The Rangers have signed right-handers Jose Contreras and Nate Adcock as well as outfielder Bryan Petersen to minor league deals with invitations to Spring Training, the team announced via press release.
The 42-year-old Contreras pitched just five innings for the Pirates in 2013, yielding five runs in that time. The Cuban-born veteran missed the early part of the season recovering from 2012 elbow surgery and would end up pitching 33 innings of 3.00 ERA ball between the Pirates and Red Sox' minor league affiliates. He last enjoyed sustained big league success as a member of the Phillies' bullpen in 2010 when he posted a 3.34 ERA in 56 2/3 innings.
Adcock, 25, enjoyed a strong season with the Royals in 2012 but saw the wheels come off in 2013 when he posted a disastrous 6.67 ERA with a 69-to-50 K/BB ratio in 113 1/3 innings between the Triple-A affiliates for the Royals and Diamondbacks.
Petersen, 27, is a career .220/.303/.305 hitter with a pair of homers and 15 steals in 539 Major League plate appearances — all coming with the Marlins. He spent last year with Miami's Triple-A club, posting a solid .275/.363/.407 slash line in 579 plate appearances. He has experience at all three outfield spots.
