The 39-year-old left-hander wasn't ready to say how long his third Texas stint will last after agreeing to a $3.5 million, one-year deal that includes a 2011 option.
“
I don't want to start a Brett Favre thing.
”-- Rangers pitcher Darren Oliver"I don't want to start a Brett Favre thing," Oliver said Wednesday. "We'll just see what happens this year."
Oliver retired in 2005 after spending two months in the minor leagues and getting released twice. He resurrected his career with the New York Mets a year later, leading to three strong seasons in the Los Angeles Angels bullpen.
Now he's bringing his streak of four playoff appearances to a franchise that hasn't made the postseason since 1999. The hometown factor was important -- Oliver and his family live in the area -- but he said he decided on Texas because he believes his playoff streak will reach five.
"When you get to the postseason year after year, you kind of get used to it and you enjoy it," Oliver said.
Oliver first experienced the playoffs in 1996, when he was a starter and went 14-6 on the first Texas team to reach the postseason. That Texas stint ended in 1998, but he was back two years later.
Four stops in the next three years turned him into a journeyman, and he was a full-time reliever when he came back with the Mets after his year out of the major leagues.
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The bullpen turned out to be a good place for Oliver. His season with the Mets ended in the NL Championship Series, and he had the lowest ERAs of his career the past two seasons with the Angels. He was 15-3 in three years with Los Angeles.
"I think veteran was kind of secondary to effective," Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said. "You can have a guy out there who has experience but if he's ... not getting outs, it doesn't mean a whole lot at the end of the day. What Darren brings is a combination of the two."
Eddie Guardado was the veteran left-hander in the Texas bullpen the past two seasons, but Oliver's role will be different. Generally, he's likely to pitch earlier in games, and longer, than Guardado did.
"Jack of all trades," Oliver said of his role, noting that he made his first start in five years for the Angels last season. "That's what I did the last three or four years with the Mets and Angels, so I don't see why it would be any different."
Oliver's deal includes a $3 million salary for 2010, plus a $3.25 million club option for 2011 with a $500,000 buyout. The second year of the contract would become guaranteed if Oliver makes 59 appearances. He had a career-high 63 appearances for the Angels in 2009, when he was 5-1 with a 2.71 ERA.
"It kind of feels like it's coming full circle," Oliver said. "I'm just looking for a chance to win here."
Reliever Darren Oliver, Texas Rangers complete dealFabiano ruled out
