Rangers head west for a 2 game set against the Giants: TEX v SF 5/10-11

[BULLPEN FAILURE]

The Rangers finish up a stretch of 19 straight with no off day in San Francisco for a two game series. They've clawed their way back to .500 and sit 3 games out of first. Not coincidentally, they've improved their K rate and are now 4th in MLB, with a sub 10k/game rate and a pace below the all-time record.

The Giants sit atop a division that was supposed to belong to either the Dodgers or the Padres. They have the second best record in the NL and the best home record in all of baseball. If the Rangers can come away with a split, we should all be very happy with that (especially since Lyles throws tomorrow).

The legend of Adolis continues to grow, Gallo has found some power, and the Rangers figured out that hitting with men in scoring position = success. Now if they can just figure out how to stop getting outs on the basepaths.

 

[saddles]

With the success that this team has been having of late a renewed commitment to patience will need to be exercised, if the success continues for much longer. It will be a different sort of patience than we thought would be required though. We thought the organization, as well as the fan base, would need to patiently wait for young players to succeed. Now, the patience that is required is that of not getting carried away with the success, to the extent that the rebuilding is short circuited.

If offered good trades, I think we should still be sellers.

 

[Nightcrawler]

With the success that this team has been having of late a renewed commitment to patience will need to be exercised, if the success continues for much longer. It will be a different sort of patience than we thought would be required though. We thought the organization, as well as the fan base, would need to patiently wait for young players to succeed. Now, the patience that is required is that of not getting carried away with the success, to the extent that the rebuilding is short circuited.

If offered good trades, I think we should still be sellers.

we have to walk a fine line between “ hurting the farm” and trading for help if we choose to compete for a wildcard this year, but also not “giving away” talent to other teams in low ball trades if we feel we’re not ready to compete. A lot of these players are starting to look like building blocks and should be retained.

 

[BULLPEN FAILURE]

With the success that this team has been having of late a renewed commitment to patience will need to be exercised, if the success continues for much longer. It will be a different sort of patience than we thought would be required though. We thought the organization, as well as the fan base, would need to patiently wait for young players to succeed. Now, the patience that is required is that of not getting carried away with the success, to the extent that the rebuilding is short circuited.

If offered good trades, I think we should still be sellers.

I'm already seeing it on other websites. "We're one starter away from being a contender!"

 

[saddles]

we have to walk a fine line between “ hurting the farm” and trading for help if we choose to compete for a wildcard this year, but also not “giving away” talent to other teams in low ball trades if we feel we’re not ready to compete. A lot of these players are starting to look like building blocks and should be retained.

The only players I would be willing to trade as sellers would be those who are not under our control after 2022.

Of course my perspective is one where I am hoping to build a WS champion, and I don't really care about making the postseason without a legitimate chance of going all the way. If we make it before then that would be nice, but I am not trading, as buyers, to accomolish that.

We are two top part of the rotation pitchers, another great sep up man/closer and probably another offensive piece away from possibly going all the way. I don't mind acquiring those pieces in trade at some point or through free agency, preferably. In 18 months I wouldn't mind signing Gibson for one of those roles whether we trade him or not.

Those two playoff appearances in the late 90s and those two a few years ago are not the goal for me. Those kinds of teams are not the goal, I should syears.

The only buyer-type trades I would be interested in now would be for guys who would remain in our control for 5 or 6 more years.

 

[saddles]

I'm already seeing it on other websites. "We're one starter away from being a contender!"

Lol, we might be to make the WC, but one more good starter would not be enough to keep from being beaten soundly in the playoffs by a good team. And making the WC would only be a possibility then, if we didn't have an injury to one of our top 3 starters now, or to one of our offensive stars.

 

[scotsman1948]

I'm already seeing it on other websites. "We're one starter away from being a contender!"

Hopefully Chris isn’t buying that

 

[scotsman1948]

Lol, we might be to make the WC, but one more good starter would not be enough to keep from being beaten soundly in the playoffs by a good team. And making the WC would only be a possibility then, if we didn't have an injury to one of our top 3 starters now, or to one of our offensive stars.

