Cuban first basemen Jose Ruiz, who was released by the Rays in November as part of a unique contract stipulation, has signed a new deal with the Rangers.
Ruiz’s original agreement with the Rays was a minor-league deal that would become a four-year, $4 million contract if the Rays exercised that option by mid-November. They weren’t impressed with Ruiz while he hit .272 with one homer and a .709 OPS in 23 games at Double-A, so they declined the option and he became a free agent.
His new contract with the Rangers is simply a standard minor-league deal that includes an invitation to spring training, with assistant general manager Thad Levine telling T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com that he’ll “probably start at Double-A or Triple-A, so we can get around him and see what he can do.”
