Tommy Hanson signs deal with Texas Rangers

If the Atlanta Braves, notorious for their ability to develop young arms, give up on a pitcher in his 20’s, it should be a red flag to rest of the league.

After throwing 174.2 innings for the Braves and going 13-10 with a 4.48 ERA in 2012, the team moved Tommy Hanson along to the Los Angeles Angels. Perhaps the following claim is nuanced because Hanson battled a strained forearm in 2013, but one year later it looks like the Braves were right to move on from Hanson despite the fact he was coming off four straight double-digit win seasons.

In only 13 starts for the Angels, Hanson struggled to the tune of a 5.42 ERA and a 1.548 WHIP. Now he is forced to seek work on a minor league deal with a chance to crack a big league club. That is exactly the type of deal he landed with the Texas Rangers on Monday, something that was reportedly in the works for a few days.

T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com writes the following:

"The Rangers have agreed to terms with pitcher Tommy Hanson on a Minor League contract. He will come into Spring Training as a candidate for the rotation. The deal is pending on a physical scheduled for Tuesday.”"

Jon Heyman of CBS reports some of the particulars of the deal:

I suppose the physical is not necessarily a given, but pending bad news tomorrow, expect Hunter to be in the mix and making appearances out of the Rangers rotation this season.