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DALLAS (Ticker) — One season after proving to himself and the Atlanta Braves that he could come back from cancer, Andres Galarraga will bring his big bat and tremendous clubhouse presence to the Texas Rangers.
The Rangers tonight agreed to terms with the free agent first baseman on a one-year deal and will use him and Rafael Palmeiro in a platoon and first base and designated hitter next season.
Galarraga, 39, sat out all of 1999 with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma but made an immediate impact upon his return in 2000, belting a homer in the season opener. He eventually helped the Braves to their ninth straight division title, finishing with 28 homers and 100 RBI in 141 games.
“Last year, he was the comeback player of the year,” Texas general manager Doug Melvin said. “His character and presence played a large role in us bringing him here.”
The 15-year veteran batted .302 and was elected to the All-Star team. Although Galarraga’s performance was inspiring, he clearly slowed down after July, hitting just eight homers and driving in only 38 runs. The decline may have been the reason the Braves did not offer the Venezuelan slugger arbitration, paving the way for the Rangers, who will not have to compensate Atlanta for the signing.
“I had a fractured thumb in my left hand,” Galarraga said. “I lost about 10 days and it’s difficult to play like that. Right now, I have more time to get ready and will be in great condition.”
This will mark Galarraga’s first stint in the American League after reaching the All-Star Game four times in the senior circuit. He has a .291 career average with 360 homers — 10th on the active list — and 1,272 RBI. He spent his first seven seasons in Montreal before playing in St. Louis in 1992.
“I’m happy and excited to go to the American League,” Galarraga said. “I played (at the Ballpark in Arlington during interleague play) and I did pretty good there.”
Galarraga flourished with the Colorado Rockies from 1993-97, winning a batting title in his first season and adding significant power to his always consistent bat. The 6-3, 235-pounder led the National League with 47 homers and 150 RBI in 1996, and in 1997, he again led the league in RBI.
He proved skeptics of his prodigious power wrong in his first season with Atlanta, batting .302 with 44 homers and 121 RBI.
Nicknamed the “Big Cat,” Galarraga captured Gold Glove Awards in 1989 and 1990. He has driven in at least 100 runs in each of the last five seasons he has played. A congenial personality both on the bench and in the clubhouse, Galarraga also is one of the most respected players in the game.
Still in the running for Alex Rodgriguez or Manny Ramirez, the Rangers added a potent bat to their lineup, which was deprived of 1999 Most Valuable Player Ivan Rodriguez for most of last season, and likely left room to continue pursuing a second-tier starter for their rotation.
Melvin disclosed that the Rangers were still courting Alex Rodriguez and are interested in third baseman Ken Caminiti.
Palmeiro, 36, is a lethal lefthanded-hitting complement to Galarraga and doubtlessly will benefit from the occasional extra rest provided by the still-capable first baseman.
“I think it’s a good idea,” Galarraga said of spelling Palmeiro. “He is a great first baseman. I think that (we are a) great combination. I don’t mind (being the designated hitter). I will probably miss (playing) first base every day. But one day, he’ll DH and I’ll play first base.”
The Rangers failed to win the American League West for the first time in three seasons last year, their first without slugging right fielder Juan Gonzalez, who also is a free agent.
“We filled one of our needs by adding a big bat,” Melvin said. “His potential for home runs and RBI was something we sorely missed last year.”
DALLAS (AP) — The Texas Rangers bolstered their lineup Friday, signing free agent first baseman Andres Galarraga to a $6.25 million, one-year contract.
“We’re happy to add a player of his caliber and character to the organization,” general manager Doug Melvin said. “It fills one of our needs. We were looking to add a bat with RBI and home run potential. We certainly missed that last year.”
The Rangers also have a $7 million club option for 2002, with a buyout of either $250,000 or $500,000, depending on his plate appearances.
The Big Cat, who was not offered salary arbitration by Atlanta, hit .302 with 28 homers and 100 RBIs last season for the Braves after missing all of 1999 because of a cancerous tumor in his back.
“I’m happy and excited,” he said. “I think it is a great organization and I look forward to playing with the Rangers. I’m excited about going to the American League.”
