2017 Texas Rangers offseason thread

[Kelleyman]

DDJ may have a weak arm and we would like a stronger one. However, a weak arm's liability does not compare to the positive offense he gives this team. Base running and OBP has been justifiable to play CF.Imho.

I just hate to see people run on him but yes but if DeShileds is getting on base that is the engine that makes us run. Tocci makes the club IMO (working on humble).

And of course if it came between controllable pitching vs CF everyone knows the answer.

BTW Yu is such a baseball team on social media

 

[scotsman1948]

There is no need to do a desperation fire sale

1. No one is buying
2. Battering means getting better value than what you sell. Especially true in Odor case

Let see how into pan out come midseason

don't see letting Hamels, Choo, Beltre & Andrus go in trades as a desperation fire sale. with the exception of Choo we will probably lose the other 3 at the end of the season. why not get the best we can now instead of waiting until the trade deadline for those 3? and a lot of fans want Odor gone so why not trade him now instead of later?

 

[Kelleyman]

don't see letting Hamels, Choo, Beltre & Andrus go in trades as a desperation fire sale. with the exception of Choo we will probably lose the other 3 at the end of the season. why not get the best we can now instead of waiting until the trade deadline for those 3? and a lot of fans want Odor gone so why not trade him now instead of later?

2 reasons: strength of market and value of player.
1. Right now the market is stagnant due to luxury tax issues, next years big free agency, teams like Marlins and Detroit not wanting to compete, possible MLB collusion and top teams so talented that mid level teams are reluctant to buy. That may change at break
2. Guys like Odor and Hamels whose value is down may recoup value if they have a first good half. If we think they will get worse then perhaps you do try to strike a deal. I don't think that is the case for Hamels or Odor but Choo is another situation.

Teams and agents are playing chicken on FA market seeing who will blink first. If market drops we may see team like Rangers pick up a bargain. This season more then others is trending towards a buyers market.

That is why I say trying to deal these guys now is like a fire sale. No willing buyers out there
We shall see how this goes.

 

[saddles]

2 reasons: strength of market and value of player.
1. Right now the market is stagnant due to luxury tax issues, next years big free agency, teams like Marlins and Detroit not wanting to compete, possible MLB collusion and top teams so talented that mid level teams are reluctant to buy. That may change at break
2. Guys like Odor and Hamels whose value is down may recoup value if they have a first good half. If we think they will get worse then perhaps you do try to strike a deal. I don't think that is the case for Hamels or Odor but Choo is another situation.

Teams and agents are playing chicken on FA market seeing who will blink first. If market drops we may see team like Rangers pick up a bargain. This season more then others is trending towards a buyers market.

That is why I say trying to deal these guys now is like a fire sale. No willing buyers out there
We shall see how this goes.

Odor is one of those guys where some say you can't trade him now because he is coming off of a bad year and then when he has a good year the same folks change their refrain to we can't trade him now because he is too good to trade.

If it doesn't make sense to trade Odor now wouldn't it also make sense to trade DeShields now since he is coming off a good season?

The market is always going to have teams like the Marlins and Detroit and there will always be teams struggling with the luxury tax.

 

[saddles]

then we need to unload Hamels, Choo, Beltre, Andrus(because he will opt out after 2018) and Odor, then bring up Mendez, Guzman, Profar, Tejada, Calhoun and Tocci and start the rebuild now. we won't do anything in 2018 and 2019 but start it now. that way we learn if these kids can develop at the MLB level.

C Chirinos
1B Guzman
2B Tejada
SS Profar
3B Gallo
LF Calhoun
CF DeShields
RF Mazara

Bench
Nicholas
Kiner-Falefa
Robinson
Rua
Tocci

SP
Moore
Minor
Fister
Mendez
Perez

I agree with about 90% of that.

I don't think Tejada will be up before 2020 at the earliest. He hasn't played above Hickory yet.

I would negotiate with Elvis to see what he wants to do before trading him. If we can keep him then I would do that.

I would consider trading DeShields and playing Tocci for now. That is because I think the long range plan should be for an outfield of Calhoun, Taveras, and Mazara. We certainly don't have to trade Delino right now though.

