Texas Rangers general manager Jon Daniels was shopping Friday at Big Lots in Southlake and picked up Kris Benson off the shelf in the pitcher’s aisle of the store.

The pitcher signed a minor-league contract and received an invitation to big league spring training.

While Kris Benson’s career record, 68-73, for the Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles isn’t going to thrill Rangers fans, his other numbers 34DD-24-34 will. Those are the measurements of Kris’ wife, Anna Benson.

Kris, who spent last season in the Philadelphia Phillies organization, his wife is still a major-league hawtie.

“I really wasn’t thinking about her,” Daniels said, smiling. “Although she does owe me one of course.”

Kris Benson fits right in with the Rangers. He’s got a sub .500 record, and his best season was a 12-12 campaign with the Pirates in 2004.

“Kevin Millwood. Vicente Padilla. Scott Feldman. Matt Harrison and Brandon McCarthy can’t be the best rotation we can put together,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said. “Please, no. My job depends on how this group does, and they maybe have 60 wins in them. Maybe replacing McCarthy with Kris could get us 62 -63 wins this year.”

 

heckler editorial staff