Texas Rangers 2019-2020 Offseason Thread

[saddles]

I think a platoon is the best choice with occasionally letting him bat against lefties.

I think you don’t realize just how much more his bat needs to develop. Most teams hide a bad fielder at first base and just put some guy who can really freaking hit over there.

hardly anyone trots out a Mendoza at first base with little to no power... except for us I guess.

None of us knows that. I do know that I don't mind finding out.

 

[jta4437]

It’s not my job to make offers.

I was just lashing out because the castellanos “ pursuit” is starting to feel like our half assed attempt to get Rendon. It’s not fair to get the fans hopes up when our lineup needs a ton of help. There’s about 10 lineups in the American League better than ours off the top of my head.

Then shut up

 

[Uncle Siggy]

Then shut up

My guess is Castellanos wants 4yrs/60M don't think the Rangers want to go there though, maybe 2yrs/28M with a 3rd year option.

 

[scotsman1948]

I can not fathom why JD puts Mathis ahead of Trevino. Mathis was rated as the worst positional player in all of baseball last season so it is beyond me what JD saw that makes him of any value except as a negative $3M

 

[WastinSomeTime]

I can not fathom why JD puts Mathis ahead of Trevino. Mathis was rated as the worst positional player in all of baseball last season so it is beyond me what JD saw that makes him of any value except as a negative $3M

I agree with you. The only thing I can think of is that Chirinos will get the majority of playing time and they do not want Trevino just sitting on the bench.

 

[saddles]

Potential landing spots, deals for Nolan Arenado

T R Sullivan's proposal includes Huff, Taveras, Solak, Alllard, Hernandez, and Guzman.

 

[saddles]

I agree with you. The only thing I can think of is that Chirinos will get the majority of playing time and they do not want Trevino just sitting on the bench.

That is probably how they are thinking. I might agree with them thinking that if I thought Trevino was eventually going to be a starter here. I think Chirinos carries that mantle until Huff is ready. I think Trevino could be the backup here under both of those guys.

 

[scotsman1948]

I agree with you. The only thing I can think of is that Chirinos will get the majority of playing time and they do not want Trevino just sitting on the bench.

Trevino on the Rangers bench is more of a positive than anything Mathis brings

 

[WastinSomeTime]

Trevino on the Rangers bench is more of a positive than anything Mathis brings

I won't deny that.

 

[jta4437]

My guess is Castellanos wants 4yrs/60M don't think the Rangers want to go there though, maybe 2yrs/28M with a 3rd year option.

I'm okay with 4 years and he's typically been a $20 million offensive player but a negative value defensive player, so 15 million a year for 3-4 years as a DH (once Choo is gone), OF depth, maybe some 1B going forward would be good to me

That RH bat would be nice at the DH spot and rotating at the COF spots with our other LH guys

 

[saddles]

Here are the Top 10 catching prospects for 2020

The Top 10 (ETA)
1. Adley Rutschman, Orioles (2021)
2. Joey Bart, Giants (2020)
3. Sean Murphy, A’s (2020)
4. Luis Campusano, Padres (2021)
5. Francisco Alvarez, Mets (2023)
6. Shea Langeliers, Braves (2021)
7. Keibert Ruiz, Dodgers (2021)
8. Sam Huff, Rangers (2021)
9. Daulton Varsho, D-backs (2020)
10. Miguel Amaya, Cubs (2021)

 

[saddles]

Here are the Top 10 catching prospects for 2020

The Top 10 (ETA)
1. Adley Rutschman, Orioles (2021)
2. Joey Bart, Giants (2020)
3. Sean Murphy, A’s (2020)
4. Luis Campusano, Padres (2021)
5. Francisco Alvarez, Mets (2023)
6. Shea Langeliers, Braves (2021)
7. Keibert Ruiz, Dodgers (2021)
8. Sam Huff, Rangers (2021)
9. Daulton Varsho, D-backs (2020)
10. Miguel Amaya, Cubs (2021)

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 60 | Run: 40 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50 | Overall: 55

Huff led Arizona high schoolers with 14 homers in 2016 and was the state's first prepster selected that June, passing on a commitment to Grand Canyon to sign for $225,000 in the seventh round. He spent his first two pro seasons in Rookie ball before jumping to low Class A and hitting 18 homers in his third. He broke out in 2019, ranking second among Minor League catchers with 28 homers and earning MVP honors at the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game.

