Well, I'm not the first to comment on the Matt Garza, Delmon Young trade, but I hope that I'll give you all something to check out here. Here's how each piece of the deal ranks:
Delmon Young (RF) - Young is one of the most high touted baseball talents of the past ten years. He's drawn a lot of comparisons to Vlad Guerrero, though he hasn't hit for the power just yet. Still, he's young and has got Hall of Fame potential if he lives up to it and all in all is the best piece exchanged here. All in all, it's surprising to see Young dealt. Maybe it's the makeup issues that Tampa finally tired of. Maybe they know something we don't know. But all in all, Minnesota makes out well for themselves.
Matt Garza (RHP) - I'm a big Garza fan and this is possibly the biggest impact piece of the deal. Garza has the potential to be a very good Number 2 or 3 starter and slots in perfectly for Tampa behind Scott Kazmir and James Shields, giving Tampa it's first stable rotation since...ever!
Jason Bartlett (SS) - A solid defensive shortstop with a good enough bat, Barlett is a big upgrade over Brendan Harris, who's better as a utilityman or as a second baseman. Barlett will give Tampa a solid infield in the meantime, as they have a solid shortstop prospect in Reid Brignac that is coming up quickly.
Eduardo Morlan (RHP) - Regarded as a future closer, Morlan is one of the better relief prospects in baseball. He's got a mid 90's fastball that touches 98 and compliments it with a #### slider. WIth some refinement, Tampa could find a potential match for Boston's Jonathan Papelbon, and no, that's no #### either.
Brendan Harris (SS) - Harris is a cheaper, lower quality version of Bartlett. He's a decent defender with a little pop that is probably a better option to be placed over at second or third base, either place he'd offer a lot better option than the gastly Nick Punto.
Jason Pridie (CF) - A bit of a wildcard here, Pridie was originally taken two years ago by Minnesota in the Rule 5 Draft, but he didn't stick. Pridie's got leadoff potential with some pop and could probably evolve into a poor man's version of Torii Hunter in time, or become a very good fourth outfielder, provided he stays health.
All in all, a good trade for both sides. Tampa sacrifices a bit of offense in order to greatly improve at two other positions overall. Of course, part of that is also depending a lot on Rocco Baldelli returning to form, at least until one of Tampa's other top outfield prospects is ready for the show. In the meantime, the Twins gain a potential boost in the middle of the order, though they do lose a bit of heat in the middle of the rotaiotn with Garza gone, leaving a lot of command and control types after Santana and Liriano. But really, it's a small quibbling. When you have a chance to add a potential once in a generation bat in Young, you take the ball and run away.
The Rangers may not be making a big splash with a centerfield this off-season.
The price for a centerfielder may be too cost prohibative.
So, the Rangers are looking for the next best thing.
Trade.
That's looking a little off-kilter as well, but we'll see what happens.
Here's a few of the trade candidates that are out there that could be reasonable expectations to start for Texas next season, via trade:
Coco Crisp (Boston) - This is the sexy pick, as Crisp is not only a proven defender, but he's also under contract for three years. He's also now been surpassed by Jacoby Ellsbury and will likely needs to be traded before Spring Training starts. However, Boston won't let him go for a pittance and they would probably like a pair of prospects in exchange. There have been talks about Gerald Laird, which I would totally do, especially if I were to decide to include a player to be named later option on the deal, though for the moment, we'll just have to wait and see.
Ryan Sweeney (White Sox) - A former Number One pick, Sweeney has had a hard go of it with the White Sox, with many wondering if he's still has a future with the franchise, especially since Kenny Williams has been shopping him aggressively for a reliever. Sweeney seems like a decent reclaimation project and would be a reasonable centerfield option for a few years as a stopgap, and if he's ever able to tap into the batting practice power he shows, this could be a steal. One problem: White Sox GM Kenny Williams is notorious for overvaluing his own players and will demand someone like Joaquin Benoit or C.J. Wilson in return, which he won't get.
Joey Gathright/David DeJesus (Royals) - It seems to flip flop each week on which one is getting placed on the table. Of the pair, I would gladly take DeJesus, who's still young and plays a good centerfield, over Gathright, who is quick, but very mistake prone. RIght now there were rumors of a trade for Gathright centered around Joaquin Arias, a shortstop prospect made expendable by current Rangers' prospects Elvis Andrus and Marcus Lemon. I'd see what the interest is for Arias, and would also throw in a player to be named later option to see if that wouldn't hurry things along for a deal.
Rocco Baldelli (Rays) - Baldelli is definately being shopped, but right now the Rays are hoping to get pitching back, something Texas doesn't have an abundance of near the big league level. Another potential deal breaker is the fact that Baldelli is very injury prone, which could result in the Rangers taking a pass on this.
Long Term Deal For Kinsler Likely To Be Explored Again
With the emeregence off Ian Kinsler as a leadoff man, the Rangers are likely to try and see if they could possibly sign Kinsler to a five year deal, buying out one year of free agency, while also providing Kinsler with some financial stability in the process. My guess is that something gets done. With the $21 million from A-Rod now available, why would you not spend it on something as logical as locking up your OWN players!!!!
Why has there not been any public talk about signing Kinsler this year? He has shown that he has what it takes to be a solid player in the league and was one of only a few success stories this year. Why not lock him up right now? The Rangers will meet with Kinsler's agents at some point this offseason and discuss a long-term contract that will lock him up for several years. Count on it.
Upgrading The Bench
One thing that caught my eye was that the Padres declined Rob Mackowiak's $3.25 million option for 2008. Mackowiak has some history of being a decent bat, but didn’t do much with the Padres and was hurt. I would be all about bringing him in as the utilityman. He’d be a solid upgrade over Raul Vasquez and could platoon with Cat at first against lefties. Another thought would be to offer Rod Barajas another shot in Texas, where he’d be the backup to Salty and possibly mentor him.
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.
