When Nelson Cruz got hammered by MLB with a 50-game suspension for his connection to the Biogenesis scandal, the Texas Rangers‘ fans wondered if Rangers general manager Jon Daniels would pull the trigger and bring another right-handed bat to town. Well, JD came through on Friday when the Chicago White Sox sent Alex Rios and $1 million to the Lone Star State in exchange for a player to be named later.
This was a long-awaited move for many Rangers supporters as both teams were evidently close to a similar deal around the 2013 MLB Trade Deadline.
Even still, Rios is finally out of the AL Central cellar as the White Sox are a shocking 24.5 half games out of first place. Now, the 10-year veteran will head to his third team in hopes to capture his first ever World Series Title. However, before Texas can play this Fall they must first keep the Oakland Athletics at bay — the two AL West powerhouses are currently tied for first place with less than 50 games left in the regular season.
Oakland will have to worry about Rios for at least one more year as the right fielder comes from Chicago with a $13 million salary for the 2014 season. Also, Rios has a team option in 2015 which would cost the Rangers $13.5 million if accepted. However, it’s more than likely that Rios is bought out when the time comes for $1 million.
Devin O’Barr is the Content Commentator for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @DevinOBarrRS, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
