OFFICIAL OFF SEASON THREAD ( 2017 )

[saddles]

I know many don't care for Evan Grant. But this article has some decent rationale as to "considering" the move.

Why Rangers should consider transitioning Matt Bush to starter | SportsDay

I do have some problems with some of the things Evan says in the article. The first is regarding Feliz. How can he say Feliz wasn't committed to being a starter? He started for almost all of his time in the minors. He should have never been converted to a reliever to begin with. He should have stayed in the minors the year he was brought up to work on his secondary pitches. The Rangers messed up royally with Feliz on several fronts. Evan fails to mention that.

Then there is Ogando. The Rangers did a horrible job of transitioning him. He went from pitching 71 innings in 2010 to pitching 169 innings the next year. Evan mentions that Bush would need to have his innings watched carefully, but failed to note that the Rangers failed at doing that for Alexi. Even at that Alexi didn't have as bad of a second half that year the way Evan intimated. He had 3 bad starts out of a total of 9 starts in those final 2 months. They skipped one of his starts and he rebounded nicely after that.

Evan mentioned limiting Bush to 125-130 innings, but he failed to indicate how in the world that would be done without taxing the bullpen. He did mention giving him some extra rest, but even that isn't always the best thing to do. If the rest is extended at all he has to be ramped back up each time and that taxes the pen even further. Also, who is going to replace him in the rotation when he is out and what kind of production can be expected from that guy? You almost would have to let him spend most of the year in the minors to make the transition and then start him up here in 2018.

 

[donaldson79]

Evan mentioned limiting Bush to 125-130 innings, but he failed to indicate how in the world that would be done without taxing the bullpen. He did mention giving him some extra rest, but even that isn't always the best thing to do. If the rest is extended at all he has to be ramped back up each time and that taxes the pen even further. Also, who is going to replace him in the rotation when he is out and what kind of production can be expected from that guy? You almost would have to let him spend most of the year in the minors to make the transition and then start him up here in 2018.

Perhaps the article was short, and not intended to cover each and every point on every pitcher. But one way to limit Bush's innings and not wearing him or the pen out would be to skip him in the rotation with a Martinez/Gonzalez type.

I don't know this, but I would think if the Rangers have the intent to convert him they'd be doing so in the winter league.

 

[saddles]

Perhaps the article was short, and not intended to cover each and every point on every pitcher. But one way to limit Bush's innings and not wearing him or the pen out would be to skip him in the rotation with a Martinez/Gonzalez type.

I don't know this, but I would think if the Rangers have the intent to convert him they'd be doing so in the winter league.

I don't recall them using winter ball with the 4 pitchers that Evan mentioned though. Since they don"t own those teams I don't think that can be done very easily.

They could bring up a guy to skip starts, but it might have to be done about 10 times. That is 10 starts by someone not even close to being on par with a Holland or Cashner. That is going to be rough on the W-L column and on the pen. It is just very hard to give the appearance that you are trying to win a division from the get go and transition/acclimate a guy to the rotation at the same time.

I might add that when I speak of transitioning a guy from being a reliever to a starter I am talking about more than the ramping up process. To me the transitioning part takes place over a very long period of time and includes managing his innings so you don't ruin his arm.

 

[donaldson79]

The market for free-agent left-hander Rich Hill is heating up.

The Houston Astros, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers are in "full pursuit" of the veteran southpaw, ESPN's Jim Bowden reports. Meanwhile, the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles are also in the mix.

Hill is considered the top free-agent pitcher available this offseason. The 36-year-old went 12-5 with a 2.12 ERA and had 129 strikeouts in 110 1/3 innings (20 starts) between the Oakland Athletics and Dodgers in 2016.

 

[Xx srs bsns xX]

With the news of McCutchen being offered to teams --- and the Rangers needing a CF --- would you trade for him?

 

[Duane1952]

With the news of McCutchen being offered to teams --- and the Rangers needing a CF --- would you trade for him?

Nope. I'm hearing reports that he is more of a corner outfielder now.

 

[Duane1952]

Nick Martinez enjoys success in winter ball

Rangers pitcher Nick Martinez has returned from the Dominican Republic and he brought back a 23-inning scoreless streak with him...

