An interesting NRI candidate held out for a Major League contract, and he finally got one. Pedro Astacio, whom Bavasi was said to be pursuing, will compete with Chris Young, Ricardo Rodriguez, and Juan Dominguez for a rotation spot with the Rangers.
In ex-Mariner news, Dave Hansen signed a minor league contract with the Cubs, and the Brewers - trying to make Wes Helms feel better about himself - gave Jeff Cirillo an NRI.