Texas Rangers Sign RHP Jordan Lyles To Two-Year Contract and LHP Jeffrey Springs To One-Year Contract

Arlington, Texas — The Texas Rangers tonight announced that the club has signed free agent right-handed pitcher Jordan Lyles to a two-year contract covering the 2020 and 2021 seasons. The team has also signed free agent left-handed pitcher Jeffrey Springs to a Major League contract.

Lyles, 29, combined to post a 12-8 record with a 4.15 ERA over 28 games/starts last season for Pittsburgh and Milwaukee, recording career bests in wins, starts, strikeouts (146), and strikeouts per 9 innings (9.3). Following a July 29 trade to the Brewers, he finished the year by going 7-1 with a 2.45 ERA and 1.108 WHIP figure over his 11 starts with Milwaukee. Beginning with his first Brewers start on July 31, Lyles ranked among MLB leaders (min. 50.0 IP) for the remainder of the season in wins (T5th), ERA (8th), opponent batting average (11th, .202), and opponent OPS (14th, .636)

Lyles has made 63 appearances/36 starts over the past two seasons with San Diego, Milwaukee, and Pittsburgh, posting a 4.13 ERA, 1.299 WHIP figure, and 9.1 strikeouts per 9 innings, with each of those figures representing large improvements over his career marks in those categories (5.11/1.436/6.9). He has established a new career high for swing-and-miss percentage in each of the past three seasons, including a 23.9 rate in 2019.

The South Carolina native was originally selected by the Astros in the supplemental first round (38th overall) of the 2008 June draft, and he has 245 games/143 starts over a nine-year MLB career with Houston (2011-13), Colorado (2014-17), San Diego (2017-18), Milwaukee (2018, 2019), and Pittsburgh (2019).

Springs, 27, was designated for assignment by the Rangers on December 2 when Texas acquired right-handed pitcher Jimmy Herget via waiver claim from Cincinnati. The left-hander went 4-1 with a 6.40 ERA in 25 appearances with Texas and 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA in 8 minor league games with Triple-A Nashville and the Arizona League Rangers in 2019 while missing nearly three months of the season with left biceps tendinitis. The North Carolina native has spent his entire career in the Texas organization since being selected in the 30th round of the 2015 June draft.

With the additions of Lyles and Springs, the Rangers are now at the 40-man limit on the Major League roster.