2014 Offseason Plans Thread

[donaldson79]

I hate revenue sharing. I also hate that teams are allowed to freeload and field just the bare minimum. It bugged me when Texas did it and it bugs me when franchises like the Marlins and Astros do it.

Hear ya.

It's worth reading the June issue of ESPN's mag/rag and read the article on the Astro's. They've got this guy who lead the Cardinal player development (Luhnow) and he has a terrific plan in place. Great article and the Astros have a solid minor league system already set up, with him there for one campaign.

Maybe not great news for us, but it's an impressive read. Now, if Jim Crane can stay outta jail and follow a plan longer than 18 months is an entirely different subject.

 

[Justinkm83]

Profar, IMO, would be a good to excellent 2nd baseman if the Rangers committed to him the position is his, send him to the winter league to do nothing but play 2nd, and not look back.

Kinsler is not a good 2nd baseman now. Moreland has fallen over dead with his bat, and his glove is average. Kins has almost no trade value, unless we pull a MY move. It won't be that bad, but hell, no one is gonna take his salary at his age.

They will if you package it. I was just speaking hypothetically if we were to sign Cano. I'm not that big on Profar, and if I had to guess, I think he will be traded this off season. Ian is probably athletic enough to play 1st, but Mitch has more power, and is a good defensive 1st baseman. I think they might look into signing Abreu to have a back-up plan if Mitch continues trending down.

 

[RevSader]

Unfortunately there were only 10 of you ...

They had decent attendance until the last 10 years or so there. That town obviously supports teams they love. The Habs do pretty well. Plus Olympic Stadium is in a really chill part of town. If they still existed they would have a lot of hipster fans.

 

[ESPN Refugee]

I wish I could have gone to game in Montreal. That would have been seriously amazing.

I didn't get a chance to go to a game there as my first trip up there was last year but man it is such a great city and great sports town. Even Olympic Stadium is really cool man and it has a bunch of countries' flags still up around the stadium from the Olympics of course. I really recommend people making that trip as it's a great vacation in general. I drove from Toronto up to Montreal and then Quebec City. Thumbs up for sure.

 

[Justinkm83]

Knowing from my travels to Tampa, the reason TB doesn't draw is not because the stadium is crappy but the location of the station. Their park should be in Tampa and not in St. Pete. Majority of the population that would want to go to the games live in Tampa and the commute to go cross the bridge to St. Pete is a complete ass whip.

Baseball can and will work anywhere if a franchise is properly run. There's nothing wrong with Miami having a baseball team but I think it was very poor decision and planning putting it much more closer to Miami proper and closer to downtown. The ballpark should have been built in the northern suburbs in this case because they'd be the ones that'd go to the games more even when they're down. All that said tho as long as Loria owns that thing it will stay the way it is. If MLB was smart and had the balls to they would get rid of Loria as an MLB owner. He makes Jerry look like Jesus.

I hate that bridge. I had to go across it twice because I missed my exit for the hotel. There's no turn around so it took close to 30 minutes to get right back where I was.

 

[donaldson79]

Knowing from my travels to Tampa, the reason TB doesn't draw is not because the stadium is crappy but the location of the station. Their park should be in Tampa and not in St. Pete. Majority of the population that would want to go to the games live in Tampa and the commute to go cross the bridge to St. Pete is a complete ass whip.

Baseball can and will work anywhere if a franchise is properly run. There's nothing wrong with Miami having a baseball team but I think it was very poor decision and planning putting it much more closer to Miami proper and closer to downtown. The ballpark should have been built in the northern suburbs in this case because they'd be the ones that'd go to the games more even when they're down. All that said tho as long as Loria owns that thing it will stay the way it is. If MLB was smart and had the balls to they would get rid of Loria as an MLB owner. He makes Jerry look like Jesus.

You honestly seem to know about the location (s) and I really don't. But the Marlins struggled at the gate for years didn't they? Like always. So why did they build the new stadium in such a horrid location?

 

[ESPN Refugee]

I hate revenue sharing. I also hate that teams are allowed to freeload and field just the bare minimum. It bugged me when Texas did it and it bugs me when franchises like the Marlins and Astros do it.

I'm not sure I like a cap minimum either. If you're going to have a salary cap then there shouldn't be a cap minimum. If you're not going to have a salary cap then that's when I don't think a cap minimum is needed or necessary. All that said tho I think Houston is doing it the right way and that is literally building from scratch.

 

[RevSader]

I didn't get a chance to go to a game there as my first trip up there was last year but man it is such a great city and great sports town. Even Olympic Stadium is really cool man and it has a bunch of countries' flags still up around the stadium from the Olympics of course. I really recommend people making that trip as it's a great vacation in general. I drove from Toronto up to Montreal and then Quebec City. Thumbs up for sure.

