2017 Texas Rangers offseason thread

[True Rangers Fan]

the list of free agents who have not signed new contracts yet is so strange. we're in a new age of free agency it seems.

 

[scotsman1948]

Heard that JD was in the Dominican Republic recently and that Carlos Gomez hired a helicopter to fly across the DR to personally speak to him. wonder what they talked about

 

[True Rangers Fan]

 

[DT LUNA]

JD is mysterious. Never know til you know with him.

 

[scotsman1948]

JD is mysterious. Never know til you know with him.

my gut tells me that JD will sign a pitcher this week but it won't be anyone of importance. he will probably sign someone like Cashner, Vargas or McCarthy and crow about how the team is now ready to compete.

 

[saddles]

My biggest concern at this point and I’m very worried about it, we all know that the obvious move is to beef up the farm. We’ve seen the rangers build a really good minor league system in the past. The only question is, did AJ preller build that farm? Did Thad levine build that farm? Did Nolan Ryan help with the farm?

We might’ve suffered a brain drain while our team was good and building the minor league system back up could be much more difficult this time around. It doesn’t help that we’ve never homegrown an ace. I don’t know if Charlie hough was homegrown or not, but if he is, all the people who drafted and developed him are long gone.

Those are some good points about the difference between now and then. Another difference is the second wildcard which serves as a fool's gold for teams to chase instead of realizing they should be sellers at deadline time.

 

[Kelleyman]

JD never crows

 

[scotsman1948]

JD never crows

poor choice of a word but he will, if he signs one of them, talk how they are the missing piece in the starting rotation when everyone else recognizes that with this signing the team will have no #1 starter just a load of 3's and 4's with a aging #2(Hamels). and if we were to trade Hamels to Philadelphia, who seems to want him, we would have 5 (Moore, Minor, Perez, one of Cashner, Vargas or McCarthy and probably Mendez) #3, #4 or #5 pitchers

 

[DT LUNA]

poor choice of a word but he will, if he signs one of them, talk how they are the missing piece in the starting rotation when everyone else recognizes that this will have no #1 starter just a load of 3's and 4's with a aging #2(Hamels). and if we were to trade Hamels to Philadelphia, who seems to want him, we would have 5 (Moore, Minor, Perez, one of Cashner, Vargas or McCarthy and probably Mendez) #3, #4 or #5 pitchers

Sounds like an old Angel's staff

 

[True Rangers Fan]

JD never crows

Yeah that was my thought as well.

It's not like JD (or any GM in his right mind) would or should come out and say "yeah we're going to fucking suck." They have PR responsibilities to present the club in the best light possible.

 

[scotsman1948]

Yeah that was my thought as well.

It's not like JD (or any GM in his right mind) would or should come out and say "yeah we're going to fucking suck." They have PR responsibilities to present the club in the best light possible.

Well maybe it's time for the truth. Anyone with half a brain can look at this team and see that it is time to tear it down and start over. Stop looking like a fool, JD, and tell us the truth and do what is needed

 

[True Rangers Fan]

Stop looking like a fool, JD, and tell us the truth and do what is needed

JD doesn't need to tell us anything. That he does should be taken as a sign of respect for the fans.

 

[donaldson79]

Well maybe it's time for the truth. Anyone with half a brain can look at this team and see that it is time to tear it down and start over. Stop looking like a fool, JD, and tell us the truth and do what is needed

I think Epland addressed, as in answered, a lot of this in the post right before you posted this one. Did you even bother to read it before going off on this tangent?

First, it's not like he's promised us anything other than, "I'm doing the best I can with what the wallet guys are allowing." At least that's the way I see it. Second, by no means am I dismissing or being condescending about, "is it or is it not time" to tear it down. Fact is, like you, I'm all in on the tear down mode. Third and lastly, I don't think JD is looking like a fool in any stretch of the imagination. Perhaps that just me.

 

[saddles]

I am not interested so much in what JD tells us as much as I am interested in what he does. He should have traded Hamels, Choo and maybe Beltre last July. Next best case scenario he would have traded them this offseason. He has not done any of that and if we are within 4 or 5 games of the second wildcard I am not sure he will do it at this coming deadline. That is what bothers me. I don't care if he used the "R" word or not as long as he goes ahead and rebuilds. He doesn't want to stock up on free agents and he doesn't want to rebuild. That is the disturbing thing to me.

 

[saddles]

From MLB Trade Rumors:

The Phillies are “checking in” on Darvish, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter), though he also notes that the club is doing the same with other top free agents. Philadelphia appears to be positioning itself as a potential landing spot for players whose markets haven’t developed as hoped. With loads of money to spend, the team could certainly function as an opportunistic buyer, particularly in its greatest area of evident need — the rotation. Unsurprisingly, Rosenthal says, the team would mostly be interested in relatively shorter-term arrangements. That seems to be consistent with the Phils’ approach already this offseason, which has featured relatively hefty salaries on two or three-year arrangements.

 

[DT LUNA]

From MLB Trade Rumors:

The Phillies are “checking in” on Darvish, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter), though he also notes that the club is doing the same with other top free agents. Philadelphia appears to be positioning itself as a potential landing spot for players whose markets haven’t developed as hoped. With loads of money to spend, the team could certainly function as an opportunistic buyer, particularly in its greatest area of evident need — the rotation. Unsurprisingly, Rosenthal says, the team would mostly be interested in relatively shorter-term arrangements. That seems to be consistent with the Phils’ approach already this offseason, which has featured relatively hefty salaries on two or three-year arrangements.

Dangle a carrot and Hamels and see if they bite

 

[saddles]

The Phillies are interested in short term arrangements for their rotation. That sounds like a good fit for Hamels.

Alfaro or Williams for Hamels.

 

[saddles]

Dangle a carrot and Hamels and see if they bite

That is where JD's approach is killing us. You can't pretend to be in contention and trade off Hamels, but it would be for the best.

 

[Nightcrawler]

I think Epland addressed, as in answered, a lot of this in the post right before you posted this one. Did you even bother to read it before going off on this tangent?

First, it's not like he's promised us anything other than, "I'm doing the best I can with what the wallet guys are allowing."

How many years in a row has it been that the budget has been a major constraint for JD?

It seems like the Choo, Fielder, Andrus, and Beltre contracts have hamstrung this team

 

[donaldson79]

How many years in a row has it been that the budget has been a major constraint for JD?

It seems like the Choo, Fielder, Andrus, and Beltre contracts have hamstrung this team

Don't know for sure on the question.

And the statement, I agree, at least to an extent, with the first 2 players, and totally disagree on the last two.