Texas Rangers 2021 - 2022 Offseason Thread

[saddles]

From Jeff Wilson:

Hope?
News broke Wednesday night that the owners and union plan to meet Saturday, when the owners will make a new economic proposal to help draw the sides closer to reaching a collective bargaining agreement before they screw up the regular season.

A few reasons to be optimistic here:

1. MLB executives do not like to work on the weekend, so a Saturday of work indicates they must realize the gravity of the situation.

2. A few more of my sources in the sport are quietly saying that the sides aren’t as far apart as everyone is making them out to be. There is no line in the sand, like the salary cap in 1994.

3. Enough players have repeated the company line of “we’re ready to negotiate” that the union has no choice but to quickly make a counter proposal. The PR tide is in their favor now, which doesn’t happen often, and they can’t blow it with a half-hearted offer like the last one they submitted. It might come as soon as Sunday, but it sure would be nice if it was no later than Monday.

Can it all blow up? Of course. Commissioner Rob Manfred is expected to speak to reporters Thursday in Florida at the owners meetings, and a foot-in-the-mouth moment never seems to be too far away from him.

Even if he does provide the wrong soundbite, the sides realizes that their final soft deadline of March 1 is coming quickly. They know it’s time.

 

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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

The problem with trying to stop tanking is that any attempts to do so also hurts the teams that are simply not very good without doing anything wrong. It also hurts teams that are rebuilding the right way like the Rangers have done.

The draft lottery is a terrible idea for those reasons I gave. If we want to punish bad teams then reverse the order of the draft completely. Of course, no one would do that, but the draft lottery is a step in that direction, a wrong direction in my estimation.

I know the players are saying they want a draft lottery for the integrity of the game. Why they really want it is because they think teams will spend more in free agency if they cannot be guaranteed one of the best draft picks. I think they are being both disingenuous and foolish to take that tact. They are interested in more competition for free agents and don't care about the integrity of the game. They are foolish enough to think that will make teams spend more. I don't think it will make any difference in that area.

Wait until the Yankees, Dodgers, or Red Sox finish up just below .500 and get the third pick in the draft. Then we will see the toll that takes on the perceived integrity of the sport. The integrity factor works in the complete opposite way the Players Association is claiming.

 

[saddles]

I haven't updated the LSB community list of top prospects in several days. These are voted on by fans who follow Lone Star Ball.

1 — Jack Leiter

2 — Josh Jung

3 — Cole Winn

4 — Justin Foscue

5 — Dustin Harris

6 — Ezequiel Duran

7 — Owen White

8 — Evan Carter

9 — Josh Smith

10 — Sam Huff

11 — Ricky Vanasco

12 — Luisangel Acuna

13 — A.J. Alexy

14 — Thomas Saggese

15 — Aaron Zavala

16 — T.K. Roby

17 — Glenn Otto

18 — Maximo Acosta

19 — Davis Wendzel

20 — Ronny Henriquez

21 — Blaine Crim

22 — Yerry Rodriguez

23 — Bubba Thompson

24 -- Cole Ragans

25 -- Yeison Morrobel

26 -- Cody Bradford

 

[True Rangers Fan]

Rangers Expected To Explore Matt Olson Deal Post-Lockout

 

[Kelleyman]

The problem with trying to stop tanking is that any attempts to do so also hurts the teams that are simply not very good without doing anything wrong. It also hurts teams that are rebuilding the right way like the Rangers have done.

The draft lottery is a terrible idea for those reasons I gave. If we want to punish bad teams then reverse the order of the draft completely. Of course, no one would do that, but the draft lottery is a step in that direction, a wrong direction in my estimation.

I know the players are saying they want a draft lottery for the integrity of the game. Why they really want it is because they think teams will spend more in free agency if they cannot be guaranteed one of the best draft picks. I think they are being both disingenuous and foolish to take that tact. They are interested in more competition for free agents and don't care about the integrity of the game. They are foolish enough to think that will make teams spend more. I don't think it will make any difference in that area.

Wait until the Yankees, Dodgers, or Red Sox finish up just below .500 and get the third pick in the draft. Then we will see the toll that takes on the perceived integrity of the sport. The integrity factor works in the complete opposite way the Players Association is claiming.

Well I sure don’t have all the answers/solutions and do think the revenue sharing is a factor for owners not putting a competitive product on the field. And I am not praising the virtues of the players as well like with draft compensation which to me is still debatable

I am merely stating what this fan, me would like
All this could easily be over my pay grade

I am for improvements that improve the watchability should I regain that pleasure due to the current cable monopoly and restrictions with MLB app

 

[saddles]

 

[True Rangers Fan]

Good.

 

[saddles]

Well I sure don’t have all the answers/solutions and do think the revenue sharing is a factor for owners not putting a competitive product on the field. And I am not praising the virtues of the players as well like with draft compensation which to me is still debatable

I am merely stating what this fan, me would like
All this could easily be over my pay grade

I am for improvements that improve the watchability should I regain that pleasure due to the current cable monopoly and restrictions with MLB app

Yeah, I am all for reducing or eliminating revenue sharing completely. Those financially challenged teams should be allowed to sink or swim. If they are going to continue to charge a fine for those teams with large payrolls, then let that money be used for something other than helping the lower rung teams. Make it part of a bonus pool for players or give it to charity. Or put it in with the national TV money to be divided up equally to all teams.

 

[saddles]

Rangers Expected To Explore Matt Olson Deal Post-Lockout

I still don't understand why we would trade multiple top prospects for 2 years use of a guy. Evan Grant has been pushing the possibility for awhile now.

 

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[scotsman1948]

a week? doesn't allow much time for signing all the FA's still available, or trades, etc

 

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[scotsman1948]

i would think to avoid possible inures due to a shortened ST that it would have to have at least a 32-man roster with a 4 to 8 man travelling taxi squad

 

[saddles]

 

[True Rangers Fan]

I still don't understand why we would trade multiple top prospects for 2 years use of a guy. Evan Grant has been pushing the possibility for awhile now.

Haven't read much about it, but "Grant suggests an Olson package would require, at minimum, current big league first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, plus of the organization’s top prospects and a pair of other mid-tier names from down on the farm" sounds like some bullshit.

 

[saddles]

 

[DTC]

Rangers Expected To Explore Matt Olson Deal Post-Lockout

Wonder what it would take to get Olson.