Surkamp, 28, has a 3.56 ERA and a strong 274-to-82 K/BB ratio over the life of 293 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level but has never been able to transfer that success to the Majors. He’s seen big league time with the Giants, White Sox, Dodgers and A’s but struggled to a 6.68 ERA in 95 2/3 innings of work. He’ll look to follow the path of many other former big leaguers that have struggled to establish themselves in MLB but enjoyed success pitching overseas. The terms of his deal with the Eagles, of course, we not included in this announcement, but it’s fair to expect that he’ll earn a good bit more pitching in the KBO than he would have made pitching in the minors with the Rangers organization. The Rangers, in turn, will receive some degree of financial compensation from the Eagles in exchange for parting with Surkamp.

In Surkamp, the Rangers will acquire some depth for an injury-ravaged rotation. Texas currently has Yu Darvish, Derek Holland and Colby Lewis on the disabled list, with Lewis in particular facing a lengthy absence (two months). The 28-year-old Surkamp made nine starts for Oakland this season but struggled for much of the year and ultimately recorded a 6.98 ERA over 38 2/3 innings. However, he’s posted a strong 3.07 ERA with 10.4 K/9 against 3.1 BB/9 through five Triple-A starts this season and has long shown the ability to succeed at the top minor league level. In 293 1/3 frames in his career at Triple-A, Surkamp has a 3.56 ERA and a strong 274-to-82 K/BB ratio. The Rangers will hope that he’s able to tap into some of that success if he’s needed at the big league level, and if not, he’ll serve as a useful rotation piece for a Triple-A rotation that is currently depleted due to injuries in the Majors.

Tepesch made a spot start for Los Angeles, marking his first major league outing since 2014. He was far from dominant, but obviously showed enough for Oakland to desire his services. Tepesch has battled through injury issues, but provided the Rangers with some good innings over 2013-14 and was carrying a 3.66 ERA at the Triple-A level on the year.

As for Surkamp, 28, it’s a been a tough go thus far in 2016. He has contributed 38 2/3 innings in nine starts, surrendering thirty earned runs on 55 hits (including eight home runs) while posting an ugly 22:21 K/BB ratio. Surkamp has been rather effective at the Triple-A level — he owns a 3.56 ERA with 8.4 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9 in 293 1/3 career innings — but has never been able to translate that consistently to the big leagues.

• With Billy Butler receiving so little playing time, the Athletics may need “to make a larger decision” about his future with the club, ESPN’s Buster Olney opines within his latest subscription-only column.  Butler is hitting .192/.222/.269 in 27 plate appearances this season, showing no signs of turning around his declining production of 2014-15.  Because he’s almost a full-time DH, Butler has no other value than his bat, hence his sub-replacement level fWAR in each of the last two seasons.  Butler is owed roughly $18.2MM through 2017, however, so cutting him would be a costly decision for the A’s.
• Eric Surkamp had a rough outing today against the Blue Jays, and there is already speculation that his time in the A’s rotation could be up.  Jesse Hahn or top prospect Sean Manaea are options down at Triple-A, though as Jeremy F. Koo of the Athletics Nation blog writes, there are quite a few weather factors that could impact any decision Oakland makes about their staff.  Triple-A Nashville has had its pitching order thrown off by a pair of recent rainouts and the A’s face a possible weather cancellation tomorrow in Detroit, so a double-header could be in play for Tuesday or Wednesday.  Koo outlines the various weather-related scenarios, as well as looking at what bullpen additions the A’s could make with an extra roster spot (via either a demotion or the 26th spot assigned to teams for double-headers).

• The Athletics have formally selected the contract of left-hander Eric Surkamp, who will take the hill tonight against the Mariners in Seattle tonight. In corresponding moves, the team announced that first baseman/outfielder Andrew Lambo has been optioned to Triple-A, and right-hander R.J. Alvarez has been transferred to the 60-day disabled list (thus creating a 40-man roster spot). It was reported earlier this week that Surkamp, who enjoyed a strong Spring Training, would get the nod over Jesse Hahn today, but the corresponding 40-man move was not yet known.The 28-year-old Surkamp logged a 3.60 ERA with a 19-to-7 K/BB ratio in 20 spring innings and has a similarly solid track record at Triple-A, where he’s compiled a 3.61 ERA with 8.2 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9 across 264 innings. However, Surkamp hasn’t carried that success with him to the Majors, as evidenced by a lifetime 6.47 ERA in 57 innings between the Giants, White Sox and Dodgers.
• The Reds announced today that they have selected the contract of first baseman Brandon Allen, who will join the big league club and replace right-hander Robert Stephenson, who was optioned to Triple-A following his MLB debut. (Stephenson was reportedly likely to make just one start in his brief callup.) Allen is a well-traveled minor league veteran and formerly well-regarded prospect that last appeared in the Majors with the 2012 Rays. The 30-year-old has excelled at the Triple-A level throughout his career, batting .276/.371/.502 in 624 games. However, he’s never experienced much success in the Majors, where his batting line is a substantially inferior .203/.290/.375 in 389 plate appearances. Allen has walked at nearly an 11 percent clip in the Majors, but he’s also punched out in more than a third of his plate appearances as well. Cincinnati does not need to make a corresponding move, as the club had an open spot on its 40-man roster.

