Texas Rangers 2019-2020 Offseason Thread

[Kelleyman]

Astros need to be churched

 

[Kelleyman]

The beat goes on

 

[Bmurph]

Astros are the Patriots of MLB, cheating fuk$

 

[Kelleyman]

Yu and all those tipped pitches???

 

[Kelleyman]

The individual splits are interesting too. Initial article said not all Astros would utilize great disparency for quite a few

 

[scotsman1948]

I never said do nothing. The article I posted a link to, that Evan wrote, contained a lot of things I would like to see us do.

No to Donaldson and no to pitchers like Wheeler.

Okay then who if no to Donaldson and Wheeler?

 

[WilltheThrill]

Hey guys! Long time no post. Been crazy busy with having kids and taking on extra work that came with a promotion. But I’ve popped in to read a few posts here and there over the last year. Good to see many of the old regulars still here.

A lot’s been happening over the last month in baseball, so I just wanted to take a few minutes to post a few thoughts.

First off... HOW ‘BOUT THEM NATIONALS!!!! I enjoyed the complete and utter dejection and humiliation that the Lastros and their “fans” had to endure for that entire series. It was the gift that kept on giving. From them losing all 4 at home, to the national media (and their local media even) finally exposing them for the soulless and despicable organization they are, to watching the Astros faithful having to backtrack and insert feet in mouths after supporting scumbag Taubman initially, to watching airhead Kate Upton get completely dragged on Twitter, to seeing the fans leaving before the last out in the 9th, to Nolan Ryan permanently disassociating himself from their organization (not exactly for the most altruistic reasons, but still), all the way to today’s news that Mike Fiers and other reputable sources are all confirming that the Astros 100% cheated their way to their only World Series. This whole postseason has almost made up for our 2011 Series loss. Almost.

And let me say that, in a vacuum, I have zero problems with Houston or its people. It’s just that, as a Dallas sports fan, I along with every other DFW fan has had to put up with that city’s little sister syndrome for far too long. In general, Rangers/Cowboys/Mavericks fans don’t care about Houston teams. Ask a Rangers fan, at least prior to the Houston shenanigans, who their most hated team was, and you’d likely hear Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, or A’s. Ask any Mavs fan who their biggest rival is... easy, Spurs. And every Cowboys fan will answer Redskins or perhaps Eagles or Giants. On the surface, we just don’t care about Houston even having teams. And I think the fact that we have bigger fish to fry has always eaten at Houstonians, knowing they will never be important to anyone. And so for YEARS we have had to endure obnoxious Houstonians on Dallas sports message boards and in Dallas sports bars talking trash about DFW teams and Dallas in general. So this offseason has been SWEET for them to finally get their comeuppance. I have a daughter who means the world to me, so I mean it when I say that Brandon Taubman can die homeless and penniless, for all I care. And Reid Ryan can go jump off a cliff. Boo hoo, you got demoted. He’s the jerk who dragged JD and the Rangers through the mud and tried to paint us as the uncaring bad guys right after the hurricane when we wouldn’t agree to his EXACT terms for playing the make-up game. I know plenty of TCU grads who knew him all too well, and let’s just say that never living up to daddy’s accomplishments turned him into a real piece of work. So he’s actually a perfect fit for Luhnow’s gang, demoted or not.

It won’t happen, but I would love to see MLB finally say enough is enough with that dumpster fire of an organization and effectively kill their franchise. Strip them of all draft picks in rounds 1-5 for the next 5 years. Take away all international signing money. And permanently ban Jeff Luhnow from the sport. No more slaps on the wrist. Their cheating has made the Patriots’ handiwork look like mere child’s play. Time for them to pay the price.

 

[WilltheThrill]

Okay then who if no to Donaldson and Wheeler?

Moustakas and Ryu.

 

[Nightcrawler]

Moustakas and Ryu.

Even though it took some time and effort, I still miss playing fantasy baseball with you. Very tough matchup!

 

[WilltheThrill]

But enough of the Astros diatribe... back to Rangers offseason acquisition talk. I’m thrilled (no pun intended) to hear that the owners and JD realize that they need to re-invest in payroll with the new stadium opening. I don’t think we need to go crazy, necessarily, but I would spend their money as follows:

Gerrit Cole- PASS. Best pitcher on the market, hands-down. But for the price tag, I’m scared off. He didn’t become dominant until 2018. Maybe that lasts, maybe it doesn’t. For over $300 Million, it would absolutely have to. If the Rangers were an ace away from World Series contention, I’d say go for it. But pitchers fall a lot harder and a lot faster than hitters do when the proverbial wall comes their way. If he were younger like a Walker Buehler or Jack Flaherty, I’d be all-in, too. But I’d rather them invest in...

