Texas Rangers 2021 - 2022 Offseason Thread

[Kelleyman]

Interesting story in the thread

 

[Kelleyman]

 

[Kelleyman]

 

[saddles]

I have high hopes for five of our starting pitcher prospects. Of course, since they are no longer prospects, that doesn't include Hearn and Dunning. It also doesn't include prospects like Alexy, Otto, Henriquez, Rodriguez, Kent, Bradford, Slaten, Weems, Ragans, and Latz. It isn't that I don't think any of that last group of prospects are any good. I really like several of them. I just put our top five guys head and shoulders above those guys. Leiter, Vanasco, Winn, White and Roby are shaping up to be really special pitchers. Some of the rest of those guys may make up the bulk of our bullpen in three or four years.

I was discussing our pitching prospects on twitter earlier today. I had mentioned my top 5 pitching prospects for us being Leiter, Winn, Vanasco, White and Roby. Someone then brought up how our prospects from the 2010s decade were suupposed to be good as well and look what we got from them. It is my opinion that these guys are not your 2010s pitching prospects at all. I think you could take my top 5 out of the picture, and our next top 5, as a whole, would be better than any of our top 5 pitching prospect lists, as a whole, from that 2010s decade.

 

[saddles]

Here is a fairly new top Rangers prospects list.

Texas Rangers top 20 prospects 2022

In the past the Texas Rangers were often overlooked in the scope of MLB farm system rankings, but with recent drafts and trades, they have a deep system and some very intriguing prospects. In the latest MLB.com farm system rankings, they have the Rangers listed at number 11. Let’s take a look at...

theprospecttimes.com

 

[Kelleyman]

 

[scotsman1948]

not holding my breath on them reaching any agreement. it will take them a week or 2 just to agree to meet

 

[Kelleyman]

not holding my breath on them reaching any agreement. it will take them a week or 2 just to agree to meet

Have not heard of a meeting together scheduled this week so any progress is at a snails pace

Wonder if they can get a mini agreement in good faith so player can get on the field. This is very strict right now IMO

 

[scotsman1948]

Have not heard of a meeting together scheduled this week so any progress is at a snails pace

Wonder if they can get a mini agreement in good faith so player can get on the field. This is very strict right now IMO

a mini agreement wouldn't work because one or the other side would use it as the ultimate hammer on the fans

 

[Kelleyman]

a mini agreement wouldn't work because one or the other side would use it as the ultimate hammer on the fans

Yeah total long shot but I am ready for a Hail Mary

 

[saddles]

Predicting the Top 10 prospects for '23

Get ready for a lot of talented rookies in the big leagues and a lot of turnover atop MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list in 2022. Led by Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman, Mariners outfielder Julio Rodríguez and Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., seven of the eight highest-rated prospects on our

www.mlb.com

Leiter is predicted to be number 6.

They have no other pitchers above him and only one non-SS above him. The way MLB Pipeline overrates SS means having Leiter at 6 is even more impressive.

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

 

[DTC]

Jesus, let’s get the show on the road

 

[saddles]

“When this thing ends,” said one agent, “the first thing owners will say is, “We have no money.” So the top 10 percent will get signed. Then it will be a bloodbath.”

Another agent’s prediction: “You’ll see more guys take minor-league deals than in any year in the history of baseball. I wonder how many guys take one-year deals just to get some kind of guaranteed deal, and say, ‘I’ll deal with this next year.’”

 

[saddles]

More from the Rosenthal article:

Nothing can upend the serenity of your basic spring-training camp like a good old five-player blockbuster trade. We haven’t seen many of them in recent years. Get ready for that to change.

Remember this November column from Jim Bowden, on the 12 biggest names most likely to be traded this winter? You know how many of those 12 have actually been dealt? Right you are. None.

So could Matt Olson spend his morning taking batting practice with the A’s and his afternoon introducing himself to his next team? Yep. That could totally happen.

Could Sonny Gray pitch Monday for the Reds and Saturday for, say, the Angels? Why not?

Could Craig Kimbrel, Willson Contreras and Kevin Kiermaier all start spring training in one camp and end it in another? Don’t rule that out.

Every one of these names — and more — was heavily discussed in trade conversations before this offseason was so rudely interrupted by that lockout stop sign. So once that red light turns green again, we know exactly what that means.

“I think that’s going to be the story of spring training — trades during spring training,” said one manager. “It seems like the free agents will go first. Those are the people without jobs.”

We heard predictions that a few of these monster trades will go down almost immediately, because most of the groundwork was laid earlier in the offseason. We also heard suspicions, from some club officials, that other teams may have ignored the rules and continued their back-channel trade talks during the lockout. But they’re convinced they may never know that for sure.

 

[saddles]

Another part of the Rosenthal article:

Think of what spring training usually means for those 21-year-old hotshots on Keith Law’s top 100 prospects list, finally getting their first look in a big-league spring training camp. For every young player on the rise, that’s a special, invaluable, irreplaceable time.

All right, now sing along with us: Not this year.

If they’re on the 40-man roster, those young players already have been set back by getting caught up in the middle of a big-league work stoppage that they had virtually no say in. But now fast-forward to the road ahead for those same players. It’s bumpy.

If they’re headed for the minor leagues anyway, that means they’ll be behind — possibly weeks behind — the non-40-man-roster players who got to report to minor-league camp on time. If they’re close to the big leagues, it means they’ll have just a handful of chances to open the eyes of managers, coaches, teammates and their front office.

Back in the spring of 2001, the Cardinals thought a prospect named Albert Pujols was headed for Double A. Nope! A month and a half later, he was batting two spots behind Mark McGwire in their Opening Day big-league lineup. What are the odds of anybody reenacting that story this year?

“The guys you’re talking about, the 21-year-old who has talent and you put on the 40-man, that kid gets really hurt by this,” said an official of one club. “Not having the ability to do the normal things he would do in the offseason, minicamps, things like that. That particular player has gotten hurt more.”

 

[scotsman1948]

again, not holding my breath that anything will come of this. neither side is interested

 

[saddles]

I would like to see MLB propose a significantly better offer and announce they are ending the lockout in good faith. The significantly better offer should be given as a final offer. That puts the onus on the Players Association.

Increase the league minimum very substantially. Increase the competitive balance threshold significantly. Reduce or get rid of penalties for signing free agents. Final offer.

 

[Kelleyman]

I would like to see MLB propose a significantly better offer and announce they are ending the lockout in good faith. The significantly better offer should be given as a final offer. That puts the onus on the Players Association.

Increase the league minimum very substantially. Increase the competitive balance threshold significantly. Reduce or get rid of penalties for signing free agents. Final offer.

That would be progress.
I am still beating the elimination of incentivized tanking
I think that would be good for the game
While they are at it shorten the replay times
I hope they find a way to get control of all these limited TV viewing issues
This fan is a bit ticked

BTW the sport is in the entertainment business and they don’t know how to get out of the way.

A lot of angst to try to recoup