Colby Lewis signs contract with Texas Rangers for one year, $6 million
Colby Lewis declared on Monday that he will be ready for Opening Day, that his knee surgery will be forgotten and that he will be able to log 30-plus starts and somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 innings.
After overcoming elbow and hip injuries in 2012 and 2013 to lead the Texas Rangers in starts, innings and wins each of the past two seasons, Lewis’ latest proclamation shouldn’t be viewed as just lip service.
The Rangers aren’t taking his words lightly, and, after closely monitoring the right-hander early in the off-season, they signed him Monday to a one-year deal worth $6 million to be in their starting rotation.
To have starter, when you know what you’re going to get, the way our roster is constructed is very important for us.
General manager Jon Daniels
Armed with a bullpen that can shorten games, Lewis just needs to do for the Rangers what he has normally done since 2010, provide them with six or seven competitive innings.
“With the makeup of the club, having starters that can give us those six and seven innings on a regular basis, and potentially more, is paramount,” general manager Jon Daniels said. “We do think we’re going to be in a position to close out games late, the last three or four innings depending on how everything is going.”
The Rangers have no intention of limiting their starters to only six innings, and Lewis has no intention of going only six innings. He has logged four complete games the past two seasons, and is coming off career highs in starts (33), innings (204 2/3 ) and wins (17).
His goal is simple and has been since he returned to the Rangers in 2010 after two years in Japan: to pitch deep in games and pitch well enough to give the Rangers a chance to win the game.
“That’s one of the big things I pride myself on,” Lewis said. “I know if I get out there for every start, I know things will take care of themselves and the innings will pile up and I’ll keep my team in a lot of games.”
The only limitations Lewis has had since his right knee was cleaned up in October are that he hasn’t run or thrown off a mound, but he plans to begin throwing his bullpen sessions next month at spring training and be 100 percent for his first start at some point during the first full week of April.
The injury, a torn meniscus suffered in May, had Daniels tapping the brakes on re-signing Lewis before seeing whether the knee was holding up. Lewis never wanted to pitch for anyone else other than the Rangers, and the 36-year-old has no doubt that he will answer the bell again in 2016.
“I know I’ll be ready,” Lewis said. “I’m not concerned in any way.”
After what he’s been through recently, that proclamation shouldn’t be viewed as just lip service.
Internal invites
Lewis Brinson, one of the Rangers’ top prospects, was one of eight minor leaguers not on the 40-man roster to receive an invitation to big-league spring training.
Joining Brinson, an outfielder who was the Rangers’ first-round pick in 2012, will be outfielder Ryan Cordell; infielder Drew Robinson; catchers Kellin Deglan and Brett Nicholas; and right-handers Myles Jaye, Francisco Mendoza and Scott Williams.
Jeff Wilson: 817-390-7760, @JeffWilson_FWST
This story was originally published January 18, 2016 at 2:11 PM with the headline "Colby Lewis signs contract with Texas Rangers for one year, $6 million."