Texas further increased the depth of their pitching staff on Monday when they signed free agent Ismael Valdes to a one-year, $2.5 million contract. His acquisition should make the decision of which pitchers to use in the rotation a bit easier, as he will pitch in the middle of the Rangers rotation, and the majority of those pitchers who were competing for the fifth slot will at least start the year in AAA.

In addition to his base salary, of which one million dollars will be deferred with interest until sometime between 2003 and 2006, Valdes is reportedly eligible to earn performance bonuses of $400,000 when he hits 150 IP and 175 IP, and if he reaches 200 IP, he will receive another $425,000. The Rangers really didn't need to add Valdes, as they already had an almost obscene amount of starting depth, but Hart did secure him at an acceptable price.

Valdes is also the kind of pitcher who the club might consider dealing near the trading deadline for whatever help they need at the major league level or even just to add more minor league talent. In that case, Texas would be able to call up one of the pitchers who didn't make the team out of Spring Training and who then would have an extra half season to fine-tune their skills at AAA, along with delaying their arbitration and free agency clocks. The one thing the Texas staff still lacks is a solid #2 starter for the rotation, however Doug Davis may work his way up to that level by the middle of the second half, allowing them to drop one of the other pitchers down a slot or two.

Yesterday we covered a sampling of players signed to minor league contracts by National League teams; today I've done the same for some players signed by American League teams.

American League

Damon Buford signed a minor league contract with Boston. While Buford had a rather miserable year with the Cubs last season, he would likely be an acceptable fifth outfielder for the Sox. However, provided Boston adds another middle infield back-up, they may only have room for one extra outfielder, and Michael Coleman should beat out Buford since he's already on the 40-man roster. He's still a good sign for the club, because the Sox have some serious issues with offensive depth.

Japanese pitcher Ryo Kumagai also signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox. Kumagai is still very raw, as the 22-year-old was pitching at a university in Japan and not in their professional baseball system, but though he is likely a few years away from the majors, he certainly shows some promise.

The Chicago White Sox signed Justin Baughman to a minor league contract. Chicago already has a full compliment of middle infielders, but Baughman is a nice guy to have around in case of injury or trade.

Bill Simas signed a minor league contract with Detroit. This is likely a good career decision for Simas. He should compete for a spot in the bullpen, and since his main problem in the past has been in allowing an overabundance of home runs, Comerica Park should be good for his continued recovery from arm surgery.

Kansas City signed OF Scarborough Green and P Johnny Ruffin to minor league deals. While Green likely doesn't belong on a roster in any month other than September, he does provide them with some insurance in case of injury. However, they already have numerous players vying for time in the outfield and at DH. Ruffin really should make the Royals' bullpen. He appears to have had some problems with home runs during his first turn around the majors in the early 90's, although it looks as though he's gotten that problem under control after several years of minor league ball and is certainly ready to contribute to a major league pen.

Mike Jackson and Brian Meadows signed minor league contracts with Minnesota. Jackson is a great acquisition and likely deserves a spot in their bullpen more than most others. He has grown a little homer happy in the last few years, but last season was his first year back following the loss of all of 2000 to shoulder surgery, so if he can regain just a little more of his former stuff, he should be able to counteract his advancing age and pitch for another couple of years. Meadows unfortunately lacks any semblance of dominance and really shouldn't make the Twins rotation, even though he likely will. Several other pitchers are more deserving of the roster spot, while Meadows should probably just be used as an innings' eater when there aren't better options available.

The New York Yankees have signed Kurt Abbott, Ron Coomer, and Kevin Elster to minor league deals. While Abbott is just another utilityman to leave at AAA in case of injury, Coomer is likely to make the club out of Spring Training as a back-up corner infielder. As long as they primarily play him against lefties, he should be able to provide a small amount of production. If the Yankees are short on roster slots, he may have to compete with Enrique Wilson, who is already on the 40-man, for a spot on the team. Elster is a possible emergency back-up infielder but should probably just retire.

Ron Wright signed a minor league contract with the Mariners. Wright has some slugging skills, but not enough to counteract his relatively poor plate discipline to keep him in the majors. He appears to be pure AAA insurance against injury at the major league level.

Tampa Bay has signed several mildly interesting players to minor league contracts, including P Tom Martin, C Sal Fasano, and MI Ryan Freel, as well as outfielders Emil Brown and Brian R. Hunter. Martin seems to have developed into an acceptable lefty-specialist, however the Devil Rays already have several similar candidates rostered, so he likely won't be their second lefty in the pen coming out of Spring Training. If the major league lefties are plagued by injury or ineffectiveness, he might receive a shot later in the year.

Sal Fasano is a better catcher than John Flaherty, but Flaherty has a guaranteed deal. If Tampa can find someone to take Flaherty off their hands, Fasano is probably the favorite to become Toby Hall's back-up. The club already has plenty of middle infielders, but Freel will provide nice depth at AAA. I almost hope the Devil Rays deal him to a team that will play him, as he appears to have major league caliber talent. Brown and Hunter are just potential 5th outfielders, but I wouldn't expect either to make the team given the players already rostered. Hunter might receive a mid-season call-up and grab a few at-bats.

In addition to the players they've signed to major league contracts, Texas has also signed a number of pitchers to minor league deals, including Rudy Seanez, Justin Thompson, and Steve Woodard. Seanez and Woodard would be in the rotation mix for most teams in baseball but will probably be relegated to AAA for the majority of the season following all of the Rangers major league signings. Thompson is recovering from shoulder surgery and will continue his attempt to make it back to the majors following over two seasons lost to injury.

Middle infielder Dave Berg signed a minor league deal with Toronto. Berg is a decent middle infield back-up and may make the roster as a more experienced option than Chris Woodward.

Extras from the NL

I wanted to comment on two additional minor league signings from National League teams. Darren Holmes signed a minor league contract with Atlanta, and the Phillies signed John Mabry to a minor league deal. Holmes has a few years under his belt, but while I don't expect him to make the roster out of Spring Training, he might provide a boost to the Braves bullpen in a mid-season call-up. Mabry really shouldn't receive a roster spot, but Philadelphia will give him a look in Spring Training based on his major league service time alone.