The Rangers Report

Record As Of August 14, 2007

51-66, Fourth In The AL West

Draft Status – First Five Rounds

One final update of the signings and the status of the Rangers’ picks in the first five rounds.  There will be a follow up Thrusday once all the signings have drawn.

• 1st Round – Blake Beaven (RHP) – Very Likely.  Beaven and his company have still had a lot of posturing on both sides, but Beaven will sign.  He won’t go nearly as high in the draft next year if he re-enters, plus he’ll have developed a reputation for being difficult.  Though he’s asking for $2 million, he won’t get it and it’s high time he figures that out.  Hopefully, things will work out, though according to a quote attributed to his mother, there has been progress.  Beaven has kind of pissed away a year of his development.  Instead of possibly joining Michael Main in Clinton next season for full season ball, Beaven will likely be retained in extended until the short season ball clubs start up, where he’ll likely be sent to Spokane.
• 1st Round – Michael Main (RHP) – Signed.
• 1st Round (S) – Julio Borbon (CF) – Likely.  Borbon has had almost nothing written about him, mostly because Scott Boras likes it that way and because he’s been focused on working on deals for Rick Porcello.  Borbon is likely going to get signed, probably for above slot money, but Boras should have gotten a deal done weeks ago.
• 1st Round (A) – Neil Ramirez (RHP) – Very Likely.  Ramirez wants to be a Ranger and has himself said that he’s very close to a deal.  The Rangers are going to pay above slot for Ramirez, who is a first round talent that slipped because of some bad showings toward the end of his season.
• 1st Round (A) – Tommy Hunter (RHP) – Signed. 
• 2nd Round – Matt West (SS) – Signed.
• 3rd Round – Evan Reed (RHP) – Signed.
• 4th Round – Garrett Nash (CF) – Won’t Sign.  Nash’s reps have told the Rangers that their client will not be signing with the Rangers.  Instead Nash will be headed to Oregon State.  This was to be expected and realistically, it was a wasted pick.
• 5th Round – John Gast (LHP) – Doubtful.  Gast’s representatives have been back and forth in contact with the Rangers, but it’s looking like Gast won’t be coming to Texas, though I think this has more to do with money than anything else.  Gast is regarded to be a solid lefty that could be a solid middle of the rotation horse.  But, realistically, Gast and his advisors are probably weighing the difference in money and they probably decided that if Gast sits one year, rehabs, and has a pair of solid seasons at Florida State, it would be much better than what the Rangers could offer him.

Vicente Padilla’s Progress

Vicente Padilla, who hasn't pitched for the Rangers since June 21 because of right triceps irritation, is scheduled to start for Texas tomorrow against Kansas City.  He’ll be held on a 80 to 85 pitch count and will be shadowed by one of the long relievers, John Rheinecker, Mike Wood and Jamey Wright.  Padilla hasn’t had any problems with his forearm but there are some wonders if he’ll be able to dominate.  We’ll see how it goes tomorrow.  With the season already gone to hell, there’s not much we can go on.

One Final Teixeira Nugget

One final note on the Teixeira non-trade to the Angels.  They apparently never offered 1B Casey Kotchman and LHP Joe Saunders.  The offer was Teixeira straight up for Casey Kotchman and RHP Ervin Santana, plus maybe Terry Evans, a right fielder.   I like Evans, but come on, Kotchman and Santana.  Really? 

Rangers Notes (Majors)

• Rangers setup man Akinori Otsuka has begun to throw off flat ground and reportedly had no problems.  If things work out, Otsuka will return in September, in time for roster expansion.
• 3B Hank Blalock is still feeling some soreness in the nerves along his side muscle and that has been restricting him from making strong throws to the infield.  Once he’s able to do that, he should be able to go on a rehab assignment.  I’m beginning to wonder if the Rangers might have to look at Blalock as a first baseman and give someone like Travis Metcalf, who’s rotting down at Triple A, a shot to make himself a legitimate major leaguer.  It’s not like there’s a hell of a lot of attractive other options on the Corner Infield market and it would save the Rangers from having to re-sign Wiffy Wilkerson for another year.
• Toronto released former Rangers shortstop Royce Clayton.  He had a good career, much more than what one with his skill set would normally expect.

