Rangers release Joe Beimel

The Texas Rangers have released left-handed reliever Joe Beimel, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Beimel had joined the Rangers on a minor-league deal earlier this month, and was slated to earn $1.5 million if he earned a spot on the big league roster.

The 37-year-old Beimel has been quite dismal this spring; likely the cause of his sudden release. In just three innings, Beimel allowed 14 runs, 11 of which were earned. This was Beimel's second go around with Texas, and his first experience (2012) ended much like this one, with a late-March release.

A 12-year big league veteran, Beimel has spent time at the major league level with the Pirates, Twins, Devil Rays, Dodgers, Nationals, Rockies, and Mariners, owning an above-average 4.07 ERA and 107 ERA+ for his career. After a two-year break from the majors (he underwent Tommy John surgery in May of 2012), Beimel returned in 2014, joining the Mariners on a minor-league deal. He ended up being a bargain for Seattle, posting a 2.20 ERA and 166 ERA+ in 45.0 innings pitched, despite a K/9 of just 5.0 (his career mark is 5.1).

The Rangers' roster was relatively devoid of southpaw relievers, leading many to assume that Beimel stood a good chance at landing on Texas' 25-man roster. However, it appears the Rangers will go in a different direction, choosing from the likes of Alex Claudio and Martire Garcia.

On Monday, the Rangers also reassigned highly regarded third base prospect Joey Gallo to the minors, while sending top catching prospect Jorge Alfaro to Double-A Frisco. Both Gallo and Alfaro are widely regarded as two of the best prospects in the Rangers' system, with some touting Gallo as one of the 20 best prospects in the game. However, neither was considered a likely candidate to hold down a big league roster spot out of spring training.