Galarraga, 39, saw his power numbers drop as the season progressed, hitting only eight home runs and driving in 38 runs after the All-Star break.
“He’s a professional hitter and in our ballpark he’s got a good chance to get back to his 40-homer years,” Melvin said.
He will likely be the designated hitter with the Rangers, who already have Rafael Palmeiro at first base.
“I think it is going to be a great combination with Rafael and me,” Galarraga said. “I’m just looking to help my team. I don’t mind at all being the designated hitter.”
In fact, the Rangers hope that limiting his time in the field will help Galarraga stay fresh down the stretch of the season.
“We think that will be good at this stage of his career,” Melvin said. “He doesn’t have to stand out there in that Texas heat. That may help him at this stage of his career to do a lot of DHing.”
The Rangers were looking for a short-term solution while they wait for top prospect Carlos Pena to be ready for the major leagues. Pena is expected to start the 2001 season at Triple-A.
“We know we have Pena coming along and Andres can be a good influence on Carlos,” Melvin said.
Galarraga just completed a $24.5 million, three-year deal with Atlanta.
In his 15-year career, Galarraga is a .291 hitter with 360 homers and 1,272 RBIs. He topped the 2,000-hit mark last season and has 2,070 for his career.
The Rangers, who are also talking to the agents for Alex Rodriguez and Ken Caminiti, have made bolstering their offense their top offseason priority.
Texas was ninth in the AL in runs scored last season, after trading away Juan Gonzalez and losing Todd Zeile to free agency.
“He will hit somewhere in the middle of our lineup and get us back to the run production we missed last year,” Melvin said.
Galarraga had expressed some interest in reuniting with former manager Don Baylor and playing for the Cubs. But it was not clear whether Chicago, which lost free agent Mark Grace to Arizona, had any interest.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — John Wetteland, the Texas Rangers’ career saves leader, was not offered arbitration Thursday and is considering retiring because of a back problem.
Texas also declined to offer arbitration to second baseman Luis Alicea and outfielder Mike Simms, which means they cannot sign with the Rangers until May 1. If they sign elsewhere, Texas will not receive compensation.
The team did offer arbitration to left-handed reliever Mike Munoz and outfielder Ruben Sierra, a former All-Star who returned to the majors late last season.
The 34-year-old Wetteland has a degenerative disk in his back. He’s working out four times a week, but has yet to throw a baseball.
“I’m doing everything I can,” he said. “If that’s enough, great. If it’s not, then it’s great to move on to another phase.”
Wetteland, the MVP of the 1996 World Series while pitching for the New York Yankees, signed with the Rangers in ’97 and had 150 saves over four years with at least 30 each season. He saved 34 last season and had a 4.20 ERA.
Munoz and Sierra have until Dec. 19 to decide whether to go to arbitration. If rejected, the Rangers can continue negotiations with the players until Jan. 8.
Alicea led Texas with a .294 average. He had six homers and 63 RBIs in 139 games.
Simms missed the entire season with degenerative arthritis in his left hip.
Munoz was 0-1 with a 13.50 ERA in seven appearances, then went out for the year with a torn tendon in his left elbow.
Sierra hit .326 with 18 homers and 82 RBIs in 112 games at Triple-A Oklahoma and .233 with one homer and seven RBIs in 20 games with Texas.

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA (TICKER) — Veteran second baseman Randy Velarde, who helped the Oakland Athletics to the American League West crown in 2000, today was dealt to the Texas Rangers for two minor league pitchers.
Velarde, who turns 38 next week, hit .278 with 12 home runs and 41 RBI during his 14th major league season. He went 5-for-20 with a double and three RBI in a five-game loss to the New York Yankees in the Division Series.
In 1999, the Texas native became the sixth player in major league history and the first since Willie Montanez in 1976 to total 200 hits while playing for two teams in one season.
Velarde hit .317 with 16 homers and 76 RBI that season, posting 115 hits for the Angels and 85 for the A’s. He was acquired by the A’s from Anaheim prior to the trade deadline.
Oakland acquired righthander Aaron Harang — Texas’ sixth-round draft pick in 1999 — and lefthander Ryan Cullen.
