2017 Texas Rangers offseason thread

[Nightcrawler]

Choo's biggest rub to most is his contract. That and he sucks in RF.

But from an offensive standpoint he works the pitcher well, hits with some pop, and hits for a decent avg. That's considerably better than half our lineup. So if he leaves, it's a pretty big bat to lose. Moreso than I think many think.

You forgot that Choo is seemingly hurt all the freaking time

 

[DT LUNA]

You forgot that Choo is seemingly hurt all the freaking time

When was the last time?

 

[Nightcrawler]

When was the last time?

He had a lot of trouble in 2016 and lots of seasons before that

 

[DT LUNA]

He had a lot of trouble in 2016 and lots of seasons before that

Over a year ago. lol

 

[scotsman1948]

Calhoun would have to be included plus minor league CF talent and maybe Profar and DDJ. I am not always the greatest gauge but it seems like he's very low cost controllable. A high commodity.

Should prove interesting to see how things go. Usually have to give up something we consider valuable to get the same.

we have a surplus of of'ers in the minor leagues that are going to end up interfering with each others progress so trading one or more of them would not be problem. the list includes Taveras, Thompson, Aparicio, Jenkins, Heineman, Perez, Gonzalez, Calhoun and DDJ plus don't forget Profar and Rua

 

[scotsman1948]

Choo's biggest rub to most is his contract. That and he sucks in RF.

But from an offensive standpoint he works the pitcher well, hits with some pop, and hits for a decent avg. That's considerably better than half our lineup. So if he leaves, it's a pretty big bat to lose. Moreso than I think many think.

which is why he is being looked at as mainly a DH. he should not see more than 15 to 20 games a season in the field and 120+ at DH

 

[donaldson79]

Rangers position outlook: If it's not Joey Gallo, who's playing first base next season?
By Evan Grant, Staff Writer Contact Evan Granton TwitterEvan_P_Grant
ON THE ROSTER
Joey Gallo: Pre-arbitration

Mike Napoli: Free agent

Ryan Rua: Expected to be arbitration eligible

WHAT THEY DID WELL
They hit home runs. That was a big part of why the team signed Mike Napoli in the offseason. The Rangers got 39 homers from first base, fourth-most in the AL. Napoli hit 22 homers in 95 games at first, Joey Gallo 14 in 59 games and Ryan Rua three in 23 games.

They also posted a +2 in Defensive Runs Saved, which ranked 11th in the majors. It was only two below their total in 2016 when Mitch Moreland won a Gold Glove award at the position.

WHAT THEY DIDN'T
Really, the homers were where the contributions ended. Napoli held up only half of his end of the bargain. He was supposed to hit homers and walk. He did not do the latter. He walked 30 times and had a .281 OBP at first base. It was his fewest walks since he moved primarily to the position for 2013 and his lowest OBP at the position by more than 30 points.

Despite all the homers, the Rangers still had the fourth-lowest OPS from the position (.750) and the second-most strikeouts (227). Only Baltimore, which established a new major league record at 235 strikeouts by first basemen, had more. Nor did the homers add up to run production. Rangers' first basemen had 87 RBIs, which ranked 22nd in the majors.

It comes down to this: First base provided some showy, but rarely meaningful, homers and nothing else.

WHAT'S ON THE FARM
In his first full year at Triple-A, left-handed hitting Ronald Guzman saw his walk-rate go up and his strikeout rate go down. Now that's the kind of development to which a team with a strikeout issue needs to pay attention.

Guzman, 23, and Nomar Mazara signed at the same time as teenagers for huge bonuses. Guzman has been a little bit slower to develop, spending parts of three seasons at low Class A Hickory, but he's taken big steps in the last two years. What has still not fully blossomed is his power. He hit just 12 homers in 470 Triple-A at-bats in 2017. It was an average of a home run every 39.2 at-bats. The next task is to show he can increase his power without losing command of the strike zone.

At the lower levels of the system, Yanio Perez (who can also play third base and the corner outfield spots), Curtis Terry and Tyreque Reed all have big power potential.

WHAT'S ON THE MARKET
Kansas City's Eric Hosmer is going to get a big, fat contract this winter, but it won't be from the Rangers. As poorly as first base performed last year, the Rangers have options there and have bigger priorities elsewhere.

If the Rangers add a first baseman, it would probably be a part-time, right-handed hitter who could give Joey Gallo or Ronald Guzman an occasional day off. Most likely, you are looking at a minor league free agent such as Will Middlebrooks or somebody like well-traveled, but versatile Danny Valencia.