Anthony Rendon- BIG YES. What’s not to love? Clutch performer, big time pedigree, Texas native, still not old by hitter standards, well-liked around the league, and he plays a crucial position we haven’t quite filled since AB said goodbye to the game. His glove is still above average, and even if his power dips over the tenure of his contract, his bat will still play due to his high contact rate. He could become one of the faces of the new era and a fan favorite (which we don’t really have at the moment). And he will cost considerably less than Cole. I also say yes to Rendon because I say a HUGE no to...

Josh Donaldson- HELL NO. I could list a lot of baseball reasons here, but I don’t need any of those. I refuse to cheer for that roid raging piece of garbage. He’s easily in my top 5 most loathed players in the game. I hear JD is interested in signing him, so I’m praying someone beats our offer or we’re just using that interest as a smokescreen to hide our intention to sign Rendon. But if we don’t sign Rendon, I wouldn’t mind...

Mike Moustakas- he’s a big step down from Rendon, but he’s a steady .250 hitter with great power who can play both 3B and 2B. He would likely be a much cheaper option, too. Plus, we need a “Mooooooose” to cheer for since it’s been too long since we got to “Cruuuuuuuuuz”. Imagine the culinary concoction the concessions could create in his honor.

Others I wouldn’t mind...

Hyun-Jin Ryu- low strikeout rate, some history of injuries, and the cautionary NL to AL tale to beware of here. But despite all of that, the dude can flat-out pitch. He very, very rarely gets lit up. He puts up 0’s and 1’s in so many outings, and again, the cost in terms of years (estimated at 3 years according to rumors) and dollars would be easy for the Rangers to swallow. Put him there with Minor and Lynn and that’s a very respectable 1-3.

Yasmani Grandal- call me crazy, but I want a catcher who can hit. I know, it’s the position which supposedly is more important defensively than offensively. But I’ve seen enough of Jeff Mathis to know that isn’t always true. We were a force when we had Pudge and Napoli as part of our lineup. I just don’t like giving away at-bats for marginally better defense. Grandal can rake. He’s an ok defensive catcher as well. I wouldn’t put him as a top priority since we do have Trevino, and there are other semi-ok free agent options available. But if the big guns fall through, give me the package deal of Moustakas and Grandal from Milwaukee.

Zack Wheeler- sign me up here as well, because I think he is much like Cole was before the Astros got him... hasn’t scratched the surface yet of how good he can be. A ton of scouts are very high on him and say he’s easily a #2 if not an ace in the right scenario. And again... cheaper than Cole.

Madison Bumgarner- NO. Declining malcontent with anger management issues. Let him be someone else’s mistake.

Dellin Betances- depending on how his medicals look, BIG YES. He is downright nasty and could easily slide into the closer role if LeClerc implodes again.

Will Smith- another great late inning guy I’m all in favor of signing. Absolutely lethal against lefties.

PIE IN THE SKY...

Mookie Betts - JD Martinez opting in has at least made Boston trading their best player a talking point. I just don’t see any way that comes to fruition, or that the Rangers could match up if it did. But I’d be all on board the Mookie train if miracles did happen there.

Stephen Strasburg- injury history and the dreaded M-shaped arm angle delivery (and future trip to Dr. Andrews) aside, I’d sign him if he were open to pitching for the Rangers. I think he will cost less than Cole but he can put up similar numbers. But I strongly suspect he’s going right back to Washington.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

But enough of the Astros diatribe... back to Rangers offseason acquisition talk. I’m thrilled (no pun intended) to hear that the owners and JD realize that they need to re-invest in payroll with the new stadium opening. I don’t think we need to go crazy, necessarily, but I would spend their money as follows:

Gerrit Cole- PASS. Best pitcher on the market, hands-down. But for the price tag, I’m scared off. He didn’t become dominant until 2018. Maybe that lasts, maybe it doesn’t. For over $300 Million, it would absolutely have to. If the Rangers were an ace away from World Series contention, I’d say go for it. But pitchers fall a lot harder and a lot faster than hitters do when the proverbial wall comes their way. If he were younger like a Walker Buehler or Jack Flaherty, I’d be all-in, too. But I’d rather them invest in...

Anthony Rendon- BIG YES. What’s not to love? Clutch performer, big time pedigree, Texas native, still not old by hitter standards, well-liked around the league, and he plays a crucial position we haven’t quite filled since AB said goodbye to the game. His glove is still above average, and even if his power dips over the tenure of his contract, his bat will still play due to his high contact rate. He could become one of the faces of the new era and a fan favorite (which we don’t really have at the moment). And he will cost considerably less than Cole. I also say yes to Rendon because I say a HUGE no to...

