Texas Rangers 2018-2019 Offseason Thread

[Duane1952]

Winter meetings start on Sunday. any predictions on what the Rangers might do

Nothing as usual. With is the last time they did something significant in the winter meetings.

 

[scotsman1948]

Nothing as usual. With is the last time they did something significant in the winter meetings.

never but again one can hope

 

[scotsman1948]

He should want to hit over .210 for a season. I'm sure banning the shift will help with those 200 plus strikeouts every year.

500 AB's with a .206 BA, 40 HR's, 38 Singles, 24 2B's and 207 SO's really sucks accept for the homers. but homers are all he plays for

 

[jta4437]

sounds good but with Willie Calhoun, Leody Taveras, JPM, Bubba Thompson, Pedro Gonzalez, Miguel Aparicio and even Scott Heineman ahead of him in the outfield does the choice make sense

Most of those guys are CFers or will be long gone by time Greene sniffs the majors

It's not the NFL or NBA where you draft for what you need now

Best player available is the name of the game or pitchers when in doubt

 

[scotsman1948]

Most of those guys are CFers or will be long gone by time Greene sniffs the majors

It's not the NFL or NBA where you draft for what you need now

Best player available is the name of the game or pitchers when in doubt

no argument just looked at the numbers and thought that along with them and Tocci and Yanio Perez and Eric Jenkins and even Hunter Cole his path could be difficult

 

[saddles]

Here are 9 intriguing prospects left unprotected heading into the Rule 5 Draft

Tyler Alexander, Detroit Tigers: The 24-year-old southpaw made our LHP prospects that we are excited to see debut list. Like another lefty on that list, Justus Sheffield, there seems a good chance it will be on a new team. Alexander hasn’t been lights out on his climb up the ladder, but it seems he has little left to prove in Triple-A. He doesn’t walk batters, but his stuff is inconsistent and he can be very hittable at times.


Tyler Jay, Minnesota Twins: Once one of the more highly-anticipated starting pitching prospects in the Twins system, the 2015 first-rounder has battled injury and has moved to the bullpen. His fastball-slider combo should play there in the big leagues if he can stay on the bump.


Ray-Patrick Didder, Atlanta Braves: The Braves had some big decision on their 40-man, and when Kurt Suzuki officially signed with the Nationals, it earned Alex Jackson the final spot. RPD has a lot of tools, highlighted by his speed, arm, and positional versatility, but he’s not quite ready for prime time. The Braves are hoping their future utility star slips through the cracks. While not as widely known, RHP bullpen arm Josh Graham has the best chance of unprotected Braves to get selected, so keep tabs on him.


Dom Nunez, Colorado Rockies: It seems like an eternity ago that Nunez was one of the more well-known catching prospects in the game. Selected in the sixth-round of the 2013 MLB Draft, Nunez began his career as a shortstop. He moved behind the plate in 2014 and adjusted very quickly as a catcher while hitting very well. He continued that progression in his full-season debut in 2015. While he remains solid as a catcher, his bat has not progressed and he still hasn’t taken a Triple-A at bat.


Jose Marmolejos, Washington Nationals: The 25-year-old left-handed hitter has had an illustrious minor league career. Marmolejos was the Nats MiLB player of the year in 2015 and 2016, and then made the Eastern League All Star squad with a solid 2017 season in Harrisburg. The problem is he is a first baseman and outfielder, and the power, arm-strength, and defense don’t really profile there.


Art Warren, Seattle Mariners: The Mariners right-handed bullpen piece looked on the verge of his big league debut after a big 2017 campaign in the Arizona Fall League, but his 2018 was plagued by injury. He is a solid addition to any bullpen with a fastball that can hit the high-90s and a slider that is elusive to hitters. But Warren also has a curve and change up that are usable pitches, making him a reliever with a four-pitch arsenal. He could be used in plenty of struggling bullpens, but are teams willing to throw him on the 25-man roster after a year mostly spent on the DL.

Ali Sanchez, New York Mets: Sanchez isn’t going anywhere with at least two years to see if his bat can work, but the 21-year-old catcher drew rave reviews for his arm and defensive prowess heading into 2017. It’s crazy to see him already unprotected after making his full season debut just last year, but that’s what happens when you make your pro debut at age 17.

 

[saddles]

sounds good but with Willie Calhoun, Leody Taveras, JPM, Bubba Thompson, Pedro Gonzalez, Miguel Aparicio and even Scott Heineman ahead of him in the outfield does the choice make sense

It is said that he very well could be moved to 1B.

If he did stay in the OF, then once he is ready either him or another OF could be traded in a package for pitching or whatever else we need at the time.

 

[saddles]

I wonder if Mathis is here to help IKF or if they are going to take a catcher in Rule 5 for Mathis to work with? Or both.

 

[saddles]

Asked of TR Sullivan in this week's mailbox.

