Texas Rangers 2022 - 2023 Offseason Thread

[saddles]

I doubt Otto starts out in AAA

Why? They definitely need MLB ready guys ready to come up when injuries occur. With this staff those injuries could come soon and often. Him and Dunning are really the only guys they can depend on like that to begin the year.

 

[saddles]

Most likely, Jacob Gonzalez from Ole Miss.

From the Bleacher Report:

A two-sport star in high school who was also a standout quarterback, Jacob Gonzalez went undrafted in the abbreviated 2020 draft and immediately took over as the starting shortstop at Ole Miss as a freshman.

He hit .355/.443/.561 with 16 doubles, 12 home runs and 55 RBI as a freshman, and he continued to impress this spring with a .273/.405/.558 line that included 18 homers and an improved 16.7 percent walk rate.

With a strong 6'2", 200-pound frame and quick hands, Gonzalez's power production comes from his ability to consistently barrel up the ball and make quality contact.

Aside from his offensive prowess, he also looks a good bet to stick at shortstop where he has the tools to be an above-average defender. Continued production in the SEC while playing a premium position should keep him at the top of draft boards throughout the 2023 season.

 

[Kelleyman]

Why? They definitely need MLB ready guys ready to come up when injuries occur. With this staff those injuries could come soon and often. Him and Dunning are really the only guys they can depend on like that to begin the year.

Because at this point he is likely more useful a a a reliever long man than starter depending upon what happens in the spring
Our young guys in AAA need to step up and fill the gap they really did not last year. So Ragans Dunning Winn and Kent etc may be enough

 

[Kelleyman]

Bennie. Why don’t you just give Heaney a chance. We were pleasantly surprised with Teen

 

[Kelleyman]

Dunning was always a bridge but Otto I think we keep a bit

 

[saddles]

Because at this point he is likely more useful a a a reliever long man than starter depending upon what happens in the spring
Our young guys in AAA need to step up and fill the gap they really did not last year. So Ragans Dunning Winn and Kent etc may be enough

That just seems to be a year too premature to do that with Otto. They aren't cash strapped. They can afford an established reliever for that purpose. I think if they are tempted to do that with anyone it would be Cody of he survives the Rule 5 draft. That would be premature to me as well though.

They just need to finish the roster building and sign a couple of free agent relievers.

 

[Kelleyman]

That just seems to be a year too premature to do that with Otto. They aren't cash strapped. They can afford an established reliever for that purpose. I think if they are tempted to do that with anyone it would be Cody of he survives the Rule 5 draft. That would be premature to me as well though.

They just need to finish the roster building and sign a couple of free agent relievers.

We shall see. Do think we need a closer. But word is a LF may be in cards. I don’t think they are going to hand the spot to Smith or Duran automatically

 

[BULLPEN FAILURE]

I'm worried that Preller is going to come in and take Rodon or Senga. I still see us in the mix on both, and both will likely have new homes today.

 

[saddles]

Bennie. Why don’t you just give Heaney a chance. We were pleasantly surprised with Teen

For one thing, Martin didn't come with a very recent history of an extremely fragile arm.

Also, just because Perez turned things around doesn't mean that you can count on anyone else to do the same thing. And over his last 8 starts he gave up a lot of runs, mainly due to all those HR he gave up. His first 6 starts of 2022 were fantastic though.

He is here now, so he will get his chance no matter what I think. I am trying to look on the bright side though. He isn't here for 4 years blocking young starters. He could easily be converted to a reliever by 2024 freeing up a rotation spot for one of those young starters. His fragile arm will most likely give guys like Otto and Dunning opportunities that they might not get had another starter been signed. So, there are positives even in the negatives.

 

[BULLPEN FAILURE]

I guess the group of fans that have always been obsessed with making a blockbuster trade for a pitcher had a rough day yesterday when the Rangers rounded out their rotation without a trade. Jamey Newberg was in this group along with a bunch of fans I have encountered on Twitter.

Speaking of, where are we in the timeline of your prediction that we would trade away 8 of 20 of our top guys by a certain date?

 

[saddles]

We shall see. Do think we need a closer. But word is a LF may be in cards. I don’t think they are going to hand the spot to Smith or Duran automatically

If they sign a LF they will hand the spot to the guy they sign automatically. Then Smith or Duran will automatically be out of their plans.

To me it is more about making a decision than handing a job to someone. For instance, if they make a decision that Smith should start in LF it would be because of what he has shown them since he entered the organization. It wouldn't be a hand out.

They have to make that decision now. Either they believe in him or they don't. They have done that before with guys like Young, Kinsler, and Elvis.

We will find out soon. If they sign a free agent then most likely they don't believe in him and/or Duran.

 

[saddles]

Speaking of, where are we in the timeline of your prediction that we would trade away 8 of 20 of our top guys by a certain date?

That has long passed. I mentioned that a few months ago when the trade deadline passed.

 

[Kelleyman]

For one thing, Martin didn't come with a very recent history of an extremely fragile arm.

Also, just because Perez turned things around doesn't mean that you can count on anyone else to do the same thing. And over his last 8 starts he gave up a lot of runs, mainly due to all those HR he gave up. His first 6 starts of 2022 were fantastic though.

