Texas Rangers Roster Updates: Colby Lewis Gets New One-Year Deal
Colby Lewis played in Japan for a large part of his career before deciding to come back and make the Texas Rangers his home. With the news of him signing a one-year deal to remain with the team, the right hander will now be playing his seventh season with the same club.
The 36-year-old veteran campaigner inked the deal with a base salary of $6 million. While it looks to be lower than expected, it actually is double than what he earned last season. After recovering from a hip-resurfacing surgery, he has been playing good: 27-23 and with a 4.90 ERA in 62 starts. His value substantially decreased when he was forced to sit out the 2013 season due to that injury.
Lewis for himself couldn't be happier with what transpired during the negotiations for a new deal. "It's a great opportunity for me and my family to stay in a spot we love," he said, clearly referencing to the choice of re-signing with the team he's been with instead of finding other options out there.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
But this latest deal wasn't quick to be agreed upon after the team wanted to have better assurance about his rate of recovery from another surgery he underwent in October, the purpose of which was to repair a torn lateral meniscus cartilage in his knee. It, of course, was normal for the team to worry about the possible effects of that surgery to his future.
After getting picked as a first round supplemental choice by the Rangers in the 1999 Amateur Draft, Lewis played his first major league game three years after, in 2002. He is no stranger to injuries all throughout his career, starting with a right shoulder injury in 2004 where he also went under the knife. He played briefly in Detroit and Oakland before deciding to try his luck in Japan.
After making a return in the United States in 2010, he became an essential part of the Rangers team that saw action in the World Series twice.
