Rangers agree to one-year deal with Rhodes Webb, Vlad remain on team's radar heading into holiday By T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com ARLINGTON -- The Rangers weren't ready to go into the Christmas weekend without pulling off one major player acquisition. The Rangers still hope to sign free-agent pitcher Brandon Webb and designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero, but the news on Thursday is they have agreed to terms with All-Star reliever Arthur Rhodes. The deal is pending a physical and the Rangers have indicated there will be no announcements until next week at the earliest. Rhodes, despite being 41, has the potential to be a significant upgrade to their bullpen as a second left-handed setup reliever along with Darren Oliver. Rhodes appeared in 69 games for the Reds and was 4-4 with a 2.29 ERA. In 55 innings, he struck out 50, walked 18 and gave up 38 hits. He also set a Major League record with 33 consecutive scoreless appearances, a stretch that covered 30 innings. Rhodes, who agreed to a one-year deal with a vesting option, missed all of 2007 with a torn ligament in his left elbow. Since then, he is 9-6 with a 2.32 ERA in 196 games. Opponents hit .204 in that stretch, including .172 by left-handers. A native of Waco, Texas, who was taken in the second round of the 1988 Draft by the Orioles, Rhodes will be playing in his 20th season and is 34th all-time among pitchers with 849 appearances. He is 11th all-time among pitchers (minimum 1,000 innings pitched) with 8.816 strikeouts per nine innings. Both Rhodes and Oliver were products of the 1988 Draft. The Rangers are still hoping for more. Although they don't expect any announcements until after this weekend, they are still going hard after Webb and Guerrero. There are no guarantees either deal will get done, and Webb is considered roughly a 50-50 proposition at this time. However, those are just two of the many avenues the Rangers are trying to explore as the Christmas holiday weekend serves as only the halfway point and possible brief respite from their efforts to improve their ballclub. General manager Jon Daniels, despite being extremely cautious in revealing his hand, and his lieutenants are exploring every possible option. The main focus continues to be pitching plus the ongoing negotiations with Guerrero to return as the designated hitter. The Rangers have an offer on the table and await a response. The same appears true with Webb. With Cliff Lee committing to the Phillies, the Rangers are no longer shackled by his indecision and can forge ahead on multiple fronts. "We've been engaged with a handful of higher-profile deals -- some of which have been resolved, some which haven't," Daniels said Thursday afternoon. "And we'll continue to look at those. We'd love to make an impact pickup if it fits what we're trying to do, and doesn't jeopardize our long-term goals. "At the same time, we're focused on the reasons we've been successful and trying not to stray from those. We're going to continue to look for talent in a variety of areas, trust our scouts, and make what we feel are astute acquisitions that fit the club." The Rangers, by all accounts, did press the Royals on Zack Greinke before he was dealt to the Brewers. There were suggestions that Royals general manager Dayton Moore wanted to send Greinke to the National League, but it is also true that the Rangers weren't willing to give up the crown jewels of their farm system in any deal. The Rangers also didn't have the up-the-middle players wanted by the Royals, who snagged a shortstop and a center fielder in the deal with the Brewers. The Rangers have made it clear they would be interested if the Rays decide to move Matt Garza but there is no sign yet of Tampa Bay willing to do that. The Rangers also know that Carl Pavano is the best of what little is left of quality in the free agent market. They would gladly take a leap of faith with Webb -- a 22-game winner with the D-backs in 2008 before missing two seasons with a shoulder injury -- and talks with his agent Jonathan Maurer remain ongoing. Still, no deal is expected before Christmas. Starting pitching remains a priority, especially because manager Ron Washington appears reluctant in wanting to move either closer Neftali Feliz or reliever Alexi Ogando into the rotation. The Rangers have one spot open behind C.J. Wilson, Colby Lewis, Tommy Hunter and Derek Holland, and also want to accumulate as much depth as possible. With Lee signed and Greinke traded, the chances of acquiring an impact starter is fading. Maybe Andy Pettitte, going by his relationship with club president Nolan Ryan, decides to pitch one more year and prefers to do it in Arlington instead of New York. Or the Rangers might decide that former Rockies left-hander Jeff Francis is worth taking a chance on with an incentive-laden deal. "We went into the offseason knowing there were only a few higher profile impact pitchers available," Daniels said. "If we don't add one from that group, we'll continue to build our depth, give ourselves options in March. It puts a greater emphasis on holding onto and developing our own. There's talent and there's opportunity so we'll see who seizes it." The Rangers, as far as internal options, do have left-handers Michael Kirkman and Matthew Harrison in line for the fifth spot, they have Scott Feldman coming back from knee surgery, and right-handers Omar Beltre, Eric Hurley and Tanner Scheppers -- three legitimate prospects -- linger just over the horizon. The Rangers, with their new ownership group, may end up with money to spend and nobody to give it to, but they are quickly approaching that time of the offseason when they start addressing their arbitration-eligible players. The two most prominent are Wilson, who can be a free agent after the upcoming season, and Josh Hamilton, who can do the same after 2012. That may end up being more important to the Rangers than pursuing any free agents still lingering in the market. "As we typically do this time of year, we'll look at our core players and see who it makes sense to talk about extensions with -- both for them, and for us," Daniels said. Compared to a number of other clubs, the Rangers have been relatively quiet this winter. But Rhodes is a significant acquisition and the Rangers still are making calls, submitting offers and exploring multiple possibilities. This will only be a short holiday weekend compared to the time still to go before pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training. 原文网址:http://ppt.cc/eIC9 --

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