The Rangers Report – Offseason Edition

Rangers Acquire Chris Shelton

First base seems to have been filled, for now.

The Rangers have acquired Chris Shelton from the Tigers, in exchange for Fast Freddy Guzman.

Shelton likely will figure into the first base/dh equation, though I think he'll more than likely be the Opening Day first baseman.  It makes no sense to sign Sean Casey for $3 million when you can instead pay Shelton more or less the major league minimum for better production.

All in all, it's a solid pickup, and Shelton will be much more useful than whatever Guzman would have provided.

Rule 5 Shennanigans

I'm a little disappointed that Texas didn't participate in the Major League Phase of the Rule 5 draft, especially considering that Brian Barton was there to be had.  On the bright side, the Rangers didn't lose anyone, so there's some good news.  Texas was active in the minor league phases of the draft, nabbing several pitchers  

Overall, here's who Texas acquired:

• Levi Romero (RHP) - Not a damn thing can be found right now.
• Dustin Majewski (OF) - A former Longhorn and I believe one of Oakland's moneyball draft guys, Majewski likely is just organizational filler at this point.
• Clayton Hamilton (RHP) - Hamilton has good size and could be a solid bullpen arm in the future.  A lot of his stats from this past year must be taken with a grain of salt, as he was pitching for most of the year with a broken rib, thanks to a misdiagnosis from the Pirates.
• Jaime Trejo (3B) - Potential backup.
• Francisco Cordova.(RHP) - Ick.  Next...

Quick Hits

• Kevin Mench is likely going to be non-tendered by the Brewers.  If the Rangers are interested, they could try and bring back him back.  Mench still has fans here and for the most part would be happy to come back, but salary concerns may get in the way.  Another thing, who would he replace on the 40?

• Texas actually was in on the Andruw Jones deal, but was thwarted when Scott Boras gave Texas the runaround.  Specifically, he told Texas that it would take a longer term deal, seeing as how Jones would be switching leagues and all.  You remember, that kind of ####

• Texas has a one year contract offer with a club option out to LaTroy Hawkins, who is still looking for a two year deal from the Rockies.  Hopefully, something can get resolved soon, though I would prefer to go itnernal on the pen.  Usually, that ends up being a lot more cost effective and allows you to protect yourself in terms of being screwed over in terms of long term deals.

• Eric Gagné is still out there and apparently wouldn't mind coming back to Texas.  I'd do it, as he was a lot of fun to watch and he has his fans here.  He would also be flipped again at the deadline for more prospects, which is always nice.  Knowing the Rangers' luck, Boras will push for a full no-trade clause this time. 

• The acqustion of Andruw Jones means that Andre Ethier and potentially Juan Pierre are available.  Ethier I'm all about, as I think he'd be an above average option in left field.  Pierre is interesting, but the Dodgers would have to eat a lot of the salary for me to consider it.  Pierre isn't a great outfielder and is one of the most overrated players in the sport. 

• Apparently, the Rangers are hot and heavy after...Mark Prior?  Okay, I know that when Prior is healthy, he can easily be one of the best pitchers in baseball.  The problem is, when was the last time we could say that?

• There are some other trade options I'd be looking at, with the Astros being one of the teams I'd look at.  The Rangers need a legitiamate utilityman and Chris Burke is there for the taking.  He's a better option that Ramon Vasquez and can play any position except for catcher.  I'd ask if they'd be interested in a straight up swap for Scott Feldman.

• And, on a side note, the Rangers are debating about moving Chris Davis to right field, where his bat would not only be a good fit, but he has a strong enough arm to handle the change.  My only question about that is whether or not Davis is athletic enough to handle right field.

Top 15 Mariners Prospects up tomorrow!!!

The Red Sox Top 15 will be up later, right now I have something that just set me off that I saw on Sportscenter (had no choice, was at the Gym and it was either that or reruns of ER.  And I hate ER.)

Steve Phillips was asked for his recommandations to the Dodgers on how he would make their team a World Series contender.  After hearing him talk, I quickly wondered what reality he was talking about. 

Here are Phillips' takes, more or less, and my own, in full unedited glory.

