Last week, Texas signed 3B-L Hank Blalock to a five-year, $15.25M contract that includes an option for 2009. As Blalock likely wouldn't have been eligible for arbitration until after the 2005 season, he'll reportedly receive $500,000 in 2004 and $800,000 in 2005. The breakdown for the three years of the deal buying out his arbitration-eligibility was not reported nor was the salary for the option year. Unsurprisingly, Blalock's agent advised against him accepting the deal, which falls significantly below what Blalock's talent could have commanded. Blalock opted to lock in financial security now rather than gamble on a bigger reward later.

The 23-year-old provided a preview of his power potential last season, but given his fly ball tendencies, I expect his power to continue to increase as he matures physically. While his walk rate slipped below target levels last season, Blalock's history of solid plate discipline indicates his patience should rebound. The biggest warning flag in his numbers appears to be his large platoon split. Blalock seriously struggled against left-handed pitching last season. However at his age, there's no reason to believe he cannot overcome his current difficulties as long as the Rangers continue to grant him playing time against southpaws. I suspect he'll be one of the biggest bargains in baseball over the course of this contract.

Texas planned to use spring training to decide the alignment of their middle infield. However, IF-R Mike Young volunteered to move from second to shortstop, filling the defensive hole created by the trade of SS-R Alex Rodriguez and opening second for 2B-R Alfonso Soriano. Young's played second for most of the past three seasons, but he played short growing up, through college, and in his early years in the minors. The early decision allows Young to spend all of spring training adjusting to the position switch while Soriano won't have to worry about bouncing around defensively in camp.

Financially, the move likely neither benefits nor hurts Young. While shortstops are generally valued more than second basemen, Young might have earned a Gold Glove at second and was in contention for an All-Star berth. As a shortstop, he's never going to make the All-Star team and winning a Gold Glove will be much more difficult.

Meanwhile, the Rangers agreed to minor league contracts with a few more players, including RHP Willie Banks, RHP Doug Brocail, RHP Brad Clontz, and LHP Jordan Zimmerman. The 34-year-old Banks split 2003 between the Yankees' AAA International League affiliate at Columbus and AAA Iowa, the Cubs' Pacific Coast League affiliate. While he's displayed flashes of effectiveness, Banks frequently struggles with his control. I don't expect him to substantially impact the Texas major league team.

Doug Brocail underwent Tommy John surgery in late April of 2001 and wasn't able to return in 2002. He then had surgery to repair the ulnar nerve as well as a stress fracture in his right elbow in September of 2002, causing him to miss the 2003 season. The 36-year-old is hoping to make a comeback this year and even has a provision in his minor league deal that allows him to pursue opportunities with other clubs if the Rangers don't inform him on April 1st that he'll break camp with Texas. I find it quite unlikely that after missing close to three seasons with elbow trouble Brocail will be prepared for a bullpen job following spring training.

Brad Clontz hasn't pitched in the majors since 2000 and did not play at all in 2002. The 32-year-old spent last season closing for Colorado's AAA PCL affiliate at Colorado Springs, where he pitched effectively with the exception of limited control trouble, which has been his problem in the majors as well. Since Texas once again appears in position to audition a number of AAAA pitchers in their bullpen in 2004, the Rangers offer Clontz an opportunity to return to the majors.

Shoulder problems limited Jordan Zimmerman, the younger brother of RHP Jeff Zimmerman, to one appearance at the Royals' AAA PCL affiliate at Omaha in 2002 and prevented him from pitching in 2003. He's reportedly been healthy since September and has converted to a sidearm delivery to avoid further shoulder pain. I'll be somewhat surprised if he breaks camp with the club, however the family connection may earn him a place in the bullpen before the season is over if he pitches effectively at AAA.

Jeff Zimmerman's return from Tommy John surgery has been one of the rockiest in recent memory. He signed a three-year, $10M contract prior to the 2002 season, encountered elbow soreness in the spring, underwent surgery to repair torn cartilage in his elbow midway through 2002, and then during his rehab discovered he needed Tommy John surgery, so he didn't pitch in the majors at all in 2002. Since the surgery took place in late July and Zimmerman is a reliever, we expected he'd be able to return to the Texas pen by the All-Star break of 2003. However, numerous setbacks prevented him from spending any time in the majors in 2003 as well. The 31-year-old enters spring training with a clean bill of health, and the Rangers hope he'll be able to contribute to their pen in the final season of his contract, though they currently plan to continue using RHP Francisco Cordero as their closer.