Huff may have more raw power than any catching prospect and as much as any player in the Minors. He has plenty of strength and leverage in his 6-foot-4 frame, which combine with his take-no-prisoners right-handed swing to produce the highest exit velocities of any Rangers farmhand since Joey Gallo. His extreme aggression has resulted in a 30 percent strikeout rate through his first four seasons, however, and he may need a more disciplined approach to succeed against upper-level pitching.

Though just five players his size have caught 300 games in the big leagues, Huff moves surprisingly well for a huge man and should be able to remain behind the plate. He has improved his defense significantly since turning pro and scores well in Texas' framing metrics, though he needs to get more consistent with his receiving. His arm draws well above-average grades from some scouts and helped him erase 48 percent of basestealers in 2019.

 

[saddles]

To me, Huff is one of our untouchables in our system.

 

[WilltheThrill]

I can not fathom why JD puts Mathis ahead of Trevino. Mathis was rated as the worst positional player in all of baseball last season so it is beyond me what JD saw that makes him of any value except as a negative $3M

It’s just another example of this franchise’s complete refusal to acknowledge their mistakes by not making them go away. Yes, they did acknowledge they made a mistake letting Chirinos walk, and they rectified it by bringing him back. But they won’t rectify the other mistake and send Mathis packing.

I was extremely disappointed with the Mathis signing since the day they announced it, and that’s saying a lot for me, because I am normally even a little too optimistic about every signing or trade our local DFW teams make. Mathis has been a really bad baseball player for quite some time... one of the absolute worst in the game. He’s always been a terrible hitter, but his pitching framing and ability to call a game made him usable in his early days. But his bat has gotten even WORSE, and now his defense has deteriorated as well.
He’s awful.

Wastin brings up a good reason for Trevino starting at AAA, and it would make sense to want the young guy to be playing instead of rotting on the bench. But I would actually keep him on the ML team as a backup and platoon him with Chirinos, with something like a 60-40 split. It would save both Chirinos and Trevino from the wear and tear of playing 110+ games at catcher. More and more teams are starting to platoon catchers for this very reason.

Plus, I’m not that sold on Robinson Chirinos. He’s better than average, but these days that’s not saying much. I think we’re all guilty of forgetting his weaknesses because of how bad we saw things get last year. He’s a very mediocre defensive catcher who hits for an ok average, but he does have some pop in his bat. He’s not terrible at anything, which compared to most catchers now is actually a plus. He’s what I would call “decent”. But Trevino himself can be “decent”, too. I think a Chirinos-Trevino platoon would rank the Rangers somewhere in the middle of the pack at the position.

 

[DTC]

To me, Huff is one of our untouchables in our system.

I wouldn’t consider any Rangers prospects untouchable..
Remember in 2016 the Rangers had 5 players on the top 75 MLB prospects list.
Gallo(9), Brinson(16), Mazara(18), Tate(36), L. Ortiz(73). Only Gallo has been well above average because of his monster power...

Remember Taylor Teagarden, Max Ramirez, J. Saltalmachia? and even Jorge Alfaro may never have a season over a 2.0 WAR or have an .800 OPS or an OPS+ over 100 which is just average.

2020- Jung(55), Huff(73), Crouse(78)

In the right deal I would say none of these guys are untouchable. If you’re trying to win now and the player you acquire is under control for 3+ years I would say it’s ok to trade a couple of players With only future potential for guys with proven track records for the now.
Also if your team is crushing it come July 31 and you feel the need to add one more missing piece that will be needed during the playoffs.. like a cliff lee in 2010..do it
The rangers signed Beltre before the 2011 season began so they didn’t need to make a trade for an awesome bat. The Rangers did not get Rendon or Donaldson this offseason via free agency so a Trade for a bat would make sense.

In saying that I would rather Sign Castellanos and then go into the season and see where the team is come July 31 and then make a decision on rather or not we need an extra bat or an extra pitcher or both to help in the playoffs and trade accordingly.

 

[scotsman1948]

Beltran steps down as Mets manager

 

[WilltheThrill]

Mike Olt and Jurickson Profar were once “untouchable” prospects as well (can you imagine what the Rangers might have accomplished with a peak Greinke if JD had said yes to Olt-for-Greinke).

I certainly don’t advocate just giving our best prospects away for marginal improvements, a la Matt Garza and Ryan Dempster. But if a true superstar player with zero red flags is offered to us by a rebuilding team, we should absolutely be willing to at least discuss any names from our entire stable of prospects.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

It’s just another example of this franchise’s complete refusal to acknowledge their mistakes by not making them go away. Yes, they did acknowledge they made a mistake letting Chirinos walk, and they rectified it by bringing him back. But they won’t rectify the other mistake and send Mathis packing.

