Joely Rodríguez, Rangers finalize $5.5M, 2-year contract

ARLINGTON. Texas (AP) — Left-hander Joely Rodríguez and the Texas Rangers have finalized a $5.5 million, two-year contract, a deal that could be worth $8 million if a team option for 2022 is exercised.

A 28-year-old reliever who spent the past two seasons with the Chunichi Dragons of Japan’s Central League, Rodríguez will get salaries of $2.5 million in each of the next two seasons. Texas has a $3 million option for 2022 with a $500,000 buyout.

Rodríguez can earn $500,000 annually in performance bonuses for games finished: $50,000 each for 20 and each additional five through 45.

He was 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA in 38 relief appearances for Philadelphia in 2016 and ’17, a season he also went 2-0 with a 6.33 ERA in 22 relief appearances for Texas’ Triple-A team at Round Rock.

He was 3-7 with a 1.85 ERA in 90 relief appearances for Chunichi, including a 1.64 ERA in 64 relief appearances last season. He averaged 10.6 strikeouts and 2.9 walks per nine innings during the two years.

Texas also agreed Monday to minor league contracts with catcher-outfielder Blake Swihart, left-hander Brian Flynn and right-handers Tim Dillard and Arturo Reyes. All four will report to big league spring training.

Right-hander Matt Bush agreed to a two-year minor league contract and will report to minor league spring training.

Now 33, Bush was selected by San Diego as a shortstop with the first overall pick in the 2004 amateur draft. His baseball career was halted when he pleaded no contest in 2013 to driving under the influence with serious bodily injury. He was sentenced to four years, three months in prison.

Bush was 10-6 with a 3.35 ERA in 136 relief appearances for Texas during the past three seasons.

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