The Texas Rangers agreed on a one-year, $8 million contract with former Washington Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond, according to multiple reports Sunday.
The deal is pending a physical.
Desmond, 30, decided to test free agency after the Nationals extended a $15.8 million qualifying offer to him.
The Rangers must surrender a first-round draft pick (19th overall) to Washington for signing Desmond since the Nationals extended a qualifying offer.
The Rangers have been concerned with their lineup as slugger Josh Hamilton is expected to miss at least the first month while recovering with inflammation in his left knee.
After playing nearly his entire seven-year career at shortstop, Desmond is an option to play left field in Hamilton’s absence.
Desmond struggled last season, batting .233 with 19 home runs and 62 RBIs, and also made a National League-high 27 errors. He has a .264 career average, with 110 homers and 432 RBIs in 927 games.
–The Cleveland Indians officially signed free agent infielder Juan Uribe to a one-year contract Sunday.
Uribe made it spring training camp in Goodyear, Ariz. and passed his physical, more than week after the agreement was reached. Uribe’s arrival was delayed because of visa problems in the Dominican Republic.
Uribe’s deal is worth a reported $4.5 million for the 2016 season. He can earn another $1.5 million in performance bonuses.
Uribe, who turns 37 in March, owns a career major league batting average of .256 with 192 home runs and 791 RBIs across 1,753 games and 15 seasons since debuting with the Colorado Rockies in 2001.
Uribe split last season between the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves and New York Mets. He finished the season on the World Series roster of the Mets, collecting an RBI pinch-hit in Game 3.
Combined for the 2015 season, Uribe batted .253 with 14 homers and 43 RBIs in 119 games.
Uribe currently ranks 11th among active major league players in games played (1,753). His .974 fielding percentage at third base is tops among third basemen since 2011.
Uribe has appeared in 45 postseason games throughout his career, collecting five home runs and 25 RBIs, and was an integral member of the 2005 World Series champion Chicago White Sox and 2010 champion San Francisco Giants.
–Three-time National League Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw will make his sixth straight Opening Day start for the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 4 in San Diego.
New manager Dave Roberts announced the obvious choice Sunday morning before a spring training workout at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz.
“That was a tough one,” Roberts said with a straight face. “That was one of the harder managerial decisions I’ve had to make. After a lot of review and thoughts, we came to that conclusion.”
The left-handed Kershaw, who is 3-0 in his previous five season-opening starts, also will start the Cactus League opener on Thursday against the Chicago White Sox.
Kershaw will be the first Dodgers pitcher to make six consecutive Opening Day starts since Don Sutton made seven — the team record. Don Drysdale made seven Opening Day starts and Fernando Valenzuela had six but those were not in consecutive seasons.
Kershaw, who turns 28 on March 19, went 16-7 with a 2.13 ERA and a league-leading 301 strikeouts in 232 2/3 innings last season.