MLB: Rangers sign Rougned Odor to six-year contract worth at least $49.5 million

Rougned Odor and the Texas Rangers have agreed to a new six-year contract that includes a club option for 2023 and guarantees the young second baseman at least $49.5 million.

The deal completed Thursday includes a $2 million signing bonus and a $13.5 million club option for 2023 with a $3 million buyout. Odor’s salary will be $1 million this season, and then it will increase to $3 million in 2018 and $7.5 million in 2019. He will make $9 million in 2020 before $12 million in each of the last two years of the contract.

At 23, Odor is already going into his fourth season with the Rangers. He hit .271 with 33 home runs and 88 RBIs last year, when he became known to many for punching Toronto slugger Jose Bautista during a May 15 game , the finale of a contentious series. Odor served a seven-game suspension for that.

Odor was the youngest player in the majors when he made his Rangers debut in May 2014. He has hit .265 with 58 homers and 197 RBIs in his career. He played for Venezuela this spring in the World Baseball Classic.

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Infielder Yandy Diaz has made Cleveland’s opening-day roster after he was expected to start the season in the minor leagues. Diaz, who batted .325 in 95 games at Triple-A Columbus last season, is considered one of the Indians’ top prospects. The 25-year-old had an excellent spring camp and the AL champions have decided he’s ready to make the jump. … Aaron Judge has won the New York Yankees’ right field job and Luis Severino has earned the fourth spot in the starting rotation. Yankees Manager Joe Girardi said Aaron Hicks will be the fourth outfielder. Judge, 6-7 and 282 pounds, has a .345 spring training average. He hit .179 with four homers and 10 RBIs in 27 games following his August call-up to the Yankees last season, but struck out 42 times in 84 at-bats. Hicks has a .264 average in exhibition play. …

The Milwaukee Brewers say they will place starter Matt Garza on the 10-day disabled list to the start the season because of a strained right groin. The team also announced on Thursday that Chase Anderson will open the season in the rotation. Anderson joins an all right-handed starting five of Junior Guerra, Zach Davies, Wily Peralta and Jimmy Nelson. … Zack Wheeler has earned a spot in the New York Mets’ rotation after missing two years while recovering from Tommy John surgery, and Robert Gsellman will begin the season as the team’s No. 5 starter in place of the injured Steven Matz. The team said center fielder Juan Lagares is going to the disabled list because of an oblique strain and outfielder Michael Conforto will be with the Mets on opening day. …

Blake Treinen will begin the season as the closer for the Washington Nationals, even though he has only one big league save. The right-hander’s powerful sinker has become his key to success after being converted from a starter to a reliever. He finished last season, his third in the majors, with a 2.28 ERA and 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings. … Detroit released right-hander Mike Pelfrey, who is guaranteed $8 million in the second season of a $16 million, two-year deal. Pelfrey went 4-10 with a 5.07 ERA last season with the Tigers. He was 2-3 with a 7.94 ERA in three spring training starts and five relief appearances. … Young slugger ByungHo Park, a first baseman and designated hitter, was among Minnesota’s final roster cuts despite a strong spring training performance. The Twins decided to start with 13 pitchers. Backup outfielder Robbie Grossman is slated for now as the primary designated hitter.