Do you think president of baseball operations and general manager Jon Daniels will be exploring trades from our depth of left-handed-hitting corner outfielders/designated hitters -- Nomar Mazara, Willie Calhoun, Shin-Soo Choo -- in order to get young pitching?
-- Caden C., Tyler, Texas

Yes. First of all, Daniels explores everything. Secondly, he has made it clear that the Rangers have some depth in the outfield that could be earmarked for pitching help. Mazara would definitely get the most in return, followed by Joey Gallo. Calhoun still has potential, but he is not likely to command a front-line pitcher.

Then there is Choo. His once-forbidden contract is now down to two years, $42 million. That's getting to be more attractive, especially to potential American League suitors, because he has been performing at a high rate. The idea that Choo had a "bad contract" needing to be unloaded has always been a dubious view, and it appears to be diminishing by the year.

 

[saddles]

Rangers rebuilding on field, in front office

The Rangers had an Opening Day payroll of $133 million last season. It will likely be closer to $120 million next year.

One sign of the Rangers' approach is they did not get involved in the market for free-agent pitchers Patrick Corbin and Nathan Eovaldi. Corbin is reportedly heading to the Nationals, while Eovaldi is going back to the Red Sox. The Rangers have a desperate need for pitching, but aren't willing to play at the top of the market yet.

"We weren't involved in Corbin or Eovaldi," Daniels said. "We like both guys, but those weren't the moves we were willing to make right now. This is not the year where we are going to go all out. We are probably a year away from starting to look at some different options for expanding the payroll."

 

[Nightcrawler]

Asked of TR Sullivan in this week's mailbox.

Do you think president of baseball operations and general manager Jon Daniels will be exploring trades from our depth of left-handed-hitting corner outfielders/designated hitters -- Nomar Mazara, Willie Calhoun, Shin-Soo Choo -- in order to get young pitching?
-- Caden C., Tyler, Texas

Yes. First of all, Daniels explores everything. Secondly, he has made it clear that the Rangers have some depth in the outfield that could be earmarked for pitching help. Mazara would definitely get the most in return, followed by Joey Gallo. Calhoun still has potential, but he is not likely to command a front-line pitcher.

Then there is Choo. His once-forbidden contract is now down to two years, $42 million. That's getting to be more attractive, especially to potential American League suitors, because he has been performing at a high rate. The idea that Choo had a "bad contract" needing to be unloaded has always been a dubious view, and it appears to be diminishing by the year.

In my opinion, The first ( and only) realistic chance to get rid of Choo is the trade deadline of the last year in his contract. I hope JD does trade him someday and takes whatever he can get, even if it’s a bag of balls. That and the fielder contract were huge black holes and really held this team back.

 

[The Q]

Rangers rebuilding on field, in front office

The Rangers had an Opening Day payroll of $133 million last season. It will likely be closer to $120 million next year.

One sign of the Rangers' approach is they did not get involved in the market for free-agent pitchers Patrick Corbin and Nathan Eovaldi. Corbin is reportedly heading to the Nationals, while Eovaldi is going back to the Red Sox. The Rangers have a desperate need for pitching, but aren't willing to play at the top of the market yet.

"We weren't involved in Corbin or Eovaldi," Daniels said. "We like both guys, but those weren't the moves we were willing to make right now. This is not the year where we are going to go all out. We are probably a year away from starting to look at some different options for expanding the payroll."

But guys like Fiers and Shoemaker who were non-tendered could be very real options. And frankly more efficient.

 

[Kelleyman]

I wonder if Mathis is here to help IKF or if they are going to take a catcher in Rule 5 for Mathis to work with? Or both.

I think we pick up another catcher.

 

[Kelleyman]

But guys like Fiers and Shoemaker who were non-tendered could be very real options. And frankly more efficient.

True and maybe a flyer on Miller if we get first year on the cheap and option a bit higher Rangers going to get more SP but wonder if we use Chavez as a starter with a guy like Springs as the opener

 

[Kelleyman]

Rangers rebuilding on field, in front office

This is not the year where we are going to go all out. We are probably a year away from starting to look at some different options for expanding the payroll."

Next year we get into the FA market with a splash. There you have it

 

[DT LUNA]

Next year we get into the FA market with a splash. There you have it

Not going to satisfy everyone. LOL

 

[scotsman1948]

I think we pick up another catcher.

wonder who's out there that would meet the Rangers need and be really cheap

 

[scotsman1948]

Not going to satisfy everyone. LOL

guess i'm one of those because I want to see a competitive team on the field every year and not go thru these extreme dips every few years

 

[scotsman1948]

True and maybe a flyer on Miller if we get first year on the cheap and option a bit higher Rangers going to get more SP but wonder if we use Chavez as a starter with a guy like Springs as the opener

being non-tendered always raises a red flag in my book but if all you are wanting to do in 2019 is put 25 players on the field signing one or more them makes sense

 

[saddles]

Next year we get into the FA market with a splash. There you have it

Define "splash".

I think our adding FA will be more than a one year splash. As we get closer to the team being a contender it will be time to bring in free agents. We probably pick up one good one each of the next 3 offseasons. I doubt we make a "splash" that would be an attendance difference-maker like you are suggesting. Those kind of difference makers are far and few between to begin with.