Rangers Nab Brett de Geus In Rule 5

Locked in a full rebuild, the Rangers weren’t going to pass on the No. 2 pick in the Rule 5 draft, and they quickly grabbed righthander Brett de Geus from the Dodgers organization.

A 33rd-round pick in 2017 from Cabrillo (Calif.) JC, de Geus pitched like a first-rounder in 2019 after a lousy 2018 as a starting pitcher. He posted a 1.75 ERA in 39 appearances in 2019 and did not yield a home run in 61.2 innings split between the Dodgers’ two Class A affiliates.

De Geus then went out and pitched even better in the Arizona Fall League, throwing 9.1 scoreless innings, striking out 11, walking two and allowing just two hits.

That earned him a spot in the Dodgers’ 60-man player pool for 2020 and consideration for possibly helping the team that eventually won the World Series.

While he didn’t make his big league debut, de Geus will be given that chance in 2021 by the Rangers. He also throws a cutter and a slider.

“(The Dodgers) put him in the bullpen in 2019, and really at three levels . . . he was basically dominant,” Rangers president of baseball operations Jon Daniels said. “He excelled at keeping the ball on the ground, pounding the zone and missing a fair number of bats. That’s a pretty good combination.”

The Rangers are planning for baseball to return to 26-man rosters, so de Geus’ ability to pitch multiple innings was also attractive. With the potential for multiple rotation spots being filled by young starters or pitchers on innings limits, the Rangers will look to stack their roster with relievers who can stretch beyond just three outs.

That task should be easier for Rangers pitchers after Globe Life Park, which opened in 2020, played as an extreme pitcher’s park in its debut season, abbreviated as it was.

Daniels said the Rangers aren’t overly concerned about a slight dip on de Geus’ velocity in 2020, something that other pitchers dealt with during an unprecedented season.

RANGER ROUNDUP

— De Geus was one of several young players acquired by the Rangers in a busy December. The biggest deal saw them trade staff ace Lance Lynn to the White Sox for big league-ready Dane Dunning, who became the Rangers’ No. 4 prospect and will be in their rotation. Chicago also included intriguing lefty Avery Weems in the Lynn deal.

— The Rangers also acquired first baseman Nate Lowe from the Rays as part of what was in essence a six-player swap of prospects. Texas later dealt reliever Rafael Montero to the Mariners for two prospects.

— The Rangers ended the month by signing Japanese righthander Kohei Arihara, who at 28 and a seasoned pro will technically be an major league rookie.