Step 1 – Trade for Miguel Cabrera or Sign Alex Rodriguez

First off, I will credit Phillips with correctly identifying the Dodgers' need for power in the lineup.  However, this is the wrong way to go with it.  If you take Phillips’ later assumptions into account, it’s going to have to be Rodriguez or nothing, as the Marlins currently are assembling a list of players that they are targeting from different organizations that they would want in return for the potential Hall of Fame hopeful.  One of those is almost certainly going to be Clayton Kershaw, a young lefty that is going to be as good as Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz. 

Kershaw would have to be sent back in any deal that for Cabrera, that's a given.  It was Kershaw that was a sticking point in the Dodgers' failed negotiations this past summer for Mark Teixeira.  

As for A-Rod, he'll cost nothing but money, but it'll be a WHOLE LOT of money. 

My Solution - Why Not Settle With What you have in house?  The Dodgers have a perfectly good third base prospect in Andy LaRoche, who has hit the batting line of .295/.525/.901 in the minors and has averaged 18 Homers and 61 RBIs in an average of 90 games per season.  Why not give him a full season to prove that he can hit?  He's a lot cheaper than Rodriguez or Cabrera and would give a power boost to the lineup as well.

And if you must get rid of LaRoche, go after a cheaper first baseman to save some money for what is about to come next.  The Rangers would be happ to give up Hank Blalock straight up for LaRoche.  The Pirates would be willing to give up Freddy Sanchez if it meant getting LaRoche. 

The only possible way of getting Cabrera might be asking the Marlins if they'd be receptive to a deal of a paid for Juan Pierre (solving their centerfield issue), LaRoche (solving third while improving the infield defense) and including Andre Ethier and Jonathan Broxton.  That woudl be the only way I could see a deal for Cabrera working, though I would prefer to just use LaRoche.

Step 2 – Sign Andruw Jones, Aaron Rowand, or Torii Hunter to play centerfield and move Juan Pierre to left

Yikes.  Here's another bad idea.

Pierre is a terrible outfielder and has a weak arm as well.  He's probably one of the worst contracts signed in the Ned Colletti era. 

Philips said that acquriing one of the three centerfielders mentioned above would not only improve the offense, but also improve the defense as well.

Here's an idea, which would work with Philips' plan and would still have the desired effect.

Trade Pierre for whoever you can get, preferrably a reliever or a swingman to help the pen and the rotation if necessary.  Second, play Etheir (provided he's not traded, of course) in left, and play Matt Kemp, a blossoming young monster, in right.  If you get Andruw Jones, which would work, in center, congradulations.  You just improved the outfield defense and upgraded the offense to boot.

Step 3 – Trade For Johan Santana

Ooookay, where to start.

Provided you haven't already traded Kershaw, going after Santana creates more problems than it does solve any.

First off, you would immediately open a hole in right field, as it would likely require a package of Kershaw, Kemp and LaRoche to get Santana, even if you do get him to agree to a contract extension. 

Guess what, you just opened a hole in right and third base.

You could play Ethier at right, but I like his bat better in left field.  And it would make the necessary the addition of a Rodriguez and a Andruw Jones in order to fill those holes, leaving you with a much more expensive roster which wasn't necessary in the first place.

The Dodgers could enter next season by making only one foray into the free agent market and that would be it:

Starting Lineup

• Furcal (SS)

• Martin (C)

• Kent (2B)

• Loney (1B)

• Kemp (RF)

• Jones (CF) - Brought In Via Free Agency

• LaRoche (3B)

• Ethier (LF)

Rotation

• Penny (RHP)

• Lowe (RHP)

• Billingsley (RHP)

• Schmidt (RHP)

• Wolf (RHP) - Brought Back

Contracts Traded For Bullpen Help - Pierre (CF) to Marlins For Kevin Gregg (RHP), Nomar Garciaparra (1B) To Texas For Akinori Otsuka (RHP)

And there you have it.  I'm done.  That team I just put together should win 88 games, maybe 90 if the team stays healthy and the youngsters develop.  There was no need to go spend foolishly on several players that may not have been worth it.  That's the reason why you have a farm system.  So you can eventually have young, cheaper, higher upside pieces to build around and eventually contend with.

And all without having to mortgage my best pieces in the farm and to keep the payroll more or less reasonable in the long run.

I'm beginning to understand why Phillips was tossed out so quickly by the Mets.

He just sucked.

