OFFICIAL OFF SEASON THREAD ( 2017 )

[Nightcrawler]

That didn't take long. Hamilton is going back to Texas to have his knee looked at.

Hoping it's not a big deal, but with him it always seems to be.

 

[True Rangers Fan]

Hoping it's not a big deal, but with him it always seems to be.

From the Rangers standpoint, they were counting on him for pretty much nothing this year.

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

 

[True Rangers Fan]

Now the question becomes, can I roll into Suprise early enough on Sunday to catch this game?

 

[saddles]

Sherrington: Why Yu Darvish is about to have a breakout year, and Rangers will regret if they don't act now | SportsDay

The Rangers wouldn't know an ace if they drew a handful of them.

Even after all these years, their two best home-grown pitchers remain Kevin Brown and Kenny Rogers. To give you kids out there some perspective, I could have written that same sentence 20 years ago.

And that's one of the reasons Jon Daniels should lock up Yu Darvish sooner than later. Before Darvish gets the idea it's personal, anyway.

For the record: Despite some early growing pains, Daniels has presided over the most glorious era in club history, assembling pennant contenders on a near perennial basis. His moves bear the uncanny knack of beating nearly everything I suggest. Still, you'll forgive a lack of faith in Daniels' ability to grow an ace anytime soon.

Granted, few teams are much good at developing top-of-the-rotation types. Developing, I said. Not acquiring. Anybody could see Fergie Jenkins, Nolan Ryan or Cole Hamels coming by the time the Rangers had them under binoculars. Forecasting a true No. 1 is like drafting a franchise quarterback, only harder. Generally speaking, they don't fall into your lap in the fourth round, after you asked out Charles Tapper first.


But if you'd like a somewhat local perspective, the Astros have done a pretty fair job growing aces. Pretty much throughout their history, in fact. Consider Larry Dierker, Don Wilson, J.R. Richard, Roy Oswalt and, lately, Dallas Keuchel, to name several.

As you're no doubt aware, the last few years the Rangers have used their top pitching prospects as currency. We'll see if Kyle Hendricks, Jerad Eickhoff, Alec Asher or Jake Thompson develop into anything other than middle-of-the-rotation types. As it stands now, Hendricks rates the best chance to beat the odds. Even if the Phillies trio makes it whole, I don't fault Daniels for the Hamels deal, and not just because I kept bugging him about it. A No. 3 or 4 shouldn't be so difficult to locate, though the Rangers led you to believe otherwise this winter. If you've got to give up a couple of candidates to get a guy with the credentials of Hamels, plus a top catching prospect and a centerfielder, too, and you managed it without so much as a squawk from your colleagues, well, that should tell you how hard it is. Boston practically had to pack up the Green Monster for Chris Sale.

The Rangers' best prospect currently? Brett Martin, a lefty, and there's no guarantee he'll fit at the top. And at best he's at least a couple of years away.

 

[saddles]

Meanwhile, the Rangers already have a perfectly good candidate on Hamels' heels.

By just about any metrics, Darvish, a three-time All-Star, has been among baseball's best starters since he came to Texas from Japan in 2012. What's not to like about an upper 90s fastball and maybe the game's best slider? Not to mention an assortment of other pitches he seems to make up when bored.

The knock against him is a lack of durability, owing almost entirely to the elbow injury that led to Tommy John surgery. And, of course, he hasn't exactly distinguished himself in postseason play: 0-2, 5.40 ERA.

Maybe you'd argue the Rangers should wait to see how he does this season, in the last year of his contract. A breakout year -- which is what I'm predicting, for what it's worth -- simply means more leverage for Darvish with the Rangers.

But if Darvish goes Cy Young, I'm thinking it just might go to his head. He'd be in bigger demand than Adele. Aces don't come up for auction often. The Dodgers or Yankees would pay. And what about the Angels' Arte Moreno? He's just about out of bad contracts. He'd go six years, $180 million without so much as checking his balance first.


Can you imagine Darvish throwing Wiffle Balls past the Rangers while Mike Trout smirks in center?

I'll wait a minute while you get that image out of your head. Sorry. My bad.

For you hardliners, the problem with making guys earn their big contracts is that often they're just about used up when they do. True, Darvish will turn 31 in August. But he's got a rebuilt elbow and only a hundred innings on his shoulder the last couple of seasons. As a result, probably, his fastball last season clocked better than ever.

Daniels is leery of spending big, what with the bloated contracts of Shin-Soo Choo and Prince Fielder still on his résumé and ledger sheet. But those expire in 2020, and Elvis Andrus' contract is up in '22. By then the revenue streams from the new ballpark should be overflowing.

Of course, there's the possibility that Daniels is waiting to see how the club fares, in case he has to start selling off parts at midseason. Let's not go there so soon. Give hope a chance, friend, before it gives way to the heat and humility of summer.

