Neftali Feliz elects free agency from Rangers

Neftali Feliz's tenure with the Texas Rangers ended Thursday evening in rather unceremonious fashion.

After seven seasons with Texas, the 27-year-old reliever elected free agency, six days after being designated for assignment. By declining an outright assignment to the minor leagues, however, Feliz forfeited the roughly $2 million remaining on his contract.

Feliz enjoyed tremendous success, at times, with the Rangers, earning the American League Rookie of the Year award after notching 40 saves with a 2.73 ERA back in 2010. He excelled the following season, too, collecting another 32 saves with a 2.74 ERA, but injuries limited him to just 14 appearances over the next two years.

Feliz opened the 2014 campaign on the disabled list, making his debut July 4. Despite his injury woes, the right-hander crafted a 1.99 ERA with a 0.98 WHIP over 30 appearances, albeit with a career-worst 17.2-percent strikeout rate.

Though Feliz began the 2015 season as the Rangers' closer once again, he crafted an ugly 5.09 ERA through his first 17 appearances, blowing three saves in nine opportunities before landing on the disabled list in May. Feliz was activated earlier this month, throwing two scoreless innings against the Los Angeles Angels on July 3, but was designated for assignment later that evening.

Over parts of seven seasons in the majors, Feliz owns a 2.69 ERA (164 ERA+) with a 1.06 WHIP over seven starts and 209 relief appearances, though his strikeout rate hasn't eclipsed 20 percent since 2012.