Rangers Sign Conor Jackson, Joe Beimel
By Ben Nicholson-Smith [February 6, 2012 at 3:07pm CST]
The Rangers signed outfielder/first baseman Conor Jackson and left-handed
reliever Joe Beimel to minor league contracts, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan
tweets. The deals include invitations to big league Spring Training.
Jackson posted a .244/.310/.341 line in 390 plate appearances with the
Athletics and Red Sox in 2011. The 29-year-old SFX client played all four
corner positions last year. Jackson, a right-handed hitter, owns a
.283/.381/.436 career line against left-handed pitching, so he could spell
left-handed hitters such as Mitch Moreland, Josh Hamilton and David Murphy if
he makes the MLB roster.
Beimel, 34, posted a 5.33 ERA with 6.0 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and a 41.2% ground ball
rate in 25 1/3 innings in 2011. The Pirates signed the Joe Sroba client to a
minor league deal last January and released him in August. The Rangers don't
have much in the way of experienced left-handed relief after losing Darren
Oliver and Mike Gonzalez via free agency.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/02/rangers-sign-conor-jackson-joe-beimel.html