After watching yet another lineup consisting of Jerry Hairston Jr., Sammy Sosa and company, it’s becoming painfully clear that one of the biggest weaknesses on the Rangers this year is the lack of any sort of bench players.
Unlike last year, when the Rangers were able to use Mark DeRosa almost anywhere on the field, from right and left field to second, third and first base, there hasn’t been that sort of utility guy that’s able to hit enough that he just won’t kill you. And while you may say that a utility guy is supposed to be an excellent defensive stopgap/pinch runner, only one of these guys, Travis Metcalf, is a plus defender. Everyone else on the Ranger bench is mediocre.
I would be okay with a bench featuring the following:
Backup Catcher To Be Named Later
David Murphy/Marlon Byrd (OF) - One of these guys will likely be sent to the bench.
Raul Vasquez (CINF) - He hasn't been real awful and I wouldn't mind him coming back next year.
And this is assuming that Metcalf gets sent back to Triple A to work on his bat a bit more.
With the Rangers likely going with a 12 man staff and bullpen, plus the regular starting nine, this allows for one more, true utilityman type to be added.
Is there such a person available?
I'm not sure.
Usually, utilitymen are players that either had the potential to be starters, but were derailed by injury (such as Rosie), or are former starters entering their decline phases, such as the player the Rangers were looking at, Mark Loretta, who has gotten regular playing time with the Astros (and would have with Texas.)
The Rangers could go inhouse with their decision. Joaquin Arias is near ready, can play the entire infield and likely most of the outfield positions except for center, and does have some offensive talent as well. He's also speedy, which would allow him to be used as a pinch runner as well as serving as that defensive replacement.
Jack Wilson could also be an option, provided he comes cheap, though I'm not sure either Pittsburgh or Texas could come up with a suitable compromise for him.
Tampa Bay's Brendan Harris could also be an option, especially when you consider the infield talent coming up for Tampa soon. Texas may be able to try and swap him for the unfortunate Robinson Tejeda (see below), and potentially something else as well. Laird could be inserted into the deal if the Rangers want to try and see if they could swing a deal to include Rocco Baldelli or maybe even Jonny Gomes.
Washington’s Wish List
Ronny’s got a wish list for the Rangers to go after this off-season.
His three priorities for improving the Rangers this year are center field, first base and right field and in that order.
Left field isn’t a problem for Wash, as he feels that he could get an ideal left field performance out of combining both the Byrdman and Cat in left field, which would be cool, as it would allow the Rangers to be able to keep Byrd in his utility outfielder role that works best. It also sounds like David Murphy will be starting in either center or right, making the future bleak for Nelson Cruz.
As for options, there are plenty of centerfielders on the free agent market, namely Torii Hunter, Andruw Jones, Aaron Rowand, Mike Cameron and Corey Patterson.
Of that bunch, Hunter is the one that's made the most noise about coming here and will try to get 5 years, $75 million out of the Rangers. To that, I say hell no. I would love Rowand, but I think he's headed back to Philly and Cameron is likely headed to Atlanta unless the Rangers can convince him to come here by moneyfight.
Jones is a name I think we should probably keep an eye on. After the hellish season he's had, Scott Boras will likely try a one year deal for Jones to re-establish his value before Jones would re-enter free agency, on a much reduced market for centerfielders.
As for First base, Washington has stated taht he wants a defensive guy at first. That would mean Sean Casey, which I'm not all about. Resigning Wilkerson would be a bit more prefferable over that. I think that's lightly what you're going to see at first next year, unless the Rangers are able to pull a rabbit out of their hat for a temporary fix from somewhere.
Hawaiian Baseball League Candidates
The Rangers have also announced who their Hawaiian Baseball League Candidates are.
Craig Gentry (CF) – Gentry ranked high on my prospect lists, as I felt he'd be a good leadoff man, similar to Jacoby Ellsbury in the minors. Instead, Gentry was hurt and was mediocre at best. So, I'm willing to give him a mulligan and hope that his Hawaiian campaign shows more of what I thought he'd be instead of what he was.