Mail Call, Why Bud Selig Is Pissed At the Red Sox, and more Free Agent Rumblings & Grumblings

Mail Call

I don't normally post email, but I figured that this email would actually be worthwhile to checkout.

Morisato,

I see you talk a lot about how the Rangers’ did on the draft?  Of the first rounders that were taken in 2006, who will be the first to the majors?

Albert.  Alvin, TX

Hmm, well, if you were watching Tigers games this past fall, you would have seen the Tigers’ 2006 First Rounder, Andrew Miller, coming out of the bullpen.  While it was still technically by a contract clause mandated by Scott Boras, Miller owns the honor of being the first of the class of 2006 to hit the majors.

I’m going to post a column in the first week of December about the status of how the Draft Class of 2006 has done this year, so you can check out all the ETA’s I’ve estimated per prospect.  But if I had to say any prospects that would have a shot at cracking the majors next year, it would be a tossup between Devil Rays first rounder Evan Longoria or Giants first rounder Tim Lincecum, both of whom have done well in their first season of pro ball.  Longoria destroyed the minors before stopping at Double A.  Lincecum, easily the best prospect in the Giants’ system, also did a fair job in the minors, coming to rest in the Giants’ advanced Class A affiliate in San Jose.  Longoria could get a few at bats as a DH next season, while Lincecum could crack the rotation, which isn’t far fetched judging by the mess that is the Giants’ rotation, with a solid Spring Training.

Selig Not Thrilled With The Red Sox

The onus is on the Red Sox to sign Matsuzaka, as their large bid has apparently drawn the ire of Commissioner Bud Selig.

Selig apparently did not expect, nor want the bidding for Matsuzaka to become more than $20 million per year.  With the Red Sox placing the huge bid, plus Scott Boras’ complicated negotiations, the cost is sure to exceed that.  And thus Selig is overseeing the negotiations carefully.  The pressure is really on Boras to make this work, as he’s under pressure to get a deal done, as a breakdown in the negotiations could result in Matsuzaka having no choice but to return to Japan, as well as a hit on Boras reputation. 

However, if negotiations do break down, Selig could use his ability to award the negotiation rights to the next highest bidder.  Matsuzaka does not want to return to Japan, and Boston wants this deal to look as if they are making a good faith attempt to sign a promising player, instead of the affair looking like an attempt to block the Yankees.

Free Agency Thoughts And Rumblings

•  With the loss of Bengie Molina, Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi spoke with representatives of free-agent catcher Rod Barajas.  Barajas is likely to be much more inexpensive than some of the other options, plus he brings a solid bat to the lineup.  Plus, Toronto would also block the Red Sox from acquiring Barajas, as they are interested in Barajas being Tim Wakfield’s catcher due to Barajas’ ability to catch a knuckleball.  Barajas wants at least a two-year deal. And wants to start, which is why Texas let him go.
• The Red Sox are expressing some interest in bringing in starter Tomo Ohka to serve as a mentor for Daisuke Matsuzaka.  Ohka is certainly good enough to serve as a suitable fifth starter, but this would leave the Red Sox with a rotation of Schilling, Beckett, Matsuzaka, Wakefield, Ohka and Clement.  
• The Texas Rangers, apparently not secure with their outfield, are talking to the Boston Red Sox on a possible deal for Manny Ramirez.  Ramirez has two years left on a contract and may need an option exercised as part of the deal, but Boston would surely pay part of the salary.  The only problem is whether or not the Rangers are willing to pay the price in prospects, as the Red Sox will demand SS Joaquin Arias, RP Nick Masset, SP John Danks or Eric Hurley, plus 1B Nate Gold.
• Outfielder J.D. Drew, who opted out of the remaining three years and $33 million on his Dodgers contract, is expected to sign a two-year, $30 million deal with Boston.
• San Francisco is believed to have made three-year, $30 million offers to center fielders Juan Pierre and Gary Matthews Jr. with the idea that whoever says yes first gets the deal.
• Oddly enough, last year, the Twins had the best offer for Frank Thomas.  However, Thomas said no because he was worried that the FieldTurf at the Metrodome would raise hell with his feet.  Hence why he went to Oakland.  Here’s the problem with that logic.  The Rogers Centre in Toronto, where Thomas is headed, has the exact same surface.