In a step by step plan making it above .500 and then making it into the playoffs and then to the WS is not going to happen in 1 year or even 2.

 

[saddles]

One thing to keep in mind about what we can do this season is the fact that at some point they are most likely going to shut down our second best starting pitcher. Dunning will most likely surpass 100 innings not long after the AS break. I doubt they let him throw more than 120-130 innings this year, if that much. That means no postseason for him should we make it, and no last 5 or 6 weeks of the regular season for him.

 

[saddles]

In a step by step plan making it above .500 and then making it into the playoffs and then to the WS is not going to happen in 1 year or even 2.

Yep, and that is why we have to focus on building a great team and having the pieces mostly in place by 2023

 

[BULLPEN FAILURE]

we have to walk a fine line between “ hurting the farm” and trading for help if we choose to compete for a wildcard this year, but also not “giving away” talent to other teams in low ball trades if we feel we’re not ready to compete. A lot of these players are starting to look like building blocks and should be retained.

In my opinion, the Rangers would be absolute idiots if they made any trade this summer with the idea of making the 2021 Wild Card. Whatever success they have this season should be a happy accident. They obviously shouldn't trade all the good pieces because that's counterproductive to building a team.

Gibson has an insanely team-friendly contract for this year and next year, they should listen to all offers for him. And all offers for Gallo too.

 

[BULLPEN FAILURE]

Yep, and that is why we have to focus on building a great team and having the pieces mostly in place by 2023

This.

I wish more fans understood the idea of building a team that will compete EVERY year.

 

[saddles]

This.

I wish more fans understood the idea of building a team that will compete EVERY year.

They must not have gone through the agony of those two playoff series against the Yankees in 98 and 99. That cured me of the idea of "just make the postseason and anything can happen."

 

[BULLPEN FAILURE]

Gibson will get a good test tonight

 

[scotsman1948]

This.

I wish more fans understood the idea of building a team that will compete EVERY year.

With today’s mentality teams aren’t going to be able to compete EVERY year perhaps for 3 or 4 years then have to experience a 1 or 2 or maybe 3 year “rebuild” period while they reload several positions

 

[Uncle Siggy]

I'm already seeing it on other websites. "We're one starter away from being a contender!"

Yeah there is some wild ass stuff being posted out there and then there is this a bit of a reality check...

While watching the Rangers put in competitive outings almost every night has been a joy for most Rangers fans, there’s still a portion of the fanbase who seems annoyed(?) at such developments, annoyed that the team likely won’t be in contention for yet another high draft pick in next year’s class.

As much as I love me some highly-rated prospects, at the end of the day the goal is to win games in the big leagues, not just accumulate top-tier draft selections. The Rangers already own the #2 overall pick in this year’s upcoming MLB Draft, establishing a winning culture should absolutely be the current goal.

 

[BULLPEN FAILURE]

Re: Garcia

 

[saddles]

Yeah there is some wild ass stuff being posted out there and then there is this a bit of a reality check...

While watching the Rangers put in competitive outings almost every night has been a joy for most Rangers fans, there’s still a portion of the fanbase who seems annoyed(?) at such developments, annoyed that the team likely won’t be in contention for yet another high draft pick in next year’s class.

As much as I love me some highly-rated prospects, at the end of the day the goal is to win games in the big leagues, not just accumulate top-tier draft selections. The Rangers already own the #2 overall pick in this year’s upcoming MLB Draft, establishing a winning culture should absolutely be the current goal.

I think you play with the future in mind and let the wins and losses take care of themselves. If we are sellers at the deadline it will most likely result in a worse record than if we are not sellers. So be it.

I expected this team to go 80-82 this yea, so to me, we were not going to have a great pick in next year's draft anyway. If we win more than that, then that means we are closer to being a WS team. If we win less, then we get a slightly better draft pick. Either way is fine with me.

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

This is the kind of winning culture we need to establish. Have a good enough system that you win a lot of games. Those guys coming up in 2022, 2023, and later, can establish their own winning culture right now.