Jon Niese, a veteran lefthanded starting pitcher who has spent most of his career with the New York Mets, has been signed by the Rangers to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training, per Ken Davidoff on Twitter.
Niese, 31, had what appeared to be a breakout year in 2012, when he put up a 3.40 ERA and a 3.80 FIP over 190.1 IP in 30 starts for the Mets, good for a 3.4 bWAR. Niese struggled after that, though, eventually being traded by the Mets to the Pirates for Antonio Bastardo in August, 2016.