Martinez spent six weeks with the Toros and made seven starts. He finished 3-3 with a 2.53 ERA, allowing 25 hits and 10 walks in 32 innings while striking out 15. He did not give up a run in his last four starts and 23 innings.


Martinez gave much credit to Toros pitching coach Stan Kyles. Martinez said they focused on how best to navigate through an opposing lineup 2-3 times a game.


"We talked about the mindset you need to pitch the second and third time through the lineup and how to pitch effectively down in the zone," Martinez said. "We broke it down in three parts. The first time, attack with the fastball, the second time, change speeds and get them off the fastball, the third time, you can't let yourself get beat with anything up in the air."


Kyles, who is the Pirates' Triple-A pitching coach, was obviously well-briefed by the Rangers. In his Major League career with the Rangers, Martinez has allowed a .283 batting average the first time through a lineup and a .240 average the second time. His opponents' batting average jumps up to .330 when he goes through the lineup a third time.


"It's not always clear cut, you have to make adjustments throughout the game, but I had a great time working with him," Martinez said. "I used all that information and applied it to my game."

Wonder if they sent Chi Chi to winter ball.

 

[saddles]

Wonder if they sent Chi Chi to winter ball.

No, they didn't.

 

[donaldson79]

Wonder if they sent Chi Chi to winter ball.

Good question. Wonder why we didn't?

 

[donaldson79]

They could bring up a guy to skip starts, but it might have to be done about 10 times. That is 10 starts by someone not even close to being on par with a Holland or Cashner. That is going to be rough on the W-L column and on the pen. It is just very hard to give the appearance that you are trying to win a division from the get go and transition/acclimate a guy to the rotation at the same time.

What's so different than giving a converted reliever limited innings as opposed to a pitcher coming back from TJ surgery? Or from just being Colby Lewis in any given year?

 

[saddles]

What's so different than giving a converted reliever limited innings as opposed to a pitcher coming back from TJ surgery? Or from just being Colby Lewis in any given year?

The difference would be a guy going from never throwing more than 78 innings before and needing to miss multiple starts along the way and any of the guys coming back from TJ who typically are able to go 6 innings almost as soon as they are put on the 25 man roster and usually don't require missing any starts.

 

[DT LUNA]

With the news of McCutchen being offered to teams --- and the Rangers needing a CF --- would you trade for him?

No. Would hope we resign Gomez and not have to trade anyone.

 

[Kelleyman]

Well sort of a mixed bag converting relievers to starters. Wonder what Bush wants. Without his desire to do this it will be tougher no matter what Rangers think. I do think Ogando wore out in 2011. Not sure what to say about Feliz. Seemed ok for Ceej and Kenny R

 

[Kelleyman]

Can't wait to hear the terms

 

[Duane1952]

Can't wait to hear the terms

No more first round pick when you sign free agent.

 

[saddles]

Gallo has signed with Boras.

 

[saddles]

 

[Kelleyman]

 

[saddles]

MLB, MLBPA Agree To New Collective Bargaining Agreement

There will certainly be many details to parse out as the results of the negotiation are revealed. In one notable area, though, there will be no changes. The sides decided against modifying the active roster rules, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports on Twitter. Rosters will remain at 25 players, rather than moving to 26, and September roster expansion will not be curtailed.


Meanwhile, in one of the key areas of talks, the luxury tax threshold will rise from $189MM to around $195MM in the 2017 season, Sherman further reports (links to Twitter). It’s then expected to reach $210MM over the five-year span. Additionally, the CBA will impose a sixty to seventy percent penalty for teams that spend well above the luxury tax line — i.e., payrolls north of $250MM.


The qualifying offer system has been another area of some uncertainty, and it seems there are some final details to work through there. A source tells Rosenthal (via Twitter) that the sides are “trying to shuffle around [the] loss of [a] first[-round] pick with [a] player getting [a] deal of $50MM or more.” While it’s a bit difficult to know just what that means, it sounds as if draft compensation could be tied to the ultimate price the market puts on a player. Meanwhile, Jon Morosi of MLB Network tweets that first-rounders won’t be sacrificed in signings of QO-declining players, which would seem to suggest a somewhat different approach.

 

[DT LUNA]

And who might that be Jared?