 

[saddles]

One thing I am looking forward to this year is to see if any of our pitching prospects can improve enough to be mentioned in the same category as Ragans, Crouse, and Matuella. The group of Mendez, Jurado, Martin, Palumbo, Speas, Cody, Alexy, and Hernandez will be fun to watch. Maybe one or two of them can take a step forward. Palumbo seemed to be going great until his Tommy John surgery so maybe by the second half of the year he can ramp up his progress. I feel really good about Palumbo once he gets healthy and also about Cody.

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

In crazy off-season, could something crazy still happen for Rangers?

The majority of the signings will likely be to minor-league deals, though the possibility that the Rangers sign Yu Darvish, Jake Arrieta, Lorenzo Cain and Greg Holland — and other top free agents — remains.


It remains unlikely, as Daniels told the media and a group of fans during a Fan Fest question-and-answer session, but something is going to give.


Players might panic. Teams might cave. Salary demands might drop. Teams might see an opportunity.


In an unprecedented off-season that has caught Daniels and other executives off-guard, adding a premium player seems more likely than Daniels is letting on.


“The market, for whatever reason — for a variety of reasons, probably — has moved much slower than usual,” Daniels said. “By just the number of players out there, not just the free agents but a number of trades conversations still ongoing, I would expect that between now and Opening Day things would change somewhat.


“How much and when is a little hard to forecast.”


Darvish continues to make the most sense for the Rangers, who have been touting their current starting pitchers but know that he’s better than any of them. A source said that there has been more activity between Darvish and his suitors, and the Darvish camp is awaiting the next round of calls from the Rangers.


Two club officials said that they expect one team will give Darvish more than the Rangers would, but they would be more active if he becomes open to signing for fewer years at a reasonable average annual salary.


The Rangers still like Alex Cobb more than Lance Lynn, both of whom were expected to make less than Darvish and Arrieta when free agency opened.


The bullpen could still use an arm, and plenty of quality relievers remain. Holland isn’t a fit, but Sergio Romo, Tony Watson and Matt Albers all are in the mold of the kind of reliever the Rangers were seeking back in November — veterans who have late-game experience.

 

[Kelleyman]

Battle of attrition

 

[scotsman1948]

Brewers have made Yu a contract offer

 

[donaldson79]

The particularly slow free agent market is a flawed one

 

[scotsman1948]

I agree with about 90% of that.

I don't think Tejada will be up before 2020 at the earliest. He hasn't played above Hickory yet.

I would negotiate with Elvis to see what he wants to do before trading him. If we can keep him then I would do that.

I would consider trading DeShields and playing Tocci for now. That is because I think the long range plan should be for an outfield of Calhoun, Taveras, and Mazara. We certainly don't have to trade Delino right now though.

okay then use Profar at SS and insert Ibanez in at 2B in place of Tejada but i fully expect Andrus to walk after the 2018 season

 

[saddles]

okay then use Profar at SS and insert Ibanez in at 2B in place of Tejada but i fully expect Andrus to walk after the 2018 season

I think Elvis replaces Beltre as the one good veteran they want on the team even when they can't realistically go to the WS. I think they will spend on him inspite of the lack of spending in other areas the way they have on Beltre.

 

[donaldson79]

I think Elvis replaces Beltre as the one good veteran they want on the team even when they can't realistically go to the WS. I think they will spend on him inspite of the lack of spending in other areas the way they have on Beltre.

Someone's gotta be the glue both on & off the field and EA seems to have grown into this.

 

[DT LUNA]

Someone's gotta be the glue both on & off the field and EA seems to have grown into this.

No other.

 

[saddles]

Cubs Agree To Sign Chris Gimenez

Of much more speculative (but also more intriguing) note is the fact that Gimenez has an excellent relationship with reputed Chicago pitching target Yu Darvish from their joint time with the Rangers. Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press has covered this topic from the Twins’ point of view, but it’s an interesting read for any fan — particularly those interested in possibly seeing Darvish at Wrigley.

 

[scotsman1948]

Someone's gotta be the glue both on & off the field and EA seems to have grown into this.

if EA is the only one left of the true veterans what reason would he have to stay? why would he not opt out after next season if it gave him a chance to sign on with a team that would challenge for the WS? and why would we as fans deny him that option?