Rangers return home after... (checks notes) one day on the road: A's at the Grill for a couple

[Duane1952]

Dude is looking real good in a small sample.

He has hit well since be called up.

 

[armadillooutlaw]

Looking like Kershaw is back to dominating. I know he's older and has had injuries the last two years but would he be worth a gamble on, say, a two year deal?
Wouldn't be a long term commitment and could bridge the gap to Leiter, Winn and White if those guys meet their potential.
Not necessarily anybody's first choice, but I'm just spitballing.

 

[BULLPEN FAILURE]

Looking like Kershaw is back to dominating. I know he's older and has had injuries the last two years but would he be worth a gamble on, say, a two year deal?
Wouldn't be a long term commitment and could bridge the gap to Leiter, Winn and White if those guys meet their potential.
Not necessarily anybody's first choice, but I'm just spitballing.

Good lord no

 

[Senator_fan]

Looking like Kershaw is back to dominating. I know he's older and has had injuries the last two years but would he be worth a gamble on, say, a two year deal?
Wouldn't be a long term commitment and could bridge the gap to Leiter, Winn and White if those guys meet their potential.
Not necessarily anybody's first choice, but I'm just spitballing.

I heard he’s expected to sign a series of 1 year deals with the Dodgers.

 

[saddles]

Looking like Kershaw is back to dominating. I know he's older and has had injuries the last two years but would he be worth a gamble on, say, a two year deal?
Wouldn't be a long term commitment and could bridge the gap to Leiter, Winn and White if those guys meet their potential.
Not necessarily anybody's first choice, but I'm just spitballing.

I would be fine with a 2 year deal.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

I would be fine with a 2 year deal.

Can't see him wanting to come here to end his career.

 

[Uncle Siggy]

Mathias might be that super utility guy.

In the minors he played mostly 2B, SS and 3B, in the majors he's been playing 2B, 1B, LF and RF...

His minors fielding percentages and batting wasn't that great for a long time, he seems to be a late bloomer at the plate...

 

[Uncle Siggy]

Good move sending Blaine to RR (he deserves it) I'm guessing they're hoping he'll give the team the boost they need to make the playoffs

 

[BULLPEN FAILURE]

+2 improvement

 

[DTC]

Pozo has now hit well in back to back years.
Age 24/25 seasons. Looked decent at the plate in the majors.
What does the team do with him?

 

[DT LUNA]

Pozo has now hit well in back to back years.
Age 24/25 seasons. Looked decent at the plate in the majors.
What does the team do with him?

Trade him

 

[saddles]

An interesting question and a very detailed answer by Levi Weaver.

Much has been made of the Rangers’ middle-infield depth and the likelihood of it being turned into pitching in the offseason. However, the club also has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to speed-and-glove-first outfielders with upside bats (especially if you count Josh Smith as a left fielder). When this team becomes a playoff contender, who are the odd men out(field)? — Tyler B.

I got a lot of questions about who I expect to be moved this offseason for pitching, and I would like to preface my answer with: Trying to accurately predict this is a fool’s errand. I’m guessing here. But here’s some brainstorming on the topic.

Obviously, the Rangers appear to have their infield pretty well set: Jung, Seager, Semien and Lowe, third to first. You can certainly say that moving Seager off shortstop would be a reasonable move this offseason, but even if they do that, those four guys are almost certainly still with the team next year. If the move is Seager to first, Lowe to DH, then perhaps that opens up a spot for Josh Smith or Ezequiel Durán to stick around as the shortstop, but I suspect one of them will be dangled as trade bait unless — and more to the point of your question — the Rangers put one of them in left field and move an outfielder.

In that case, perhaps they take advantage of Thompson’s strong debut and include him in a package for a starter. Eli White would appear to be a tradeable asset, but given his performance and injury history, he would probably be more valuable as a fourth outfielder than in any trade. If they keep García in right field and Taveras in center, that leaves the following list of candidates to be traded:

Dustin Harris, Julio Pablo Martinez, Trevor Hauver, Josh Stowers, Kellen Strahm and … Evan Carter.

If you believe the hype on Carter this season, he could be a big trade chip. Alternatively, the Rangers might see him as a core player who could arrive around the start of the 2024 season. If that’s the case, maybe García makes sense as a trade chip. But with the emphasis on winning next year, I’m not sure how much sense it makes to trade one of the guys who can make that happen just so you can keep the guy who might help make it happen in a year or two.

So, maybe they kick the “trade an outfielder” can down the road a year and see how Carter looks. If he has another monster year, maybe García is traded at the deadline. Or maybe it’s Taveras, since Carter has looked like he can handle center field.

 

[saddles]

Good move sending Blaine to RR (he deserves it) I'm guessing they're hoping he'll give the team the boost they need to make the playoffs

And he went 1 for 3 with a sacrifice
fly and 2 RBI in his first game.

