race for arms continues.
On Monday, the Rangers general manager agreed to one-year deals with starting pitcher Ismael Valdes and reliever Rudy Seanez. The pair mark the 10th and 11th new pitchers signed since Hart took over as GM in November.
Valdes, 28, agreed to a Major League contract worth $2.5 million and will be placed on the team's roster. He will be in Arlington on Wednesday and is scheduled for a physical with Rangers team doctors on Thursday and Friday. The Associate Press reports Valdes can earn an additional $1,225,000 in performance bonuses: $400,000 each for 150 and 175 innings, and $425,000 for 200 inning. Of his base salary, $1 million will be deferred with interest, payable from 2003 to 2006.
Seanez, who agreed to terms on a contract with Triple-A Oklahoma, will be invited to Major League Spring Training camp as a non-roster player. Financial terms of the agreements were not disclosed.
"In the case of Valdes, what we have is a 28-year-old, youthful right-hander who will help us in a position of need, and that is starting pitching," Hart said. "Over his career, he has provided a number of innings. He is an established Major League-caliber pitcher."
Plagued by hamstring and an arm injuries last season, Valdes was 7-6 with a 3.72 ERA through July. He struggled and posted a 2-7 record over the final three months with a 5.66 ERA to finish the season at 9-13 with a 4.45 ERA.
Once considered one of the Los Angeles Dodgers' top pitching prospects, Valdes won 10 or more games with the Dodgers for four consecutive seasons from 1995-98. He pitched 225 innings and won 15 games in 1996. However, he has pitched more than 200 innings only once since then and has not won more than 11 games in a season.
He ranked among the National League leaders in complete games (third, with six), ERA (fourth, 3.05), innings (seventh, 197 2/3), and strikeouts (eighth, 150) in 1995 and established career bests for wins (15), innings (225), and strikeouts (173) in 1996. He also had the National Leagues's fourth-lowest ERA (2.65) in 1997, establishing a career best.
Valdes actually worked with new Rangers pitching coach Oscar Acosta in 2000 while with the Chicago Cubs but went 2-4 with a 5.37 ERA and was traded back to the Dodgers. Anaheim signed him as a free agent before last season.
The Rangers' starting rotation entering Spring Training next month will include Chan Ho Park, Kenny Rogers and Valdes. Doug Davis, Dave Burba, Aaron Myette, Mario Ramos, Rob Bell and Hideki Irabu are competing for the final two spots in the rotation. Davis, Ramos, Bell and Myette all have options remaining.
"We have improved ourselves with our starting pitching, and at some point, what you look for is depth," Hart said. "The ability to have quality depth is something we have helped here. Certainly, that does not mean that one or two or our youngsters cannot make the team, because they certainly can."
Seanez, 33, pitched with Atlanta and San Diego last season after recovering from tendon-transplant surgery, otherwise known as "Tommy John Surgery," in June of 2000. He began his career with Cleveland in 1989 and is the fourth former Indians pitcher Hart has added to the Texas roster.
The right-hander is 16-13 with a 4.32 ERA and 11 saves in 242 Major League appearances with Cleveland (1989-91), San Diego (1993, 2001), Los Angeles (1994-95) and Atlanta (1998-2001). He has held opponents to a .233 average in his career and had career highs for appearances (56) and wins (six) with Atlanta in 1999.
Jesse Sanchez is the site reporter for texasrangers.com. He can be contacted via email at jsanchez@texasrangers.com.
http://www.mlb.com/tex/photo/ph_news_seanez.jpg
Rudy Seanez
http://rangers.mlb.com/tex/photo/ph_news_valdes.jpg
Ismael Valdes