Harang, 22, led the Class A Florida State League in wins and ranking eighth in ERA this pas season. He went 13-5 with a 3.32 ERA with Charlotte, allowing just 128 hits and striking out 136 batters in 157 innings.
Cullen, 20, went 6-6 with nine saves and a 3.04 ERA in 48 relief appearances for Class A Savannah, striking out 103 in 94 2/3 innings. He signed with Texas as a free agent in 1999.
Velarde leaves a team that has two of the best young pitchers in the AL in Tim Hudson and Barry Zito but lacks depth at second base.
A former utility man for the Yankees, Velarde turned the 10th unassisted regular season triple play in major league history and the first in six seasons on May 29 at Yankee Stadium.
He overcame elbow surgery in 1997 to become a reliable major league starter, something he was never given a chance to do with the Yankees. He hit .285 in 530 at-bats in 1996 for the Angels but missed all of the 1997 season.
In 1,124 career games, Velarde has hit .277 with 89 home runs and 405 RBI. He was a 19th-round draft pick by the Chicago White Sox in 1985.
Velarde likely will be the starting second baseman in Texas, where Luis Alicea hit .294 with six homers and 63 RBI last season.

Catcher Ivan Rodriguez and pitcher Kenny Rogers have been selected as 2000 recipients of Rawlings Gold Gloves in the American League, it was announced today by the Rawlings Sporting Goods Company.
Rodriguez won his ninth consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove, the second most ever for a catcher behind the ten received by Cincinnati’s Johnny Bench from 1968-77. Rodriguez, who has won each year since 1992, has the longest current Gold Glove streak of any American Leaguer with his nine total awards matching Cleveland’s Roberto Alomar for the most among the 2000 A.L. recipients.
Rogers earned his first Rawlings Gold Glove, the first ever received by a Rangers’ pitcher. The Texas lefthander ends Mike Mussina’s four-year hold for A.L. pitchers’ honors.
It is the sixth time in team history that Texas has had two Rawlings Gold Glove winners in the same season, joining 1977 (Jim Sundberg, c; Juan Beniquez, of); 1979, 1980, and 1981 (Sundberg, c; Buddy Bell, 3b); and 1999 (Ivan Rodrigiuez, c; Rafael Palmeiro, 1b).
It is also just the fourth time in history that a pitcher and catcher from the same team have captured Gold Gloves, joining Minnesota’s Jim Kaat (P) and Earl Battey (C) in 1962, Pittsburgh’s Rick Reuschel (P) and Tony Pena (C) in 1985, and Kansas City’s Bret Saberhagen (P) and Bob Boone (C) in 1989.
Rodriguez, who was sidelined for the season with a fractured right thumb on July 24, appeared in just 87 games behind the plate but led all American League qualifiers with a career high .996 (2 e/543 tc) fielding percentage. He went 61 consecutive games without an error from April 23-July 13. Rodriguez threw out 16 of 33 runners attempting to steal, a 48% success rate and has thrown out 45.4% (348 of 766) of runners trying to steal in his career. Offensively, Rodriguez batted .347 with 27 homers and 83 rbi in 91 games.
Rogers led all American League pitchers with 66 total chances, 46 assists, and 6 double plays, the latter tying the club record. He had 10 more total chances and 12 more assists than any other pitcher in the league, with Seattle’s Aaron Sele placing second in both departments. Rogers also was second in the majors with 9 pitcher pickoffs, one less than Arizona’s Brian Anderson. He had a fielding percentage of .970 (2 e/66 tc). Rogers was 13-13 with a 4.55 era in 34 starts with Texas in 2000 after rejoining the club as a free agent.
The National League Rawlings Gold Glove team will be announced on Tuesday.

Position	Player	Team	Awards	Years
1B	John Olerud	Seattle	1	2000
2B	Roberto Alomar	Cleveland	9	91-96;98-00
3B	Travis Fryman	Cleveland	1	2000
SS	Omar Visquel	Cleveland	8	93-2000
OF	Bernie Williams	New York	4	97-2000
OF	Jermaine Dye	Kansas City	1	2000
OF	Darin Erstad	Anaheim	1	2000
C	Ivan Rodriguez	Texas	9	1992-2000
P	Kenny Rogers	Texas	1	2000