ARLINGTON, Texas -- Infielder Ramon Vazquez and the Texas
Rangers agreed Wednesday to an $810,000, one-year contact.
Vazquez was called up in May when Hank Blalock was diagnosed
with a nerve problem in his shoulder that required the surgical
removal of a rib and sidelined him for 3½ months.
Vazquez made 61 of his 85 starts at third base and played in 104
games, hitting .230 with a career-high eight home runs and 28 RBIs.
He started at every infield position.
The 31-year-old Vazquez is a career .250 hitter in seven seasons
with Seattle, San Diego, Boston, Cleveland and Texas. He had a
split contract this year that called for him to make base salaries
of $550,000 in the majors and $90,000 in the minors, and he earned
an additional $40,000 in performance bonuses.
The Rangers also signed infielder Ryan Roberts to a minor league
contract. The 27-year-old opted for free agency after playing 17
games over the past two seasons with Toronto.