Elsewhere in the American League West…

• Rangers general manager Jon Daniels joined 105.3 The Fan yesterday and talked about Adrian Beltre’s contract status (h/t: the SportsDay DFW, which has transcribed a portion of the interview). Daniels said that retaining Beltre beyond 2016 is still high on his list of priorities. “I love the guy,” said Daniels of Beltre. “I could not appreciate him more on or off the field, and what he’s done for a lot of people – including myself, this franchise, our young players – I love the guy. So, we would still like to be able to find a way to keep him as a Ranger beyond this year. … Whether that gets done now or whether that gets done another time…I think he wants to be here, and we want him here.”
• Angels righty Jered Weaver tells reporters, including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register, that he is “100 percent” certain that he will return to form. Weaver told the media that his velocity, which sat 80-82 mph late in Spring Training, reached 86 mph a couple of times in a four-inning simulated game earlier this week, and while skipper Mike Scioscia didn’t reveal specific velocity readings from the workout, he did acknowledge that there was improvement. Weaver conceded that he still has work to do both in terms of endurance and velocity, but he expressed confidence in his ability to make strides in both departments. He’s lined up to pitch for the Halos on Sunday, and with yesterday’s news that Andrew Heaney has been placed on the DL due to a forearm strain, Weaver’s performance is even more crucial to the Angels. It should be noted, too, that while 86 mph (especially from a right-hander) is well below average, Weaver enjoyed success in both 2013 and 2014 while averaging about 86.4 mph on his fastball. Scraping 86 and averaging 86 are different, of course, but the uptick in velocity is nonetheless an encouraging sign. Weaver averaged just 83.3 mph on his fastball last year.
• Left-hander Eric Surkamp will start in Felix Doubront’s place for the Athletics on Friday, as MLB.com’s Jane Lee writes. Surkamp gets the nod over right-hander Jesse Hahn, who will remain at Triple-A Nashville after posting an ERA north of 11.00 in Spring Training this season. Skipper Bob Melvin said that Surkamp is deserving of the job after a strong spring (3.60 ERA, 19-to-7 K/BB ratio in 20 innings), though as Lee points out, the A’s will have to make a 40-man roster move to accommodate Surkamp’s promotion. If surgery is the eventual outcome of the “fibrous tearing” that was reportedly found in Doubront’s left elbow, the club could simply transfer the injured lefty to the 60-day DL to create space for Surkamp, though there’s been no definitive word out of Oakland on Doubront, who was headed for a second opinion this week.

As we’re just hours away from the first games of the 2016 season, let’s look around baseball…

• Speaking to reporters today (including Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic and MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert), Diamondbacks GM Dave Stewart and manager Chip Hale addressed the team’s next steps in the wake of A.J. Pollock’s elbow fracture.  For now, Stewart said, the D’Backs will give internal candidates a chance before looking at players outside the organization to take Pollock’s place.  Hale suggested the D’Backs are looking at players who might not make their current teams’ Opening Day rosters, so Arizona could wait at least a couple of days to fully assess the market.
• An unknown Korean team has reportedly made a “substantial” offer to the Orioles for Hyun Soo Kim, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko reports, though Kubatko notes that this item has yet to be confirmed by a second source.  The offer could be a moot point if true, though, since Kim has firmly stated that he wishes to play in North America.  The Orioles, meanwhile, have no intention of releasing Kim and eating his entire $7MM contract.  The unusual situation between Kim and the O’s has left both sides in a “state of suspended animation,” one source tells Kubatko.
• Athletics lefty Eric Surkamp is drawing interest from teams in Asia, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.  Surkamp’s minor league deal with the A’s allows him to opt out in June and look for opportunities elsewhere.  Surkamp isn’t expected to make Oakland’s Opening Day roster.
• With James Loney entering perhaps his final day with the Rays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times looks back on the team’s decision to re-sign the first baseman in the 2013-14 offseason.  The Rays outbid other suitors like the Pirates and Brewers to re-sign Loney on a three-year, $21MM deal, which still stands as the most expensive free agent deal of Stuart Sternberg’s ownership tenure.  Needless to say, the deal has not worked out, as Loney was a sub-replacement level player in 2015 (-1.3 fWAR) and he’s already been told he won’t make Tampa’s Opening Day roster.
• Cedric Hunter is one of the more unlikely players to be suiting up on Opening Day, MLB.com’s Paul Hagen writes, as the longtime minor leaguer unexpectedly earned himself a regular outfield job with the Phillies.  A third-round pick for the Padres in the 2006 draft, Hunter has hit .288/.348/.413 with 76 homers over 4727 career plate appearances in the minors, playing for four different organizations’ farm systems.  His MLB career consisted of just six games for San Diego in 2011, yet Hunter is now back in the bigs and still looking to stick around.  “To be realistic, it’s just beginning.  I haven’t proved myself at all on this level yet,” Hunter said.  “So everybody’s giving me congrats and I’m happy about that, but in the back of my mind, I’m like, ’Look, this is just the beginning. I’ve really got to go out and prove myself and show that I’m ready to be here.’ “

