Taking some tiem out from watching the playoffs to update you all on some Ranger thoughts I had.  Let's kick it out the new title text:

The Rangers Report – Offseason Edition

Aki May Need Tommy John Surgery

This isn’t good news.

Reports are coming out that Akinori Otsuka, who hasn’t been seen since the All Star break, may need to undergo Tommy John, costing him all of 2009 and the last year of control under Texas before Free Agency.

Sigh.

Aki was likely going to exit Surprise next season as the closer for the Rangers.  If he needs to undergo Tommy John, he’s going to get non-tendered and released by Texas, giving a final and craptastic end to one of the worst Rangers trades of all time.

And, just because I like rubbing salt on my wounds, here is how the trade worked out for Texas:

• Adam Eaton – Posted a horrific year and didn’t even merit Free Agent Compensation, then bolted for the big bucks in Philly, where he’s been equally craptastic.
• Akinori Otsuka – Did a great job as a closer in 2006, was an excellent setup man in 2007, but would be gone if he has to undergo TJ.
• Billy Killian - A young catching prospect, Killian was terrible for Spokane and Clinton and was eventually sold to the White Sox for an undisclosed amount of cash and a cash of Milwaukee’s Best.

Bah.

Top Rangers Moments Of 2007

1. Michael Young’s 200th Hit – It’s great to see Mikie extend his 200 hit season streak to five.
2. The Return of Rangers Ballpark – The Rangers take back their ballpark by buying out Ameriquest and renaming the ballpark Rangers Ballpark In Arlington.
3. The 30-3 Game – This asskicking actually was able to help a lot of fans move on from Teixeira. ..well, expect for the Metroplex media (#### you Randy Galloway!)
4. Hank Blalock’s Return – And how!  A Grand Slam against the Angels that helped ice a win on Sunday Night Baseball.
5. The 2007 Draft – The fact that Texas was able to add so many quality arms, many of which began to preform right away, is making for a potential farm system Bonanza come 2009.

Da Pick!  Da Pick!  Where Is Da Pick!

The draft standings are more or less finalized, and Texas will make the 11th pick in next June's amateur draft.  It’s not a bad place to pick, really.  The Rangers won’t get an elite talent unless he falls, but there should be a solid talent there.

Here’s the last five 11th overall picks. 

• 2007 – Philipe Aumont (Mariners) – Love this guy, should be a solid major leaguer.
• 2006 – Max Scherzer (Diamondbacks) – Solid arm, potential closer.
• 2005 – Andrew McCutcheon (Pirates) – Tools city, has probably been rushed.
• 2004 – Neil Walker (Pirates) – Like the bat, not sure where he’ll play though.
• 2003 – Robert Aubrey (Indians) – Promising career short-circuited by injury.

The only real problem with this year’s draft is that it may be one of the weakest drafts in years.  Still, there should be a decent talent around at 11.

Cat On First?

The more I look at the first base market, in terms of trade and free agency, the more I think it’s going to be likely that Frank Catalanotto will likely be the Rangers’ starting first baseman in 2008.

The reason being is that there are no real attractive options out on the open market, with only glove men like Sean Casey and Mike Lamb available.  And the only first baseman that I know of that could wind up here, Todd Helton, would be a far too lengthy commitment for the Rangers, plus he would likely require the Rangers picking up an expensive option to come here. 

Actually, hold that thought, there is also Adam Dunn, who could play first base and is reasonably comparable to Ryan Howard, but what would the Reds want in terms of prospects?  I don’t think that enough of a deal could be reached for the two sides to swing a deal.

Meanwhile, playing Cat at first would allow the Rangers to use different outfielders, improving the overall defense, as Cat is rather bad in left.  It would allow the Rangers to play David Murphy regularly in right field, while allowing Jason Botts, who isn’t great, but is better than Cat in left, while allowing the Rangers to concentrate on obtaining help in centerfield and DH. 

Keeping An Eye On Felix Pie And David DeJesus

Two options in centerfield to keep an eye on are Cubs prospect Felix Pie and Royals centerfielder David DeJesus.