He is here now, so he will get his chance no matter what I think. I am trying to look on the bright side though. He isn't here for 4 years blocking young starters. He could easily be converted to a reliever by 2024 freeing up a rotation spot for one of those young starters. His fragile arm will most likely give guys like Otto and Dunning opportunities that they might not get had another starter been signed. So, there are positives even in the negatives.

Ok but most weee negative with the MP signing and even Gray and even Lynn

I gave it an open mind although Lynn Ha immediate success prior and oost Minn

Perhaps the Rangers are giving due diligence health wise Hard to know. Really the same goes with DeGrom

 

[saddles]

Speaking of, where are we in the timeline of your prediction that we would trade away 8 of 20 of our top guys by a certain date?

Several weeks ago I said that I fully expected the Rangers to trade away 5 to 8 of their top 20 prospects by the July31, 2022 trade deadline. I don't know that I am as convinced of that at the present as I was then, but I still think it is a strong possibility. Since I went out on a limb, I will stay on the limb.

One thing I thought of since then is that I need to make some kind of list of top 20 prospects to use in about 5 months to see how inaccurate I was. There is some wide discrepancy in the various lists regarding these type of rankings after you get to about number 10 or so. I have decided to look at some of the lists and try to come up with an amalgamation.

I will lean towards the lists of Prospects 1500, Keith Law, MLB Pipeline, Prospects Live, and Jeff Wilson. I have a little bit of an idea of Baseball Prospectus' list, but not really the order they had them in, so I am looking at theirs, but not giving it as much weight as I might have, if I could view it in its entirety.

These aren't necessarily in order. The further you go down the list the harder I found it to come up with as much agreement though.


Leiter
Winn
Jung
White
Vanasco
Foscue
Smith
Duran
Carter
Harris
Zavala
Acuna
Huff
Wendzel
Roby
Morrobel
Acosta
Bradford
Hauver
Henriquez

Just outside of the top 20 are Alexy, Kent, and Gutierrez.

So there we have it. Let's see just how many of those top 20 guys get traded. I hope not many at all.

 

[saddles]

Ok but most weee negative with the MP signing and even Gray and even Lynn

I gave it an open mind although Lynn Ha immediate success prior and oost Minn

Perhaps the Rangers are giving due diligence health wise Hard to know. Really the same goes with DeGrom

Yeah, Heaney has the injury issues without the stellar success deGrom has had when not injured though.

I think Heamey's strikeout totals seem to mesmerize folks and keep them from seeing the big picture.

Like I said though, at least we are ready for when he gets injured, and it is a rather short term deal.

 

[saddles]

Ok but most weee negative with the MP signing and even Gray and even Lynn

I just thought the Perez signing was an insurance policy. It didn't really bother me.

The Gray contract was too long for me.

I can't remember what I thought about Lynn.

I do remember liking the Gibson signing.

I did like the Odorizzy trade a lot, more than most folks.

So, I can be pleased. Lol

 

[BULLPEN FAILURE]

That has long passed. I mentioned that a few months ago when the trade deadline passed.

gotcha. missed that.

 

[saddles]

The Baseball America mock does not have Jacob Gonzalez going to the Rangers. It is another Jacob.

This is a writeup I found on him from Perfect Game when it was thought he would go 10th to the Marlins.

Jacob Wilson, SS, Grand Canyon

Wilson would give the Marlins back-to-back collegiate bats in the first round. While Wilson does not have as much power as last year’s first round pick Jacob Berry, the GCU shortstop possesses top-of-the-line bat-to-ball skills that makes him nearly impossible to strikeout. The power continues to develop, as do the defensive actions, with both likely being at least 50-grade tools down the line. -TH

This one is from the fresh mock by Prospects Live:

7. Cincinnati Reds

Jacob Wilson, Infield, Grand Canyon

The Reds fell a bit further than they’d like in the lottery, but this is a deep, deep draft and Wilson has the look of a guy that could play 15 years in pro ball and hit .300 every single year. We’re talking about a guy who struck out just seven times TOTAL in 2022. Truly elite bat-to-ball


Then there is this from Prospects1500:

4. Jacob Wilson, SS, Grand Canyon – The son of former MLB All-Star infielder Jack Wilson, Jacob is a chip off the old block. He has a quick bat with a good line drive swing that sees him shift his weight quite a bit but controlled and with balance. In 2022, Wilson struck out in just 3% of his trips to the plate and followed the season with an excellent showing for the U.S. collegiate national team. Power is well below average currently, but his body has some projectability left in it so that could get closer to average in time while he is also probably an average defender at short, his instincts just might be able to keep him there, while a move to second or third would be a good fit too. Wilson has a very limited ceiling, so it is easy to sleep on him, but the floor is extremely high and he could be one of the quickest moving position players once he signs a pro contract.

 

[BULLPEN FAILURE]

P's are flying off the shelf today.

 

[saddles]

gotcha. missed that.

Congratulations to the front office for not losing patience.

Several months ago, I said I was afraid we would trade 5 to 8 top 20 prospects between then and today. We only traded the one, Henriquez, and he was close to being at the bottom of that list. I was dead wrong about that and I am so glad I was.