Rangers Notes (Minor)

• 2007 First Round Michael Main has done enough on the mound to earn himself a promotion to Class A Spokane, where he’ll be working in relief for the time being.  Main has currently raised his stock well after acclimating himself quickly to the Arizona Rookie League.  All this is likely in preparation for him to join the Clinton Lumberkings next season.
• Frisco righthander Armando Galarraga was named the Rangers’ minor league pitcher for July after he went 3-1, 1.58 in six starts, including a one-hit shutout and a two-hit shutout. 

 See you all thursday!  

On The Block:  Rafael Furcal

Why He’s On The Block: There’s too many shortstops on the Dodgers.  Furcal was signed to a fat contract his past year.  However, Rafael Furcal is having troubles on defense and more often than not is being bailed out by Nomar Gacriaparra.  With Cesar Izturis getting closer to a minor league rehabilitation assignment, the Dodgers will be faced with the scenario of moving Furcal to another position, perhaps third base.  However, Furcal has stated that he signed with the Dodgers to play shortstop.  If he refuses to move, the Dodgers are going to be forced to make a decision. 

Negotiable:  Yes.  The Dodgers want to keep his trade value high, so they’ll be extremely accommodating to the shortstop.  With that said, the Dodgers are hoping to get either a quality setup reliever or a power-hitting left fielder.

What He Offers:  Furcal is good player, but nowhere near the hype he deserved.  Still, here's what he offers.

Plus:  Can serve as a leadoff man.

·          Plus:  Switch Hitter

·          Plus:  Provides above average offense

·          Plus:  Quick.

·          Minus:  Inconsistent defensive player.

·          Minus:  Not a lot of power.

·          Minus:  Large contract.

He Stay Or Will He Go:  80-20% on him staying, because his contract makes it hard to do so.  Plus, many of his suitors from the off-season found replacements that are suitable.  Still, he’ll have takers, and here’s who could be interested.

·         Toronto Blue Jays – 50%.  The Jays could use some more production out of shortstop.  While you may think that any team with Vernon Wells, Troy Glaus, Lyle Overbay or Bengie Molina doesn’t need anymore help, the Jays are having trouble with their starting pitching, their offense is going to have to carry their team more and more if they hope to get into the post-season.  While adding Furcal would not only give the Jays more depth in their lineup, it would also cost them a lot in terms of pitching prospects or payroll flexibility. 

·          Boston Red Sox – 20%.  Unlike with Izturis, the Red Sox are much less ready to jump on Furcal.  Furcal has already committed 11 errors.  While some may attribute this to his off-season surgery, the fact is that Furcal hasn’t exactly been Ozzie Smith with the glove at short.  This could bring up memories of the dearly departed Edgar Renteria, who Boston wasted no time in trading.  Plus, with Furcal’s contract, the Sox aren’t going to bite unless the Dodgers are interested in taking a big contract of their own off their hands:  Manny Ramirez.  However, the Dodgers would have to include several young players in the deal to get equal value, which is not going to happen.

        Chicago White Sox – 15%.   Juan Uribe has looked awful as of late playing shortstop.  While he’s only a year older than Furcal, he’s looking like he’s starting to break down a bit.  Anyhow, if Uribe continues to do poorly and the Dodgers are willing to deal, Kenny Williams could offer a package of Uribe and Brandon McCarthy to snag Furcal.  Furcal has a higher OBP than Uribe, is faster and would make the back end of the rotation more dangerous.  Still, at the moment, with heavy hitters Jim Thome and Paul Konerko in the mix, the White Sox have hitting enough. 

 ·        San Francisco Giants – 10%.  The Giants could deal Visquel and his expiring contract to the Dodgers.  The Giants would gain a young shortstop that they could use for the future rebuilding process in Frisco and the Dodgers would gain an aging player that has so far given the same amount of offensive numbers while improving the defense.  Will it happen?  Probably not, considering the rivalry and the fact that the Giants are in the division.  And that's not including the fact that this doesn't solve the left fielder issue.

        Washington Nationals - 5%.  The Nats have talked with the Dodgers about a trade that could bring Alfonso Soriano to the Chavez Ravine.  While Furcal isn't an answer, he'd be a lot more productive than Royce Clayton, who's now just a backup, plus fill the lead off spot.  The problem is that the Dodgers would have to take on a lot of Furcal's contract obligations, which at the moment are a bit too pricy for the Nats, plus throw in a decent prospect.

End Result – Remains with the Dodgers.