Matt Treanor agrees to $850,000 deal with Rangers

ARLINGTON, Texas – Matt Treanor's solid season for the Texas Rangers earned him an $850,000, one-year contract.

Texas already has acquired Yorvit Torrealba from San Diego to be the primary starter in 2011, but the 34-year-old Treanor is likely to play about one-third of the time.

Treanor started 67 games last season, more than any other Texas catcher. He set several personal-bests as a hitter and excelled handling pitchers. When he was behind the plate, the Rangers had a 3.92 ERA, fourth-lowest in the AL among catchers with at least 80 games. He threw out 20 percent of would-be base stealers (11 of 55) and his .994 fielding percentage was third-best among AL catchers with at least 500 chances.

"We appreciated the qualities that Matt brought to our club in 2010, both on the field and the presence he had in our clubhouse," Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said in a statement. "He stepped into a challenging situation and helped lead the club. We're happy to have him back to solidify our catching situation."

Texas acquired Treanor in March from Milwaukee. He hit .211 with five home runs and 27 RBI in 82 games. He established career highs in games, runs (22), homers, and RBI. He also went 2-for-10 with one home run and two RBIs over four games in the postseason.

To clear room for Treanor on the roster, the Rangers sent right-handed pitcher Ryan Tucker outright to Triple-A Round Rock on Monday. He will be a non-roster invitee to major league spring training.