I was extremely disappointed with the Mathis signing since the day they announced it, and that’s saying a lot for me, because I am normally even a little too optimistic about every signing or trade our local DFW teams make. Mathis has been a really bad baseball player for quite some time... one of the absolute worst in the game. He’s always been a terrible hitter, but his pitching framing and ability to call a game made him usable in his early days. But his bat has gotten even WORSE, and now his defense has deteriorated as well.
He’s awful.

Wastin brings up a good reason for Trevino starting at AAA, and it would make sense to want the young guy to be playing instead of rotting on the bench. But I would actually keep him on the ML team as a backup and platoon him with Chirinos, with something like a 60-40 split. It would save both Chirinos and Trevino from the wear and tear of playing 110+ games at catcher. More and more teams are starting to platoon catchers for this very reason.

Plus, I’m not that sold on Robinson Chirinos. He’s better than average, but these days that’s not saying much. I think we’re all guilty of forgetting his weaknesses because of how bad we saw things get last year. He’s a very mediocre defensive catcher who hits for an ok average, but he does have some pop in his bat. He’s not terrible at anything, which compared to most catchers now is actually a plus. He’s what I would call “decent”. But Trevino himself can be “decent”, too. I think a Chirinos-Trevino platoon would rank the Rangers somewhere in the middle of the pack at the position.

I posted something a week or so ago so it wouldn't be seen about how bad Chirinos was at throwing out runners and that Trevino threw out 44%. I liked what I saw the more the season wore on.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

I wouldn’t consider any Rangers prospects untouchable..
Remember in 2016 the Rangers had 5 players on the top 75 MLB prospects list.
Gallo(9), Brinson(16), Mazara(18), Tate(36), L. Ortiz(73). Only Gallo has been well above average because of his monster power...

Remember Taylor Teagarden, Max Ramirez, J. Saltalmachia? and even Jorge Alfaro may never have a season over a 2.0 WAR or have an .800 OPS or an OPS+ over 100 which is just average.

2020- Jung(55), Huff(73), Crouse(78)

In the right deal I would say none of these guys are untouchable. If you’re trying to win now and the player you acquire is under control for 3+ years I would say it’s ok to trade a couple of players With only future potential for guys with proven track records for the now.
Also if your team is crushing it come July 31 and you feel the need to add one more missing piece that will be needed during the playoffs.. like a cliff lee in 2010..do it
The rangers signed Beltre before the 2011 season began so they didn’t need to make a trade for an awesome bat. The Rangers did not get Rendon or Donaldson this offseason via free agency so a Trade for a bat would make sense.

In saying that I would rather Sign Castellanos and then go into the season and see where the team is come July 31 and then make a decision on rather or not we need an extra bat or an extra pitcher or both to help in the playoffs and trade accordingly.

As long as we do not deplete our farm system like we did a few years ago I agree with you and Will. Prospects are just that, prospects as compared to someone who has been able to do it at the MLB level on a consistent basis.

 

[saddles]

I wouldn’t consider any Rangers prospects untouchable..
Remember in 2016 the Rangers had 5 players on the top 75 MLB prospects list.
Gallo(9), Brinson(16), Mazara(18), Tate(36), L. Ortiz(73). Only Gallo has been well above average because of his monster power...

Remember Taylor Teagarden, Max Ramirez, J. Saltalmachia? and even Jorge Alfaro may never have a season over a 2.0 WAR or have an .800 OPS or an OPS+ over 100 which is just average.

2020- Jung(55), Huff(73), Crouse(78)

In the right deal I would say none of these guys are untouchable. If you’re trying to win now and the player you acquire is under control for 3+ years I would say it’s ok to trade a couple of players With only future potential for guys with proven track records for the now.
Also if your team is crushing it come July 31 and you feel the need to add one more missing piece that will be needed during the playoffs.. like a cliff lee in 2010..do it
The rangers signed Beltre before the 2011 season began so they didn’t need to make a trade for an awesome bat. The Rangers did not get Rendon or Donaldson this offseason via free agency so a Trade for a bat would make sense.

In saying that I would rather Sign Castellanos and then go into the season and see where the team is come July 31 and then make a decision on rather or not we need an extra bat or an extra pitcher or both to help in the playoffs and trade accordingly.

Yes, I remember those prospects very well. I don't remember Tate ever being ranked like that though.

Just because some prospects don't pan out doesn't mean it isn't reasonable to consider some untouchable, especially when the rebuilding and transition stages have all pointed to when guys like Huff and a few others would be ready.

This is not Teagarden or Sasquatch we are talking about.