Josh Donaldson- HELL NO. I could list a lot of baseball reasons here, but I don’t need any of those. I refuse to cheer for that roid raging piece of garbage. He’s easily in my top 5 most loathed players in the game. I hear JD is interested in signing him, so I’m praying someone beats our offer or we’re just using that interest as a smokescreen to hide our intention to sign Rendon. But if we don’t sign Rendon, I wouldn’t mind...

Mike Moustakas- he’s a big step down from Rendon, but he’s a steady .250 hitter with great power who can play both 3B and 2B. He would likely be a much cheaper option, too. Plus, we need a “Mooooooose” to cheer for since it’s been too long since we got to “Cruuuuuuuuuz”. Imagine the culinary concoction the concessions could create in his honor.

Others I wouldn’t mind...

Hyun-Jin Ryu- low strikeout rate, some history of injuries, and the cautionary NL to AL tale to beware of here. But despite all of that, the dude can flat-out pitch. He very, very rarely gets lit up. He puts up 0’s and 1’s in so many outings, and again, the cost in terms of years (estimated at 3 years according to rumors) and dollars would be easy for the Rangers to swallow. Put him there with Minor and Lynn and that’s a very respectable 1-3.

Yasmani Grandal- call me crazy, but I want a catcher who can hit. I know, it’s the position which supposedly is more important defensively than offensively. But I’ve seen enough of Jeff Mathis to know that isn’t always true. We were a force when we had Pudge and Napoli as part of our lineup. I just don’t like giving away at-bats for marginally better defense. Grandal can rake. He’s an ok defensive catcher as well. I wouldn’t put him as a top priority since we do have Trevino, and there are other semi-ok free agent options available. But if the big guns fall through, give me the package deal of Moustakas and Grandal from Milwaukee.

Zack Wheeler- sign me up here as well, because I think he is much like Cole was before the Astros got him... hasn’t scratched the surface yet of how good he can be. A ton of scouts are very high on him and say he’s easily a #2 if not an ace in the right scenario. And again... cheaper than Cole.

Madison Bumgarner- NO. Declining malcontent with anger management issues. Let him be someone else’s mistake.

Dellin Betances- depending on how his medicals look, BIG YES. He is downright nasty and could easily slide into the closer role if LeClerc implodes again.

Will Smith- another great late inning guy I’m all in favor of signing. Absolutely lethal against lefties.

PIE IN THE SKY...

Mookie Betts - JD Martinez opting in has at least made Boston trading their best player a talking point. I just don’t see any way that comes to fruition, or that the Rangers could match up if it did. But I’d be all on board the Mookie train if miracles did happen there.

Stephen Strasburg- injury history and the dreaded M-shaped arm angle delivery (and future trip to Dr. Andrews) aside, I’d sign him if he were open to pitching for the Rangers. I think he will cost less than Cole but he can put up similar numbers. But I strongly suspect he’s going right back to Washington.

I have been on the Donaldson "no" train as well. Don't get these writers who think we should sign him. The guy is a punk. Agree strongly on Rendon and can go along with your other remarks except Betances. Every time I watched him in a big game he was just all over the place. He just seems to implode in big situations. But he does have the stuff if he could just control it.
Oh yeah, welcome back.

 

[WilltheThrill]

I have been on the Donaldson "no" train as well. Don't get these writers who think we should sign him. The guy is a punk. Agree strongly on Rendon and can go along with your other remarks except Betances. Every time I watched him in a big game he was just all over the place. He just seems to implode in big situations. But he does have the stuff if he could just control it.
Oh yeah, welcome back.

Thanks! Betances is more in the pipe dream category anyway, since I don’t really think we’re looking at him (at least I haven’t read anything saying so). So you probably won’t have to worry about that one. I’ve never seen him implode, personally, but I’m sure he has on more than one occasion. I just know his peripherals are great, and when he’s on he’s unhittable. He put up a very nice season for them in 2018. But if I had seen him get lit up like you did, I probably wouldn’t be as much in favor for him.

 

[WilltheThrill]

And re: Donaldson- I’ve just reached my quota on punks I have to cheer for. I hate cheering for laundry. I don’t have to love the human being in the jersey. I’d just like to know that he’s at least not a vile piece of garbage before I clap for him and wish for him to succeed. Doing so makes me feel dirty. And the Stars signed Corey Perry and the Cowboys acquired Michael Bennett, so I’m afraid one more scumbag in the Metroplex sport-a-sphere might be more than I can take.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

Statement from the Astros:

“Regarding the story posted by The Athletic earlier today, the Houston Astros organization has begun an investigation in cooperation with Major League Baseball. It would not be appropriate to comment further on this matter at this time.”

Bwaahaahaa! I appreciate their sincere concern for what has been found out.

