Rangers trade Dellucci to Philadelphia

[riverside sluggers]

Foxsports

Rangers trade for pitching help

 

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - The Texas Rangers traded outfielder David Dellucci to the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday night for right-hander Robinson Tejeda and minor league outfielder Jake Blalock. Tejeda could provide immediate help to the rotation of the Rangers. After announcing the trade, general manager Jon Daniels said No. 2 starter Adam Eaton will have surgery to repair the tendon in the middle finger of his pitching hand. The surgery was tentatively scheduled Tuesday and the right-hander could be out three months.

 

Tejeda was 4-3 with a 3.57 ERA in 26 games (13 starts) for the Phillies last season. The Rangers said he pitched four innings in a minor league game Saturday and then flew to Boston to be with his wife for the birth of a child. "He's 24 years old, a power pitcher. We look at him as a starter," Daniels said. "He has a plus fastball, and had some success in the major leagues last year." Dellucci played in 235 games over the past two seasons in Texas, and had quickly become a fan favorite. He hit .251 with a career-high 29 homers and 65 RBIs last season, when he also drew a career-best 76 walks as the primary leadoff hitter.

 

"David's my best friend on the team, a great teammate, a great player," first baseman Mark Teixeira said. "Everyone's going to miss him. I guess you can never have too much pitching, but it's tough to lose David." Dellucci had already left the clubhouse after the Rangers played their final spring game, a 6-4 victory over Florida.

 

Texas acquired left-handers John Koronka and John Rheinecker in a three-team deal with the Chicago Cubs and Oakland on Friday. Koronka (1-2 with 7.47 ERA in four games for the Cubs last season) was considered an option for the open rotation spot. Daniels said Tejeda was a pitcher the Rangers had inquired about early in the spring. With Eaton out, Tejeda again became an option.

 

"He's somebody that we think can help us," Daniels said. "We got a quality pitcher and added a nice prospect." Eaton was on the disabled list twice with the same injury while with the San Diego Padres last season. The Rangers acquired Eaton in a trade this winter. Blalock, 22, is the younger brother of Rangers two-time All-Star third baseman Hank Blalock. Jake Blalock hit .279 with 11 home runs and 65 RBIs at Single-A Clearwater last season.

 

Texas also Saturday purchased the contracts of right-hander Antonio Alfonseca, outfielder Adrian Brown and infielder D'Angelo Jimenez.

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I've heard good things about Tejada, and he looked pretty good when I watched him pitch last year. But the thing I like about this deal is the fact that Dellucci is out of the AL. He is an underappreciated, underrated player who could possibly drive in 85-100 runs if he were batting say 5, rather than 1 and 2 like he has the past few years.

[riverside sluggers]

Yea my best friend who lives down in Texas is absolutely bumming about this deal. Dellucci, or "Loochi" as he was nicknamed, became a fan favorite. But the Rangers already have a good lineup, need that pitching much more. Especially in the bullpen