Texas Rangers Roster Rumors: Tony Barnette Makes MLB Return After Six Years in Japan League
It's not often that a professional baseball player plying his trade overseas decides to come back home and eventually carve out a successful career in the major league. That's a rarity of some sort.
The Texas Rangers welcomed a player who made his mark in professional baseball somewhere else – in Japan. The team announced that they have signed right-hander Tony Barnette to a two-year contract worth $3.5 million, after the closer spent six long seasons in Japan, which by the way is a baseball-crazy country. The deal, according to several sources, has a club option for 2018.
The 32-year-old last played professional baseball in the United States in 2009, when he was still involved with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Before deciding to return in the MLB, he played for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in the Japan Central League where he produced a record of 41 saves for the team along with a 1.29 ERA.
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The new deal with the Rangers provides that Barnette will be getting $1.5 million by next year and another $1.75 million by 2017, with a $250,000 buyout for his 2018 option.
Barnette was actually drafted in the 10th round of the 2006 amateur draft by the Diamondbacks, but he eventually decided to play professionally in Japan after completing four seasons in the minor leagues here. He actually tried to join the major league through the posting system, but unfortunately, no one took notice of him. The Rangers and the Swallows agreed with his release.
Aside from Barnette, the Rangers also announced the signing of catcher Bobby Wilson for a minor league contract, and he is expected to be joining the big league spring training before the season starts. The catcher played for 31 games for Texas and hit an average of .221. He was claimed off waivers from Tampa Bay last July.
