Saturday Afternoon Rangers Strikes

Is it baseball season yet?

• The Rangers signed outfielder Nate Schierholtz to a minor league deal on Friday, which includes an invite to the Major League camp. Along with veteran Ryan Ludwick, they'll form a pair of low-risk pieces to add some potential depth to the 2015 roster.
   
• On the subject of left field, T.R. Sullivan has a piece up in which he takes a look at the various candidates for the position.
   
• Jeff Banister continues making good impressions around the DFW area, speaking to the TCU baseball team about never giving up.
   
• Jonah Keri has a piece up over at Grantland in which he addresses the worst contracts in baseball. 3 of the "top 10" are Rangers players, with Elvis Andrus making it on the "dishonorable mention" list. His reasoning?
  
  "If Scott Boras, who’s known for discouraging his clients from signing long-term extensions before testing the free-agent market, tells a client to take an extension, then that deal is probably a huge win for the player and a huge mistake for the team."
  
  Oh, so THAT'S why. Never mind the fact that Elvis figures to be a better defender than 2014 showed, it's as if defense matters little to none on this last. Add to it the fact that Matt Harrison is on the list at #2 because of a 3-year, $41 million deal, Shin-Soo Choo and Prince Fielder are both "ahead" of Albert Pujols, and I just don't get it. Pujols is signed through his age-41 season, has dropped off significantly since signing with the Angels, and will be making $30 million in that age-41 season. Yeah, it's clearly a better contract than Matt Harrison's. I normally enjoy reading Jonah Keri, but it appears he temporarily lost track of reality on this one.
   
• Finally, because it was such a good piece, this one goes last. Evan Grant has an interactive post up over at the DMN in which he looks at Prince Fielder and his comeback from neck surgery. Of the things mentioned, it's nice to see that Fielder is stronger now than prior to the surgery, as well as having a renewed passion for the game. If you don't read anything else this weekend read this. It'll be well worth your time.