In early December, Texas signed OF-R Richard Hidalgo to a one-year, $5M contract of which $500,000 will be deferred. Hidalgo reportedly will receive $100,000 of the deferred money in 2006 followed by payments of $200,000 in both 2007 and 2008. The deal includes up to $500,000 in plate appearance based bonuses with 600 PA earning him the maximum bonus.

Unfortunately, evaluating the talent for which the Rangers paid is difficult. Hidalgo certainly possesses the skills to make this salary appear like a bargain. However, slumps litter his performance over the past few seasons, arriving and departing with little to no pattern. Consequently, I feel Texas should have insisted on a more incentive based contract. The 29-year-old will find Ameriquest Field in Arlington more conducive to his power than Shea Stadium but not nearly as helpful as Minute Maid Park.