K.C. Herren (OF) – Herren is regarded to have the range and speed to play center, but he doesn't have the bat for it.
Chad Tracy (LF) – Tracy struggled this year after switching to the outfield full time. The Rangers are hoping that he'll be able to re-establish himself as a solid prospect, as well as improve defensively.
Ian Gac (1B) – Gac's been a disappointment of sorts since he's been drafted. He's shown good power potential, but not much else.
Jose Marte (RHP) – A reliever with good stuff, Marte was destroyed in the california league this year and will try to resurrect his year in Hawaii.
You probably won't see any of these guys on the Rangers list, well, maybe Gentry, as the system is much, much deeper. Needless to say, this list doesn't leave me as jazzed as the Arizona one did.
That's all for now, I've got something cooked up for tomorrow.
Adam Dunn's time is running out, Rowand in DC, Jack Wilson heading to Detroit, More Trouble For Matt Bush, and the end of Gerald Laird's Ranger career, all coming up!
Adam Dunn May Be Done In Cincinnati
Adam Dunn may be in his last season with the Reds. It's not because of the strikeouts, or because of the Reds' woes, or even the fact that the Reds want to cut payroll to help supplement other areas of the staff.
It's because of Jay Bruce and Joey Votto.
Bruce is a talented Reds prospect is nearly ready after jumping several levels in the minor leagues and now holding his own in Triple A. He's got power, a solid eye, a capable defender and a good arm, all things that the Reds could use. As far as who he projects to be, Larry Walker is a common comparison.
Josh Hamilton has already established himself as the Reds' centerfielder, with Griffey holding down right field, which leaves left field as the only place for the uber-talented Bruce to start.
First base isn't an option either, beucase of Votto, a solid hitting first baseman that plays better defense than Dunn at first and blocks him.
Without the DH rule, that would render Dunn a very expensive bench player at $12 million.
However, the Reds won't let him leave without them getting something valuable back. It's possible that the Reds could pick up the option and look to trade Dunn this off-season, hopefully for much less than they asked the Angels when they looked into getting him.
A trade with the Rangers is possible because of the Rangers' needs for a first baseman/outfielder. However, the Rangers won't give up much for a one year rental, unless Dunn consents to an extension, which won't happen with free agent prices skyrocketing. Nor would the Rangers part with valueable prospects in return, in particular Eric Hurley and Taylor Teagarden, two of Texas' top prospects that the Reds would demand in return.
San Francisco may be a fit, as the Giants will need a power source on the team with Bonds not likely to return, however, prospects will be hard to exchange because the Giants have none and they will not consent to trading Jonathan Sanchez, a talented lefty that may be able to start that the Reds would target in return.
Were I to hazard a guess, the best fit for Dunn could be the Yankees, who need a first baseman not named Andy Phillips or god knows what else they've been running out there. They have the prospects to spare for Dunn, as they have several starting pitchers that could succeed in the National League that are of no use to them, and it wouldn't be a long term commitment, as the Yankees would be able to let Dunn go in order to pursue Braves first baseman Mark Teixeira.
Should be an interesting off-season in Cincinnati.
Monroe For Wilson Swap In The Works?
Detroit wants to find an NL club that is willing to take Craig Monroe, who was DFA'd, in parts of keeping him out of the AL.
Pittsburgh has been interested in Monroe in the past and would be willing to trade shortstop Jack Wilson if the Tigers pick up all of the $14.35 million remaining on the final two years of his three-year, $20.2 million contract.
The Tigers inquired about Wilson and nearly had a deal done for him at the deadline before talks fell apart becaue the Pirates asked for...Craig Monroe.
Surely the two clubs could work something out.
Rowand To DC?
Phillies center fielder Aaron Rowand is a free agent after the season, and while he hasn't revealed much on what he's doing after the season, he does like Washington, whom he feels is a up and coming team and will be a contender in a couple of years.