2018 OUTLOOK
As bad as the overall 2017 stats were, the outlook is not bleak.
Provided he isn't needed at third, Joey Gallo should become the primary first base option for 2018 and he was perhaps the most improved Ranger by the end of the season. Gallo improved significantly in all his slash line statistics after the All-Star break, capped by a 100-point increase in OPS (from .821 to .929). Gallo is also athletic around the base. He was a more than an adequate defender and has the ability become a defensive asset.

If Gallo is needed elsewhere, the position probably gets turned into a platoon with unproven Ronald Guzman and either Ryan Rua, Will Middlebrooks or another right-handed-hitting free agent. That would not be optimal.

 

[donaldson79]

This smells of something to me.

Adrian Gonzalez is the second highest-paid player on the Los Angeles Dodgers, and while the team makes its first World Series appearance since 1988 Tuesday night, Gonzalez will be nowhere in sight. Instead, the 35-year-old first baseman will be on vacation in Italy with his family.

Yes, instead of being there to support his team during the franchise's biggest moment in decades, Gonzalez will be on vacation. This might be different if he had won multiple titles, or if the Dodgers had been in the series a number of times during his time with the team. But Gonzalez has never gotten a ring, and LA hasn't so much as sniffed a series in almost three decades.

Gonzalez has been on the disabled list with back tightness since September 27. He hasn't been on any of the team's postseason rosters, nor has he been with the team during the playoffs.

The team gave Gonzalez permission to go off to Europe, so it isn't like this is a surprise, but it is pretty insane. A five-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger winner who has been referred to as a clubhouse leader, isn't going to be supporting his teammates during their biggest games?

Something weird is going on here. Gonzalez played in just 71 games this season, hitting .242 with three home runs and 30 RBIs. Maybe with Cody Bellingerplaying like an MVP candidate this year and an abundance of outfielders, the Dodgers and Gonzalez think his time with the team has come to an end.

 

[True Rangers Fan]

This smells of something to me.

Adrian Gonzalez is the second highest-paid player on the Los Angeles Dodgers, and while the team makes its first World Series appearance since 1988 Tuesday night, Gonzalez will be nowhere in sight. Instead, the 35-year-old first baseman will be on vacation in Italy with his family.

Yes, instead of being there to support his team during the franchise's biggest moment in decades, Gonzalez will be on vacation. This might be different if he had won multiple titles, or if the Dodgers had been in the series a number of times during his time with the team. But Gonzalez has never gotten a ring, and LA hasn't so much as sniffed a series in almost three decades.

Gonzalez has been on the disabled list with back tightness since September 27. He hasn't been on any of the team's postseason rosters, nor has he been with the team during the playoffs.

The team gave Gonzalez permission to go off to Europe, so it isn't like this is a surprise, but it is pretty insane. A five-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger winner who has been referred to as a clubhouse leader, isn't going to be supporting his teammates during their biggest games?

Something weird is going on here. Gonzalez played in just 71 games this season, hitting .242 with three home runs and 30 RBIs. Maybe with Cody Bellingerplaying like an MVP candidate this year and an abundance of outfielders, the Dodgers and Gonzalez think his time with the team has come to an end.

if he's not on the roster, is he allowed to be in the clubhouse/with the team?

 

[scotsman1948]

This smells of something to me.

Adrian Gonzalez is the second highest-paid player on the Los Angeles Dodgers, and while the team makes its first World Series appearance since 1988 Tuesday night, Gonzalez will be nowhere in sight. Instead, the 35-year-old first baseman will be on vacation in Italy with his family.

Yes, instead of being there to support his team during the franchise's biggest moment in decades, Gonzalez will be on vacation. This might be different if he had won multiple titles, or if the Dodgers had been in the series a number of times during his time with the team. But Gonzalez has never gotten a ring, and LA hasn't so much as sniffed a series in almost three decades.

Gonzalez has been on the disabled list with back tightness since September 27. He hasn't been on any of the team's postseason rosters, nor has he been with the team during the playoffs.

The team gave Gonzalez permission to go off to Europe, so it isn't like this is a surprise, but it is pretty insane. A five-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger winner who has been referred to as a clubhouse leader, isn't going to be supporting his teammates during their biggest games?

Something weird is going on here. Gonzalez played in just 71 games this season, hitting .242 with three home runs and 30 RBIs. Maybe with Cody Bellingerplaying like an MVP candidate this year and an abundance of outfielders, the Dodgers and Gonzalez think his time with the team has come to an end.

it is more than back tightness and he probably retires

 

[saddles]

Let's get this World Series out of the way and get on to the offseason.

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

Rangers position outlook: Who will Texas pair with Robinson Chirinos at catcher?

ON THE ROSTER
Robinson Chirinos: Signed for 2018 at $2.25 million

A.J. Jimenez: Pre-arbitration

Brett Nicholas: Pre-arbitration

WHAT THEY DID WELL
Robinson Chirinos established himself as a core clubhouse leader for the way he handled his demotion to backup in the wake of the 2016 trade for Jonathan Lucroy. Then he set the standard even higher by simply out-performing Lucroy and winning his job back.

