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Report: Oh's deal with Rangers nixed due to physical issue

Scott Kane / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Seung Hwan Oh won't be heading to Texas, after all.

The 35-year-old reliever reportedly agreed last week to a one-year contract with the Rangers that included a team option for 2019, but the deal has since fallen through due to a physical issue, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.

Last year, after crafting a 1.92 ERA over 76 appearances with the St. Louis Cardinals in his first big-league season in 2016, Oh took a significant step backward, posting a 4.10 ERA with a 1.40 WHIP in 62 outings and losing the ninth-inning job in July. In his two major-league seasons, Oh - who enjoyed a superb 11-year run in Korea and Japan before signing with St. Louis - has converted 39 saves in 47 chances (83 percent), accruing 2.7 WAR over his 138 appearances.

Without Oh, the Rangers will likely have left-hander Alex Claudio handle the ninth inning to begin the season, though manager Jeff Banister suggested other candidates could get a shot at closing, too.

"We have a number of guys who have closed games," Banister told Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. "We have a guy who did a good job for us last year [Claudio]."

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