Rowand would be a solid addition to Washington and would be marketed as a face of the franchise and would be a team leader there.
However, I don't see it happening.
Washington is already experiencing a logjam in the outfield, with Wily Mo Pena, Ryan Church, Nook Logan, Austin Kearns and potentially Dmitri Young all vying for playing time.
Furthermore, Rowand will likely recieve more lucrative offers from his three top suitors, the Rangers, the Phillies, and the White Sox (not in that order.)
So as nice an idea it is, it won't happen.
More Trouble For Matt Bush
The Padres have confirmed that Matt Bush,the first overall pick in 2004, will need Tommy John Surgery on his pitching elbow, saying he should be good to go again in a year.
This is only the latest setback for Bush, who has been injury prone and under performed by the Padres, who took him instead of Tigers Ace Justin Verlander (fear of a holdout) and then Florida State shortstop Stephen Drew, who the scouts recommended to take, but were overruled because of cost. Also passed up was Jered Weaver, who fell to the Angels.
Bush was converted in June to pitching and has posted good results until recently, when in his Single-A debut for Fort Wayne, Indana on Thursday, Bush threw a pitch and reportedly ruptured a ligiment in his elbow and left.
It's unfortunate because Bush actually seemed to respond to the change, throwing a upper 90's fastball along with a promising curve.
Oh well.
Gerald Laird Is Available
Gerald Laird, the current Rangers catcher, is likely headed out of Arlington and headed elsewhere.
Laird likely was headed out anyhow, with the Rangers already having highly regarded catching prospect Taylor Teagarden coming on nicely, plus catcher Max Ramirez coming over in the Kenny Lofton deal.
However, with the acquisition of Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Laird's fate was sealed earlier. Salty has a solid bat, but it profiles better at catcher and ultimately, that's where he will remain, as the Rangers have put an emphasis at looking elsewhere for a first baseman. That means that Laird will be out of a job and likely out of Texas.
Laird should be very highly coveted, as there are very few young backstops available on the market. There will likely be interest from several teams, including Detroit, Pittsburgh, the Mets and Yankees, as well as the Cubs, who inquired about Laird shortly after the trade of Teixeira was made.
The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired shortstop Cesar Izturis and cash considerations from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for a player to be named.
What the hell is this supposed to do?
Izturis has hit .246 with no home runs and 8 RBI's for the Cubs. Jack Wilson, the Pirates' current shortstop, has hit .254 with 4 home runs and 28 RBI's. Both are mostly regarded to be powerless offensive players that are excellent defenders, though Izturis has a bit more speed.
Was this supposed to push Jack Wilson in some way, possibly give him the idea that his job is in danger?
Who knows?
At least he came cheap for the Pirates, unlike the Cubs.
The Cubs gave up Greg Maddux in return for him, a costly price when the Cubs should have pushed for more in return for their Hall of Famer.
Oh well. It's a questionable move on both parts, but I guess it's just Lou Pinella further pushing players he doesn't want out of the clubhouse.
Just in case you're wonder who's already fallen victim...
Matt Murton (LF) - It's almost sad to see what has happened to him. The Pirates should have asked for Murton too, while they were at it.
Jacque Jones (RF) - Chicago ####ked up. They should have sold high this off-season. They didn't. Now they're stuck with him and this situation could get ugly.
Michael Barrett (C) - Barrett has played better since leaving Chicago, even though he's now splitting time on a regular basis with Josh Bard.
I'm a long time Texas Rangers fan who has come to love baseball as a whole. I recently began this blog as a way for me to showcase my opinions, provide some analysis, and hopefully entertain those who happen to stumble upon my little soapbox online. I'll toss in an NFL, College, or NBA nugget every now and then. Enjoy the posts everyone, and yes, getting a little love in a Deadspin post was probably the highlight of the year, blogwise.
Do You Have Comment You Don't Want All To See? Just Want To Talk Baseball? Email Me at morisatos_blo g AT yahoo.com. Email's edited to keep away the Spam.