Chirinos put up career-highs in homers (17), walks (34) and every component of his slash line, finishing with an .866 OPS. Among catchers with at least 250 plate appearances, he ranked fourth. He reached base in a team-high 28 consecutive games.

WHAT THEY DIDN'T
Some guys thrive in free agent seasons and some wilt. Jonathan Lucroy, for whom the Rangers traded center field prospect Lewis Brinson and starting pitcher Luis Ortiz, regressed in every way imaginable. Perhaps part of it was due to the Rangers prioritizing a contract for Rougned Odor over Lucroy.

Lucroy struggled to frame pitches and seemed to have issues blocking balls. On offense, he had only four home runs and 19 extra-base hits by late July. It led the Rangers to determine he was expendable, even before they made the decision to be trade-deadline sellers. Lucroy had a negative WAR (-0.3) with the Rangers before being traded to Colorado.

Chirinos' biggest weakness was stopping the running game. Runners were 46 for 54 (85.2 percent) against him, which was the fourth-highest percentage allowed by any of the 29 qualifying catchers in the majors.

WHAT'S ON THE FARM
Jose Trevino is the most advanced catcher in the system and a ready-for-the-majors defender, but he struggled offensively in his first season at Double-A. Trevino hit .241 with a .598 OPS and that just won't do long-term. He's either got to show more power or more plate discipline -- preferably both -- or he's not going to project to anything more than a light-hitting backup.

The Rangers are also high on 2017 third-round pick Matt Whatley, who was Trevino's successor at Oral Roberts University. Whatley posted an .827 OPS in his first season, split between the Arizona Rookie Rangers and short-season Class A Spokane.

Two other names worth mentioning: Infield/catching hybrid freaks Isaiah Kiner-Falefa and Josh Morgan. Both could play their way into valuable utility players who can play in the middle of the diamond and behind the plate.


2018 OUTLOOK

The outlook is virtually the same as it was for 2015 and 2016: Chirinos will be the starter, but he's not likely to be a workhorse starter. He started 80 games behind the plate in 2017 and has never had more than 88 starts in a season. His stance at the plate makes him susceptible to getting hit on the hand/wrist by inside pitches and he's had a serious concussion. The Rangers must be prepared for that possibility.

Brett Nicholas is a good emergency catcher, but probably not suited to carry the load of 60-70 major league starts. To get a legitimate platoon partner will cost the Rangers at least $2-3 million and that's money that could be used towards rebuilding the pitching staff.

There will be some non-tendered veterans -- perhaps somebody like Chris Gimenez -- who will be available for less than $2 million.

The most likely scenario, though, is the team asks Chirinos to go a little farther than he ever has. They will fill in the gaps beyond that.

 

[True Rangers Fan]

if he's not on the roster, is he allowed to be in the clubhouse/with the team?

Apparently Gonzalez is currently in LA, so this was much ado about nothing.

 

[Nightcrawler]

Please please please please

I almost don’t care what the return is. I just want him ( and Fielder) off the books permanently. Huge mistakes. Really hurt us.

I was totally on board with the Fielder trade ( at the time), nobody knew the guy was fucked up already, except for probably dombrowski. I wasn’t as thrilled about getting Choo tho. I thought we definitely overpaid him.

 

[saddles]

Please please please please

I almost don’t care what the return is. I just want him ( and Fielder) off the books permanently. Huge mistakes. Really hurt us.

I was totally on board with the Fielder trade ( at the time), nobody knew the guy was fucked up already, except for probably dombrowski. I wasn’t as thrilled about getting Choo tho. I thought we definitely overpaid him.

There were some scouts that knew Fielder has lost some bat speed prior to the trade. We didn't do our due diligence with Fielder and neither him or Choo should have been expected to be producing up to their contract by this time anyway. I think they were both big mistakes myself.

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

R.A. Dickey among free agent former Rangers

Moreland, Dickey, Darvish, Gallardo, Feldman, Garza, Holland, Mikolas, Benoit, Feliz, Hunter, Uehara, Soto, Lucroy, Rosales, and Gentry are available.

I know Crawler is really interested in that first name.

 

[DT LUNA]

There were some scouts that knew Fielder has lost some bat speed prior to the trade. We didn't do our due diligence with Fielder and neither him or Choo should have been expected to be producing up to their contract by this time anyway. I think they were both big mistakes myself.

Huge may be a better description

 

[DT LUNA]

Let's get this World Series out of the way and get on to the offseason.

I'm with you. Can't find any interest with teams that I have no liking for. Off season here we come. Will have more interest than the WS.