Exactly! I spent a summer there, and want to go back so badly. They are french and weird sometimes, but people there just want to hang out and enjoy life.

 

[Al Falfa]

But the fact remains, Landry needed to be fired when he was. He should have been treated with respect, but we're talking Jerry here. He was an excellent coach, fine man, but he still deserved to be axed. The game had changed. It happens in life and football. Game changes and you don't.

I agree, but there were plenty of fans who were opposed to his firing. There were more than plenty in 1964 that wanted him fired. The point is, the average fan, me and you, are kneejerks that think we know more than the people getting paid to run the teams. More often than not we don't.

 

[RevSader]

I'm not sure I like a cap minimum either. If you're going to have a salary cap then there shouldn't be a cap minimum. If you're not going to have a salary cap then that's when I don't think a cap minimum is needed or necessary. All that said tho I think Houston is doing it the right way and that is literally building from scratch.

If public dollars are being spent to build these stadium then the product on the field should be appealing. Otherwise you are just robbing tax payers from their hard earned money.

 

[ESPN Refugee]

You honestly seem to know about the location (s) and I really don't. But the Marlins struggled at the gate for years didn't they? Like always. So why did they build the new stadium in such a horrid location?

For the record, it's not a horrid location necessarily. But the whole area around that stadium is like a 50/50 mix of working class families combined with the crowd you'd see living in the uptown Dallas area. Location wise it's not terrible but in terms of reaching out to the fan base I don't think they got that right. I know they were and are trying to capitalize on the Cuban/Latino crowd but the ones that will regularly go to the games will be middle class and up and the majority of them don't live in that particular area. They're suburbian like the rest of the middle class and higher folks.

 

[donaldson79]

If the Rangers maintain this same infield for next season, then I think we cannot afford to lose Profar PERIOD. Why?
(1) Kins gets hurt a lot, needs rest anyway, is getting older fast. Might have to move to 1st if Moreland doesn't bounce back/up and he's never been terrific really.
(2) EA needs rest, just like anyone else playing in 100 degree heat.
(3) Beltre's legs have been a problem for years and it's only going to get worse since next year will be is 17th major league season.

 

[Al Falfa]

Unfortunately there were only 10 of you ...

That's funny. I thought the same thing when I heard there was a Muslim museum in DC.

 

[donaldson79]

I agree, but there were plenty of fans who were opposed to his firing. There were more than plenty in 1964 that wanted him fired. The point is, the average fan, me and you, are kneejerks that think we know more than the people getting paid to run the teams. More often than not we don't.

I hear ya, and you're right.

This is why we drink, sit on our couches making great decisions every night and Sunday. hahaha

 

[Justinkm83]

If the Rangers maintain this same infield for next season, then I think we cannot afford to lose Profar PERIOD. Why?
(1) Kins gets hurt a lot, needs rest anyway, is getting older fast. Might have to move to 1st if Moreland doesn't bounce back/up and he's never been terrific really.
(2) EA needs rest, just like anyone else playing in 100 degree heat.
(3) Beltre's legs have been a problem for years and it's only going to get worse since next year will be is 17th major league season.

There's no way we will have Profar sitting on the bench again next year. He will have a postion, or be traded. I guess he could start the year in the minors, but I doubt it.

 

[RevSader]

If the Rangers maintain this same infield for next season, then I think we cannot afford to lose Profar PERIOD. Why?
(1) Kins gets hurt a lot, needs rest anyway, is getting older fast. Might have to move to 1st if Moreland doesn't bounce back/up and he's never been terrific really.
(2) EA needs rest, just like anyone else playing in 100 degree heat.
(3) Beltre's legs have been a problem for years and it's only going to get worse since next year will be is 17th major league season.

Beltre played 161 of 163 games. Good job there Wash.

 

[ESPN Refugee]

That's funny. I thought the same thing when I heard there was a Muslim museum in DC.

Interesting. I never knew there was one there. But then again Muslims have been in this country for a long long time and have a lot of history here. Unfortunately the acts of a few dipshits put a stain on people's perception of the whole community.

 

[Justinkm83]

Who do you guys think it going to win the Oak/Det series?

 

[RevSader]

Who do you guys think it going to win the Oak/Det series?

Tigers. Just like last year.

 

[ESPN Refugee]

Who do you guys think it going to win the Oak/Det series?

I think Tigers pull it out but it won't surprise me one iota if Oakland wins. I'm not going against those guys anymore. They're just a flat out great team.