The Texas Rangers have signed former All-Star and two-time World Series champion reliever Will Smith to a major league contract, New York Post's Joel Sherman reported on Saturday.
Smith will earn $1.5 million in guaranteed money, with up to $2.5 million available in bonus money, related to incentives based on total appearances and games finished, per Sherman.
Based on the contract, it looks like Smith could get some consideration for a closer role. He pitched for current Rangers manager Bruce Bochy while they were with the San Francisco Giants between 2016-19; Smith was the team's primary closer in 2019.
The Rangers designated infielder Mark Mathias for assignment to create spot for the veteran on the roster.
Article Continues Below“After spending the latter portion of the 2022 season with the World Series champion Astros, Smith now joins the Lone Star State’s other team,” wrote Mark Polishuk of MLB Trade Rumors on Saturday.
“The Braves traded Smith to Houston at the trade deadline, which seemed to get the veteran on track after a rough start to the season. Smith posted a 3.27 ERA over 22 innings with the Astros, and cut down drastically on the walks and home runs that plagued him earlier in the year with Atlanta.”
Smith didn't pitch for the Astros in the postseason, but still earned a second consecutive championship ring; he was part of the Atlanta Braves' World Series winning team in 2021.
The Texas Rangers haven't had a winning season since 2016, but after hiring Bruce Bochy and heavily upgrading the roster, Will Smith and the Rangers will be hoping to get back over .500 in 2023.