According to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram the Rangers have signed catcher Yorvit Torrealba to a two-year, $6.25 million contract, which almost surely means Bengie Molina won’t be back in Texas.
Torrealba is five years younger than Molina and represents an upgrade offensively. Over the past two seasons Torrealba has hit .279 with a .725 OPS, compared to Molina hitting .258 with a .682, and the difference between them is especially huge when it comes to getting on base. Torrealba posted a .346 on-base percentage during that time, compared to a ghastly .290 OBP from Molina.
And while Molina has the superior defensive reputation, Torrealba threw out a higher percentage of steal attempts this season and they’re both right around 30 percent for their careers. Torrealba is also merely really slow, rather than the slowest player in the history of baseball, so the Rangers upgrade their team speed too.
Molina was acquired from the Giants at midseason because the Rangers were desperate for help behind the plate after none of their young catchers of the future panned out. He was a fine stop-gap pickup thanks to some postseason heroics, but signing Torrealba to a reasonable two-year deal is a smart move for the defending AL champs.