With offseason trade talks failing to land a deal, Texas Rangers General Manager Jon Daniels has said that he plans to retain Japanese reliever Koji Uehara through the 2012 season.
"Every spring there are moves here and there, but we're ready to go with this group," Daniels told a press conference Tuesday at the team's spring training facility. "(Koji) is a Ranger. I have no moves planned or anything like that."
The 36-year-old reliever pitched for the Baltimore Orioles last season before being dealt to Texas at the July 31st trade deadline.
Despite struggling in three postseason appearances, which caused him to be left off the Rangers' World Series roster, Uehara performed well for both Baltimore and Texas during the regular season. In a total of 65 innings pitched, he posted a 2.35 ERA with 85 strikeouts and only nine walks.
"The guy had a tremendous year last year," Daniels said. "One of the attractive things when we traded for Koji in July was that he wasn't a rental. It was a two-year fit. That's still an attractive piece for us."