• The Reds announced the signing of right-hander J.C. Ramirez to a minor league contract earlier this month.  Ramirez posted a 5.32 ERA over 23 2/3 innings with the Diamondbacks and Mariners in 2015, and he was outrighted by the M’s after the season.
• The Athletics signed left-hander Eric Surkamp to a minors deal.  Surkamp pitched in just one MLB game in 2015, a 3 1/3 inning relief stint for the Dodgers.  He has a 6.47 ERA over 57 innings with the Dodgers, White Sox and Giants in a career that was slowed by missing all of 2012 due to Tommy John surgery.
• The Giants signed infielder Ramiro Pena to a minors contract.  Pena hit .244/.288/.330 over 610 PA as a utilityman with the Yankees and Braves from 2009-2014, and he spent 2015 with the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate.
• The Angels signed veteran right-hander Ramon Ramirez to a minor league contract.  Ramirez threw at least 63 2/3 innings in all but one season from 2006 through 2012, soaking up innings as a bullpen workhorse and posting a 3.32 ERA over 428 frames for five different clubs in that span.  After being dealt to the Giants at the 2010 trade deadline, Ramirez posted an 0.67 ERA in 27 relief innings to help San Francisco reach the postseason in what ended up as a World Series championship year.  Ramirez has pitched just 6 2/3 Major League innings over the last three seasons, however, and he spent 2015 in the Mexican League.
• The Indians signed righty Felipe Paulino to a minors deal.  Paulino posted a 4.93 ERA, 7.2 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 over 104 innings with the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate.  The 32-year-old looked to have turned a corner as a Major Leaguer after joining the Royals in 2011 and he got off a hot start in K.C.’s rotation in 2012 before injuries forced him to undergo Tommy John surgery.  He last appeared in the majors in 2014 as a member of the White Sox, and he has 403 2/3 career innings over six years in the bigs.

• The Mariners have signed Chien-Ming Wang to a minor league deal, reports Greg Johns of MLB.com. The 35-year-old made 10 starts and 11 appearances for the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate earlier this season. He posted a 6.10 ERA with 4.06 K/9 and 3.05 BB/9 in 62 innings. More recently, he appeared in the independent Atlantic League where he made one successful 8.2  inning start. Of course, Wang is best known for his work with the Yankees from 2005 through 2008. His best seasons were 2006 and 2007. He posted 19 wins in both seasons. Wang has a career 4.37 ERA with 4.13 K/9, 2.66 BB/9, and a 59.1% GB% at the major league level.
• The Mets have signed former outfield prospect Joe Benson, tweets Adam Rubin of ESPN New York. Benson, 27, was released by the Braves in mid-June after hitting .246/.346/.331 at the Triple-A level. He briefly appeared for the Twins in 2011. He slashed .239/.270/.352 in his brief 74 plate appearance cup of coffee. Once viewed as a power and speed threat, high strikeout rates have limited his productions.
• Eric Surkamp has accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A, tweets J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles News Group. The soft tossing lefty made a spot start for the Dodgers last week, allowing four runs and two home runs in 3.1 innings. Surkamp, 27, has a 6.47 ERA in 57 career innings. He’s been much better throughout his minor league career.

Los Angeles needed his 40-man spot as part of a series of moves, as the team continues to turn over its bullpen. Yimi Garcia and Ian Thomas will head to Triple-A on optional assignment, while relievers Chin-hui Tsao and Josh Ravin will ascend to the big league roster.

Surkamp, 27, appeared in just one game with the Dodgers this year, allowing four earned runs in 3 1/3 innings. He struck out four and walked one, but permitted two long balls.

