Lance Berkman is playing baseball in Texas again--just not in the Houston Astros uniform he spent most of his career in.
According to sources who spoke to ESPN.com, the free agent outfielder agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Texas Rangers on Saturday. The deal is pending a physical, which should take place sometime on Monday.
Following news of the deal, Berkman spoke about some past comments he made about the Rangers franchise and said that both sides would move forward in a positive way.
"I'm prepared to let bygones be bygones, but I understand the fans remembering those comments," Berkman said to ESPNDallas.com. "Ultimately, I had to eat some crow and I was happy to do that. I tend to share an unvarnished opinion and not everyone was going to like that answer. It was my honest opinion and I was proved to be incorrect in my assessment, and it was not the first time I've been wrong.
Prior to the 2011 season, Berkman said that the Rangers were an average team and that team's long-term deal with Adrian Beltre was "a reach."
"This is a different team and a different scenario and I'm happy to be a part of the Rangers organization. It's a winning team. Hopefully by playing well, I'll be able to win over some of those fans I ostracized by shooting my mouth off before."
Berkman turns 37 next month and is coming off of a disappointing 2012 season in which he played only 32 games for the St. Louis Cardinals. Berkman had two surgeries on his right knee during the season and hit only .259 with two home runs, seven RBIs and 21 hits.
Berkman will be paid $10 million for the 2013 season and the contract includes a vesting option for a second year if he reaches 550 plate appearances. There's also a $1 million buyout on the option year in the deal according to the sources.
"The reality is that if things don't go well this year, even if they had given me a second year guaranteed, I'm not going to hold somebody's feet to the fire if I don't think I can perform," Berkman said to ESPNDallas.com. "If I have a great year, it'd be great to come back and go at it again."
Before dealing with his knee troubles, Berkman had an excellent year in 2011, hitting .301 with 31 home runs and 94 RBIs in 145 games for the Cardinals, who defeated the Texas Rangers in the World Series.
"I feel good," Berkman said. "I don't feel like I did when I was 25, but by the same token, considering I had two knee surgeries last year, I feel pretty good."
Berkman played his first 12 seasons in Houston before being traded to the New York Yankees and helped lead the Astros to a World Series appearance in 2005. He was traded to the Yankees in July of 2010 and hit .255 with one home run and nine RBIs in 37 games.
The Rangers will likely use Berkman as the designated hitter with some possible spot duty at first base if needed. Berkman said that Rangers CEO Nolan Ryan first approached him a few weeks ago about possible playing with the team. He spoke with reporters about some of the reasons he decided to come to Texas.
"The first reason is because they have a very good team, a competitive time and a chance to win," Berkman said. "The second is the geographic location. I think it's easy on my family being in Houston to get back and forth to Dallas. Being a native Texan, it's nice to be back in the state.
"The third reason is they made me a great offer. They made it tough to turn down. The fourth side reason, I'd call it, is that it's an AL team and I can DH and I think that's going to help keep me healthy and the past history of knee injury, that's a great spot for me to take some wear and tear off the joints."
Berkman has played in the National League for most of his career, but has played excellent as a designated hitter when tasked to do so. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Berkman was a .323 hitter with a .909 OPS and six home runs in 39 games as a designated hitter in interleague play for the Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals, and the New York Yankees.
Berkman will also benefit from hitting in a lineup with Nelson Cruz and Adrian Beltre, who hit .321 with 36 home runs and 102 RBIs last season. Berkman was a perennial MVP candidate during his time with the Astros, including in 2006, when he finished third in the voting after hitting .315 with 45 home runs and 136 RBIs.
The Rangers ranked first in runs and third in batting average last season, but will likely suffer a bit on offense with the loss of Josh Hamilton to the Los Angeles Angels. Berkman will provide some power in place of Hamilton and as long as he puts up solid numbers, he should find himself in the lineup nearly every day.
The Rangers have made some significant moves this offseason, signing free-agent catcher A.J. Pierzynski and trading third baseman Michael Young to the Philadelphia Phillies. Along with Hamilton, the Rangers also lost free-agent catcher/first baseman Mike Napoli, who hit 24 home runs in 2012.
Berkman has a .296 career average with 360 home runs and 1,200 RBIs. He has had 121 at-bats during his career at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, hitting for a .289 average with seven homers and 21 RBIs.
