Virginia Giant Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 Rangers reacquire Pudge Rodriguez, 14-time All-Star, will be Texas' backup catcher ARLINGTON -- Ivan Rodriguez is returning to the Rangers to be a backup catcher. The Rangers completed a trade with the Houston Astros on Tuesday to reacquire the 14-time All-Star catcher for two players, according to multiple sources. The Astros will receive a Minor League player and a player to be named later. The players are expected to be Class A pitcher Matt Nevarez and Double-A infielder Jose Vallejo. Rodriguez, 37, a 13-time Gold Glove winner, has been told that Taylor Teagarden will remain the Rangers' No. 1 catcher. The Rangers had been looking for a catcher after Jarrod Saltalamacchia went on the disabled list with a sore right arm. Saltalamacchia could be out for the remainder of the season. "I'm feeling great, feeling good. It's nice to be back to the place that I started," said Rodriguez, who waived his no-trade clause. "It's nice to be back there. It's also sad. I think Houston is a great team and a good group of guys. The fans are great, but business is business. You've got to prepare for anything. Especially being a veteran player, those things can happen. "I'm going to move forward. It's a good trade. It will be nice to go there. ... I'm looking forward to going there and to do my best to try to help them win." Rodriguez, 37, is hitting .251 with eight home runs and 34 RBIs in 93 games and 344 plate appearances for the Astros. He is expected to join the Rangers on Tuesday night but probably won't be activated until Wednesday. He originally signed with the Rangers and played for them from 1991-2002 before leaving as a free agent. He was a 10-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner for the Rangers, their starting catcher on three division championship teams and the 1999 American League Most Valuable Player. He was the starting catcher for the Florida Marlins in 2003 when they won the World Series and for the Detroit Tigers when they won the American League pennant in 2006. He remains among the Rangers' all-time top 10 in just about every offensive category and is their all-time leader in hits and doubles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fringe Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 sadly, he didn't have much left last time i saw him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lubeck Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 Yeah I had the "benefit" of watching him last year when the Yanks traded for him. Hope he works out better for your guys VG. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virginia Giant Posted August 18, 2009 Author Share Posted August 18, 2009 He'll only catch a couple games a week, and he had much needed experience at a position where we could sorely use some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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