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The Texas Rangers have claimed catcher Eli Whiteside off of waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays and re-signed corner infielder/outfielder Brandon Snyder to a minor-league contract, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
Whiteside has now been claimed off of waivers three times this offseason. The 33-year-old backstop will likely stay in Arlington, as the Rangers expect the journeyman backstop to serve in the back-up role to Geovany Soto next season, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
A career .214/.273/.338 hitter with 10 home runs in 199 big-league games over the past four seasons – all with the San Francisco Giants – Whiteside isn’t expected to light things up offensively, but is a much cheaper option than A.J. Pierzynski – the only enticing catcher option left on the open market. Whiteside has thrown out 31 percent of would-be base-stealers in his career, slightly above MLB average.
Snyder, 26, made the club’s 2012 Opening Day roster as corner infield/outfield option off the bench and hit .277/.309/.446 in 69 plate appearances, including a six-RBI game against Baltimore in early May. A former first-round pick of the Orioles, the Rangers originally purchased the Snyder’s contract agreement includes an invitation to major-league spring training in March.