 

[DT LUNA]

An interesting question and a very detailed answer by Levi Weaver.

Much has been made of the Rangers’ middle-infield depth and the likelihood of it being turned into pitching in the offseason. However, the club also has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to speed-and-glove-first outfielders with upside bats (especially if you count Josh Smith as a left fielder). When this team becomes a playoff contender, who are the odd men out(field)? — Tyler B.

I got a lot of questions about who I expect to be moved this offseason for pitching, and I would like to preface my answer with: Trying to accurately predict this is a fool’s errand. I’m guessing here. But here’s some brainstorming on the topic.

Obviously, the Rangers appear to have their infield pretty well set: Jung, Seager, Semien and Lowe, third to first. You can certainly say that moving Seager off shortstop would be a reasonable move this offseason, but even if they do that, those four guys are almost certainly still with the team next year. If the move is Seager to first, Lowe to DH, then perhaps that opens up a spot for Josh Smith or Ezequiel Durán to stick around as the shortstop, but I suspect one of them will be dangled as trade bait unless — and more to the point of your question — the Rangers put one of them in left field and move an outfielder.

In that case, perhaps they take advantage of Thompson’s strong debut and include him in a package for a starter. Eli White would appear to be a tradeable asset, but given his performance and injury history, he would probably be more valuable as a fourth outfielder than in any trade. If they keep García in right field and Taveras in center, that leaves the following list of candidates to be traded:

Dustin Harris, Julio Pablo Martinez, Trevor Hauver, Josh Stowers, Kellen Strahm and … Evan Carter.

If you believe the hype on Carter this season, he could be a big trade chip. Alternatively, the Rangers might see him as a core player who could arrive around the start of the 2024 season. If that’s the case, maybe García makes sense as a trade chip. But with the emphasis on winning next year, I’m not sure how much sense it makes to trade one of the guys who can make that happen just so you can keep the guy who might help make it happen in a year or two.

So, maybe they kick the “trade an outfielder” can down the road a year and see how Carter looks. If he has another monster year, maybe García is traded at the deadline. Or maybe it’s Taveras, since Carter has looked like he can handle center field.

Can't see replacing an OF to keep Smith. He does not field any better and sure does not hit as well.

 

[saddles]

There is talk around baseball that pitchers have found ways to use sticky substances with methods that make it harder to catch them. The Athletic had an article about the subject. Here are some excerpts:

But it looks like pitchers have found something clear and wipeable that gives them more of a boost than sunscreen and rosin, because spin rate is back up in baseball. Almost back to where it was before enforcement started.


“It’s really obvious,” said a hitting coach who then rattled off examples of pitchers who had come to town recently and used some sort of substance.

But pitchers aren’t back to the extreme days of Spider Tack. You have to go through 51 pitcher seasons before you get to this year’s highest four-seam spin rate, and then another 123 pitcher seasons before you get to this year’s second-highest spin rate. The very top spin rates have been eliminated, but pitchers seem to be finding something that’s almost as good.


“Of course it is,” said another major league hitter when presented with the evidence that spin is back up. “The umpire checks are almost useless.”


“If anyone really cared about this, they could put an umpire behind the mound that could step in and do spot checks at any moment,” said a hitting coach, pointing out there are pitchers with solutions on their pants that help dissolve sticky stuff before the hand inspections.

 

[scotsman1948]

Got to like what Hearn is doing tonight.

this is why i have him and Burke as my long relievers/spot starters next season. we need to bring in a real closer and a couple of key set-up relievers to close out the game. that would help to turn around these 1-run losses we've endured this season

 

[scotsman1948]

Mathias is a keeper and would like to see Burke close out our games.

i thought we were wanting to stretch out Burke and get him the occasion start.

 

[DT LUNA]

i thought we were wanting to stretch out Burke and get him the occasion start.

We ain't FO. Still think stretching him out is the right track.

 

[saddles]

To have a realistic shot at winning the World Series this team will need significant improvement across the board. One place is in offensive production from the outfielders. Adolis ranks 22nd in MLB in OPS by an outfielder, and he is by far, the best we have in this area. Most of the top rung teams have someone in the top 10. We have a long ways to go in this one area.

 

[scotsman1948]

To have a realistic shot at winning the World Series this team will need significant improvement across the board. One place is in offensive production from the outfielders. Adolis ranks 22nd in MLB in OPS by an outfielder, and he is by far, the best we have in this area. Most of the top rung teams have someone in the top 10. We have a long ways to go in this one area.

would not expect any positional/offensive moves this off-season which means for 2023 we will probably go with Adolis, Taveras, Thompson and White as our 4 outfielders at least when the season opens. also means that the rest of our position players would be Lowe, Semien, Seager, Jung, Garver and Huff. that gives us 2 openings which i think we might go Wendzel & either Mathias or Harris for opening the season with Garver probably being traded by the trade dealine