I think there was more truth than people realize when rumors surrounded Pie and the Cubbies’ apparent willingness to deal him in the right trade.  There was a rumored deal of Gerald Laird for Pie, but the deal was quickly killed and the Cubbies announced they had no real intentions of trading him.

I’m not so sure.

Lou Pinella wasn’t a big fan of Pie’s during his time up with the Cubs and wasn’t enthused about playing him every day. 

And, with rumors that the Cubs may go hard after a free agent centerfielder, that would all but block Pie from ever making it to Wrigley. 

Which would make trading for Pie much more valuable, as it would allow the Rangers to get something for not as painful of a price.  Pie is regarded to be a raw, Carlos Beltran type (then again, so is Rangers prospect Engel Beltre), and if he gets PT, he'll be able to blossom into something special.

Here's hoping the Cubs do so.

The other player is Royals centerfielder David DeJesus, who the Royals are supposedly looking into trading for younger, projectable parts, especially since they now feel that Joey Gathright has figured out how to hit.  Gathright has leadoff potential and is faster and can cover more ground than DeJesus.

If the Royals are willing, I'd be ready to call if I were GM.  I'm not sure what the price would be, but it wouldn't be real expensive, especially when you consider what the Royals got in exchange for Octavio Dotel (the mighty Kyle Davies). 

The Royals have tried for years to acquire prospect Joaquin Arias.  I'd be willing to deal Arias, especially since I got an Arias clone in Elvis Andrus.  If I were making a deal, and DeJesus were available, I'd call up the Royals and dicker, with Arias being in the deal. 

Arias is still very attractive, in that he's got loads of tools and is young.  It's becoming obvious that a change of scenery may be necessary for him to reach his potential and he could eventually be better than Tony Pena Jr, who is a backup at best or a starter while he's cheap.  The only real issue would be if Arias developed, which would potentially bite the Rangers in the way Hafner did, but really Arias is blocked in Texas by Young and Kinsler, so it would be for the best.

What Does The Future Hold For Loe, Laird, and Tejeda

The Rangers' final loss to the Mariners was likely the last for several Rangers, and the end for some of the Rangers’ current career paths.

Kameron Loe expereinced a odd season, where he seemingly found his mojo as a starter again before his old inconsistencies reached back to nab him again.  While Loe has developed better off-speed stuff to go with his sinker, he hasn’t been able to sustain his success long.  Overall, Loe has been better as a reliever, as he is 13-19 with a 5.08 ERA in 47 career starts and 5-4 with a 4.15 ERA in 46 relief appearances, but with the emergence of several young starters, Loe is likely going to be the long man coming into next year, or could be traded in the offseason to a team that could be able to work on him to be an average 5th starter. 

The same has gone for Robinson Tejeda.  What started out to be a promising season quickly devolved into disaster as Tejeda was shelled more and more as the seaosn went on, finishing 5-9 with a 6.61 ERA in 19 games before being sent down to Triple A, where he eventually had hsis eaosn ended due to injury.  Tejeda’s future with the Rangers is also going to be one of uncertainty, as the rotation appears to be set with Millwood, Padilla, McCarthy, Gabbard and Volquez going into next year.  Even worse, Eric Hurley is nearly ready and could challenge for a starting spot next year, leaving Tejeda’s opportunities for a third chance less and less likely.

Gerald Laird is a different story.  With his bat going into the ####, Laird’s future as a Ranger likely was doomed once the Mark Teixeira deal brought in Jarrod Saltalamacchia, a natural catcher, over in the deal.  While Salty projects to be a average first baseman, behind the plate he could be a perrenial All Star and a capable middle to late in the order presence.  Laird was almost dealt at the deadline, but the Teixeira deal was swung too late to try and get a decent offer rolling.  With the lack of young catchers in the majors all around, Laird, despite his numbers, could be attractive to several teams needing a young catcher with at least three years of control left on him.

On The Block Manana guys.  Now, back to snoozing with the girlfriend and my niece...