Rangers sign Mark Teahen, grant Derek Lowe unconditional release

The Texas Rangers announced a pair of moves on Thursday, granting veteran pitcher Derek Lowe his unconditional release and signing Mark Teahen to a minor league deal, reports Rangers Vice President of Communications John Blake.

Texas had designated Lowe for assignment on Monday. Lowe, who will be 40 in a week, cleared waivers, but refused an outright assignment to the minors and instead elected to become a free agent. He had pitched poorly for the Rangers in nine relief appearances, allowing 13 earned runs over 13 innings.

Were another team to sign Lowe in hopes that he could start for them, he would likely need some time to stretch out as he has not started since midway through 2012.

Teahen, 31, has not played in the majors since 2011. He had been with the Arizona Diamondbacks, but the team granted him a release last week. They had come to a trade agreement earlier in the month with the Cincinnati Reds, but that deal fell through due to Teahen failing his physical. Both Teahen and the Diamondbacks were adamant that he was healthy, however.

Over seven major league seasons, Teahen hit .264/.327/.409 while playing at the outfield and infield corners. While playing for Triple-A Reno this season, Teahen posted a .571 OPS.