Series Thread: Rangers Travel to Houston For Three Games September 15-17

[UK Cowboy]

Hey, good to see you on here again.

Thank You Brother

 

[WastinSomeTime]

If I’m CY, and I’m determined not to rebuild, I do the following:
- Fire Adolis, Jung, and Heim into the sun. Take whatever anyone will give you. Just get them out of here.
- Sign a veteran catcher like Realmuto or Perez and get a couple of semi-decent seasons out of him before he hangs up the spikes.
- See if anyone is desperate enough to take Semien’s contract off our hands. He’s living off name only at this point. He’s the 2B version of Elvis in his last year with the Rangers- a revered player who did a lot for us, but just no longer useful.
- Make Smith our full-time DH because of his subpar glove. Pay Pederson to eat nachos in the dugout.
- Bring up Walcott to play 3B even though he hasn’t looked ready and pray he can be some raw lite version of Elly de la Cruz. Wishful thinking, I know.
- Remind Wyatt Langford he is Wyatt Langford and the next Mike Trout.
- Bubble wrap Evan Carter and let him play every day in CF.
- Hope Seager has a little left in the tank for a few more seasons.
- Sign Laureano to replace Adolis. Gonna keep beating the Laureano drum until it becomes reality.
- Give Freeman a chance to be the everyday 2B
- Hold your nose and go one more season with Burger at 1B, hoping he can hit .250 with 25 HR. I could live with that.

C: Realmuto
1B: Burger
2B: Freeman
SS: Seager
3B: Walcott
LF: Langford
CF: Carter
RF: Laureano
DH: Smith

That’s only 2 new players to sign and doable if you pull off the magic of offloading some or all of the contracts I mentioned. Overpay for a short-term contract for a quality catcher who is admittedly past his prime (still way better than Heim). Laureano won’t be able to command super crazy money with other more high profile names like Tucker, Schwarber, and Bellinger available. The Walcott thing is a pipe dream and almost certainly not a viable plan for 2026. He didn’t exactly set Frisco on fire this season. But if CY can make even some of those moves and earmark all remaining dollars for a real closer, this team would be better in 2026. Even if you just replace Heim, Semien, and Garcia with Realmuto, Freeman, and Laureano and live with Jung some more, that’s a step in the right direction.

I might have to hold off on Walcott. He has defensive shortcomings and needs a little more work or I will be pulling my hair out on every error he makes. His time is coming.

 

[saddles]

Baseball America published an article today listing the 9 teams they see as having the best international signing classes of 2025, based on early results. The Rangers were not included. This team really has a hard time when it comes to competing for top international talent. That is one more area where we have had a hard time competing.

Between our struggles in the draft, in international signings, and in development, it is no wonder we only have one top 100 prospect in the organization.

 

[saddles]

Realistic Timetable for Prospects ETA

Corniell - first half 2026
Walcott - spring 2027
Davadillo - spring 2027
Lopez - spring 2027
Cauley - first half 2027
Kling - last half 2027
Scarborough - spring 2028
Martin - first half 2028
Fien - end of 2028
Fitz-Gerald - spring 2029

Teodo - middle 2026
Santos - first half 2027
Rosario - maybe never
Moore - maybe never

 

[WastinSomeTime]

Realistic Timetable for Prospects ETA

Corniell - first half 2026
Walcott - spring 2027
Davadillo - spring 2027
Lopez - spring 2027
Cauley - first half 2027
Kling - last half 2027
Scarborough - spring 2028
Martin - first half 2028
Fien - end of 2028
Fitz-Gerald - spring 2029

Teodo - middle 2026
Santos - first half 2027
Rosario - maybe never
Moore - maybe never

I like the timetable for Wolcott. Possible he could be up the last half of next season depending on how he is doing.

 

[saddles]

From Texas Rangers PR :

The Texas Rangers today announced the club's 2025 minor league award winners:

Player of the Year – INF Cody Freeman
Pitcher of the Year – RHP David Davalillo
Reliever of the Year – RHP Eric Loomis
Defender of the Year – OF Yeremy Cabrera
True Ranger Award – C/1B Cal Stark

 

[Senator_fan]

Kershaw retiring after this season.

 

[saddles]

Kershaw retiring after this season.

At least we won't have to listen to any more false rumors that he is considering signing here. I am glad that is over and done with.

 

[saddles]

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[saddles]

From Scott Lucas:

Kumar Rocker pitching for first time since Aug 7. Nothing above 96.1. Cutter that was 25% of MLB repertoire is absent. Slider more conventional, less curve-like drop. Curve slurvier, down to 71 instead of usual 77 w 12" horizontal. 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 2 SO, 40 P / 26 S.

 

[saddles]

Jeff Wilson was mentioning on his podcast today that there have been times this year when the Rangers were on the road and maybe they would have a day game and had nothing to do that evening. Semien has told him he would invite all the guys to get together with him to hang out and watch some games. Then he would have only 2 or 3 guys show up.

Apparently, in the past, a lot of guys would show up. This sounds a lot like what Pillar mentioned earlier this year. There is no cohesion or camaraderie.

 

[scotsman#1948]

He did not handle the top of the lineup well at all. Put us in a hole

We have enough SP depth so I really do not want to resign him. Safer and cheaper if adding a vet to get Corbin

personally i think we're good with deGrom, Eovaldi, Latz and Leiter so i read us probably needing a RHP to open the season