Over parts of four big league seasons, Surkamp has only thrown 57 total frames at the MLB level. All said, he owns a 6.47 ERA with 5.8 K/9 against 4.9 BB/9. He has mostly worked from the pen in the majors, though he’s spent most of his minor league time as a starter.

It’s interesting to note the return of Tsao. The 34-year-old native of Taiwan last appeared in the bigs in 2007. In the interim, he found himself banned from his home country’s top league amid game-fixing allegations, as Joseph Yeh of the China Post details. Tsao has managed only a 4.40 ERA over 30 2/3 frames at Triple-A this year, but is carrying an impressive strikeout-to-walk ratio of 11.4 K/9 against 2.6 BB/9.

Surkamp, 27, has not found much big league success over the years; he owns a 6.20 ERA with 5.5 K/9 against 5.0 BB/9 over 53 2/3 career innings. That included a middling output last year in the White Sox bullpen, which he joined after spending most of his career as a starter in the Giants organization.

Surkamp passed through waivers this spring, but has been rather excellent since. Over 25 2/3 Triple-A innings (in just 11 appearances, including one start), he has fanned 30 hitters while walking only nine and permitting eight earned runs.

For Los Angeles, the move represents yet another pitching depth move. Presumably, Surkamp will continue in a relief capacity, though his long history as a starter makes him at least a spot option in the rotation.

Smith, also 27, had been working at Double-A for the L.A. organization. Only recently converted from an outfielder to a reliever, Smith has racked up 16 2/3 innings of 1.62 ERA ball with 8.6 K/9 against 4.9 BB/9 this year in Tulsa.

• The White Sox announced today (Twitter link) that left-hander Eric Surkamp has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Charlotte. Surkamp, 27, has spent the early portion of the 2015 campaign pitching at Charlotte himself, allowing four runs on eight hits and six walks in 6 1/3 innings. Those numbers aren’t exactly enticing, but he has an outstanding Minor League track record overall, having worked to a combined 3.13 ERA with 10.0 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 569 2/3 innings. Those numbers haven’t translated to the Majors, however, where Surkamp has struggled to a 6.20 ERA with 33 strikeouts against 30 walks (and five hit batters) in 53 2/3 innings split evenly between the rotation and the bullpen. Surkamp was designated for assignment yesterday to clear a 40-man roster spot for righty Scott Carroll.

Carroll, who made 19 starts for the White Sox last year and has posted a 2.45 ERA with a 6.8 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in three starts (14 2/3 innings) for Charlotte in 2015, could be an option to step into the rotation to fill the void created by the five-game suspensions given to Chris Sale and Jeff Samardzija stemming from Friday night’s brouhaha. Both Sale and Samardzija are appealing their suspsensions. Manager Robin Ventura also mentioned the recently recalled Carlos Rodon as a possibility for a spot spot.

After being the lone lefty out of the White Sox’s bullpen for most of 2014 and appearing in 35 contests, Surkamp’s stock dropped with the offseason acquisitions of left-handers Zach Duke and Dan Jennings. The 27-year-old started the season at Charlotte and has struggled so far to the tune of a 5.68 ERA and identical K/9 and BB/9 marks of 8.5 in 6 1/3 innings over four games.

• Mariners starting pitcher Kevin Correia has an April 1 opt-out date in his minor-league deal, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman writes. Correia almost surely won’t crack the Mariners’ rotation (which looks like it will be Felix Hernandez, James Paxton, Hisashi Iwakuma, J.A. Happ and Taijuan Walker), but given the number of pitching injuries elsewhere, Heyman is of the opinion that there could be plenty of interest in him.
• Due to a roster crunch, the White Sox have made lefty reliever Eric Surkamp available in a trade, Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com writes. Given the presence of Zach Duke and Dan Jennings, the White Sox don’t have an immediate spot for Surkamp. The reliever will be 28 in July and doesn’t have a strong big-league track record, but he’s pitched reasonably well at Triple-A and has an option remaining, so perhaps the White Sox will be able to get something in return for him.

• The Giants lost lefty Eric Surkamp (who was claimed by the White Sox) in part because Brett Pill remains on their 40-man roster, Schulman explains. The Giants are selling Pill's rights to the KIA Tigers in Korea, but until that deal is done, Pill has to stay on the 40-man, or the Giants can't collect their $500K transfer fee. That made Surkamp the odd man out when the Giants needed a roster spot for Mike Morse. In any case, Schulman notes that the Giants might have designated Surkamp anyway once they signed their extra reliever.
• From the outside, the Giants' move to designate Surkamp for assignment didn't make sense, Grant Brisbee of SB Nation writes. Brisbee suggests that the Giants "probably let the next Carlos Villanueva go," reffering to the Giants' 2004 decision to send Villanueva to the Brewers in a minor trade for Wayne Franklin and Leo Estrella.