 

[WilltheThrill]

Statement from the Astros:

“Regarding the story posted by The Athletic earlier today, the Houston Astros organization has begun an investigation in cooperation with Major League Baseball. It would not be appropriate to comment further on this matter at this time.”

Bwaahaahaa! I appreciate their sincere concern for what has been found out.

This is a great watch and a huge middle finger to both AJ Hinch and their whole organization. I’m not naive enough to think that only the Astros cheat and that the Rangers haven’t ever done anything outside the lines, but this is just flat-out bs.

 

[DT LUNA]

Kids use to say cheaters never win. Seems there might be something to that.

 

[saddles]

Okay then who if no to Donaldson and Wheeler?

I go after Rendon first and then go from there. Again, many of those moves that Evan mentioned and some that Adam Morris mentioned in his simulated offseason would work for me.

Getting Rendon or not determines what else can be done.

I do like that potential Boston deal where we get to dump Choo and Odor.

 

[WilltheThrill]

I go after Rendon first and then go from there. Again, many of those moves that Evan mentioned and some that Adam Morris mentioned in his simulated offseason would work for me.

Getting Rendon or not determines what else can be done.

I do like that potential Boston deal where we get to dump Choo and Odor.

I’d be awfully selective about which players we get back in any such Choo/Odor dump with Boston. There is a lot of damaged goods being rumored in such a deal. The idea of dumping worthless Odor and overpaid Choo and hearing names like “Price” and even “Sale” mentioned in such a trade initially makes all Rangers fans jump for joy. But the same could be said for when we dumped declining Kinsler and his awful contract. We got a declining big name back in that deal, and even got them to pick up part of the contract, and it still turned out to be a horrible deal that hung over us for a while. Price, Sale, and Eovaldi all have red flags all over them, and there’s a reason why Boston would make them available. I’m not saying it couldn’t work, but I saw enough of those 3 last season to know that all 3 are grossly overpaid at this point in their careers. I might be tempted to stick with the devil you know and not risk turning bad contracts into even worse contracts again.

 

[saddles]

I’d be awfully selective about which players we get back in any such Choo/Odor dump with Boston. There is a lot of damaged goods being rumored in such a deal. The idea of dumping worthless Odor and overpaid Choo and hearing names like “Price” and even “Sale” mentioned in such a trade initially makes all Rangers fans jump for joy. But the same could be said for when we dumped declining Kinsler and his awful contract. We got a declining big name back in that deal, and even got them to pick up part of the contract, and it still turned out to be a horrible deal that hung over us for a while. Price, Sale, and Eovaldi all have red flags all over them, and there’s a reason why Boston would make them available. I’m not saying it couldn’t work, but I saw enough of those 3 last season to know that all 3 are grossly overpaid at this point in their careers. I might be tempted to stick with the devil you know and not risk turning bad contracts into even worse contracts again.

When I first mentioned this a few days ago I included a condition that Price pass a physical. That is something that would have kept us from getting stuck with Prince.

I also mentioned getting help with Price's salary in 2021 and 2022. Both conditions are necessary to me.

 

[Nightcrawler]

I’d be awfully selective about which players we get back in any such Choo/Odor dump with Boston. There is a lot of damaged goods being rumored in such a deal. The idea of dumping worthless Odor and overpaid Choo and hearing names like “Price” and even “Sale” mentioned in such a trade initially makes all Rangers fans jump for joy. But the same could be said for when we dumped declining Kinsler and his awful contract. We got a declining big name back in that deal, and even got them to pick up part of the contract, and it still turned out to be a horrible deal that hung over us for a while. Price, Sale, and Eovaldi all have red flags all over them, and there’s a reason why Boston would make them available. I’m not saying it couldn’t work, but I saw enough of those 3 last season to know that all 3 are grossly overpaid at this point in their careers. I might be tempted to stick with the devil you know and not risk turning bad contracts into even worse contracts again.

I kinda view Choo and odor as “ sunk costs” at this point anyway. What I’m totally sick of is hearing things directly from the rangers organization about odor like “ he’s the heart and soul of our team”, “ he does everything we asks”, “ he’s a big leader in the locker room”, “ he knows he needs to turn it around”. It seemed like Emily Jones spent half of her screen time last year telling us that odor was going to “ break out” any minute now.

I’d almost rather trade for David Price so we see that guy who we’re overpaying once every 5 days instead of waiting in vain on the other guy to “ turn it around” every damn day. With price, we would have a guy we only see once every 5 days instead of having Roogie odor crammed down our throats for 155 games a year when he only deserves to play 40 or 50 games a year at most. Odor wouldn’t start on any other mlb team. Even rangers cast off Hanser Alberto is much better than him.