So here's my suggestion, Jon Daniels: Go to Darvish's agent this spring and offer five years, $150 million. If that's not good enough, tell him Ray Davis and Bob Simpson have plenty more where that came from. Tell him you'll never let A.J. Pierzynski within 100 feet of him again. Tell him he's going up on the Rangers' Mount Rushmore of starters. Tell him you'll call the new digs the Yumidor. I will, anyway. Always glad to help out.

 

[saddles]

 

[DT LUNA]

Poor baby

 

[saddles]

Rangers, Rougned Odor Making New Push For Extension

The Rangers and the reps for second baseman Rougned Odor have undertaken renewed efforts to reach agreement on a long-term deal, according to a report from Jon Heyman of Fan Rag. It’s not clear just how likely it is that the sides will see eye to eye, but Heyman says there’s “at least a bit of hope.”


Last we checked in, early last fall, the sides had stalled out in talks over the size of the guarantee and number of option years that the club would pick up. Now, Odor stands one season away from reaching arbitration eligibility, perhaps adding impetus to the club’s effort.

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

MRI shows no structural damage in Josh Hamilton’s left knee

Rangers first baseman Josh Hamilton said an MRI of his left knee showed no structural damage.

Hamilton flew to Houston to have Dr. Walt Lowe examine his knee after feeling pain while running Tuesday morning.

Hamilton was given a platelet rich plasma injection to help with inflammation. He remains confident he can make a full recovery and comeback to the majors after missing all of 2016.


“I call it getting the kinks out,” Hamilton said. “After battling with the knee for so long the last couple of years this is a little tiny blip in the big scheme of things so my confidence hasn’t wavered any. I’m still focused on being here and being part of this team. I’m not in any hurry because it’s really early in camp.”

Hamilton hopes to be hitting in the cage and adding more baseball activity by the end of the weekend.

He felt the pain while running arcs in spikes around the infield. During his fourth lap a sharp pain hit him on the outside of his left knee.

“It was enough [pain] to tell me to stop doing what I was doing,” he said. Hamilton continued to throw and warm up but the pain got worse as he stood and watched infield practice.

Dr. Lowe told Hamilton the pain could be caused by a small flap in the cartilage, perhaps caused during a post-procedure where they pack the hole in the articular cartilage, which is similar to a meniscus tear.

 

[Kelleyman]

MRI shows no structural damage in Josh Hamilton’s left knee

Rangers first baseman Josh Hamilton said an MRI of his left knee showed no structural damage.

Hamilton was given a platelet rich plasma injection to help with inflammation.

These PRP injections are huge and cutting edge in the medical marketplace

 

[jta4437]

These PRP injections are huge and cutting edge in the medical marketplace

Had the same thing done a year ago almost exactly

Josh Hamilton will open season on DL; a glance at Rangers' options to replace him | SportsDay

 

[donaldson79]

I heard Jared Sandler on 105.3 this morning discussing extended Odor a contract of 6 years at $52 mil.

Good deal for both parties?

 

[True Rangers Fan]

I heard Jared Sandler on 105.3 this morning discussing extended Odor a contract of 6 years at $52 mil.

Good deal for both parties?

Shit, if I'm the Rangers, I do that deal.

 

[donaldson79]

Shit, if I'm the Rangers, I do that deal.

I'm on board with this as well.

I've got my problems with Odor, but this looks like a good deal for everyone....at least today.

I missed the first part of the interview, so I don't know if this is what he thinks would work, or if it's a rumor around the water cooler, or what. But he did make reference that this is a similar deal to what Jason Kipnis got

 

[True Rangers Fan]

I'm on board with this as well.

I've got my problems with Odor, but this looks like a good deal for everyone....at least today.

I missed the first part of the interview, so I don't know if this is what he thinks would work, or if it's a rumor around the water cooler, or what. But he did make reference that this is a similar deal to what Jason Kipnis got

I mean, it's less than $9m a year for a 30 HR bat. I'm OK with that.

 

[Bmurph]

Had the same thing done a year ago almost exactly

Josh Hamilton will open season on DL; a glance at Rangers' options to replace him | SportsDay

He will never have even half a season worth of AB's again IMO. The guys body just cant hold up

 

[Bmurph]

Today’s MLB spring training schedule (listed in ET)
Baltimore Orioles versus Detroit Tigers 1:05 p.m.
New York Mets versus Boston Red Sox 1:05 p.m.
Philadelphia Phillies versus New York Yankees 1:05 p.m. ( how to watch, live blog )
Cincinnati Reds versus San Francisco Giants 3:05 p.m.
Tampa Bay Rays versus Minnesota Twins 7:05 p.m.


It's back!!