The Rangers added some depth Monday, signing left-hander Joe Beimel and first baseman/outfielder Conor Jackson to minor-league deals.
Beimel will go into the mix of lefty relievers for the Rangers. Texas does not have a left-handed reliever under contract who pitched for them in the postseason last year. The Rangers already signed left-hander Mitch Stetter to a minor-league deal.
"Both guys bring a veteran presence in an area we don't have a lot of," Texas general manager Jon Daniels said. "They've dealt with some injuries recently, but we're going to take a look to see if they're healthy and able to help us."
Beimel, 34, pitched in 34 games for Pittsburgh last year and missed six weeks because of left elbow inflammation. He was released by the Pirates Aug. 30. He's pitched for six teams and was drafted by the Rangers in 1996 but did not sign.
Jackson, 29, played for Oakland and Boston last season, hitting .244 with 43 RBIs in 114 games.
The Austin native started his career with Arizona and is a .271 career hitter.
With the two spring training invites, Texas has 58 players on its spring roster including 19 non-roster invitees.
The Rangers should also know about the contract of Elvis Andrus this week. Andrus is slated to have his arbitration hearing Thursday. Mike Napoli and Nelson Cruz are also slated for hearings, but Daniels is still holding on hope the club can keep up its streak of no arbitration hearings since Daniels became GM.
"Our goal is always to reach fair negotiated agreements, and to this point we've been successful," Daniels said. "At some point, I figure we'll end up in a hearing. That's why the process is set up the way it is."
