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The Texas Rangers have shown interest in bringing back veteran right-hander Colby Lewis, as general manager Jon Daniels tells Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com that the club has already entered preliminary talks with Lewis' agent, Alan Nero. As it stands, the 35-year-old is scheduled to become a free agent this offseason.
Lewis, who has been with the Rangers since 2010, missed all of 2013 following hip surgery, but returned on a minor league deal this season and wound up leading the club with 170.1 innings pitched in 29 starts. While Lewis showed that he was healthy enough to log a sizable innings total, his performance was nothing special. He posted a 5.18 ERA (75 ERA+), 4.46 FIP, 7.0 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, and 1.6 fWAR.
The Rangers originally drafted Lewis in the first round of the 1999 draft, and he spent his first three big league seasons with the club (2002-2004) before making several short stints in the Tigers, Nationals, Athletics, and Royals organizations. Lewis would sign with Texas prior to the 2010 season, and he proved to be a quality starter during the club's successful 2010-2012 run.