Travis Snider signs minor league deal with Rangers

Former Pirates outfielder Travis Snider has signed a minor league deal with the Rangers that will pay him a $1 million salary if he’s in the big leagues, Jon Heyman tweets.

So let’s catch up with Travis Snider. Pirates fans have probably talked about Snider a disproportionate amount in the past few years, due largely to the controversial (and, as it turns out, very good) trade that sent him from Pittsburgh to Baltimore. After struggling as an Oriole and briefly returning to the Pirates late in the 2015 season, Snider’s descent continued last year, when he signed a minor league deal with the Royals, failed to get back to the big leagues, and batted just .245/.340/.350 for Triple-A Omaha. That performance included a mere three home runs in 322 plate appearances — not a good showing for anyone, let alone a corner outfielder who isn’t that athletic.

Anyway, let’s wish Snider the best. Texas doesn’t seem like a great fit for him, as they have three clear outfield starters in Shin-Soo Choo, Carlos Gomez and Nomar Mazara, plus Ryan Rua, Delino DeShields, Drew Robinson and jack of many trades Jurickson Profar as backup options. (It would be kind of funny if Snider and Gomez wound up on the same team, as a reader notes on Twitter.) But maybe a good showing with Triple-A Round Rock will earn Snider a ticket back to the big leagues somehow.