Texas Rangers 2022 - 2023 Offseason Thread

[Senator_fan]

It doesn’t seem like the Rangers want Burke to be a starting pitcher.

I’m probably in the minority here but I don’t either. I think it’s much easier to find a starting pitcher (thru FA, trade, or the minors) than it is to replace Burke and the job he did in his role.

 

[saddles]

I’m probably in the minority here but I don’t either. I think it’s much easier to find a starting pitcher (thru FA, trade, or the minors) than it is to replace Burke and the job he did in his role.

I agree that it seems easier for the Rangers to find a starter, but the reason it is easier for the Rangers is because they have simply not tried to acquire relief pitching for the most part.

When you don't try to acquire something, you naturally make it look like it is hard to do.

You can convert almost any decent to great starter, to a relief pitcher, and get a good relief pitcher. There are very few relievers that you could convert to a starter and get a good starter. That tells me it is much easier to find a relief pitcher.

By the way, I don't think you are in the minority at all. I think most, if not almost all, on here agree with you.

 

[saddles]

Currently there are 89 relief pitchers on the list of free agents. There are 51 starting pitchers on the list of free agents. If you ignore that list of relief pitcher free agents you make it seem like there are 51 starting pitchers available and no relief pitchers available.

 

[saddles]

There is a good reason why, generally, starting pitchers make more money in free agency. That is because it is easier to find a decent reliever free agent than a decent starting pitcher free agent. The more rare something is, the higher price it demands.

 

[Kelleyman]

I agree that it seems easier for the Rangers to find a starter, but the reason it is easier for the Rangers is because they have simply not tried to acquire relief pitching for the most part.

When you don't try to acquire something, you naturally make it look like it is hard to do.

You can convert almost any decent to great starter, to a relief pitcher, and get a good relief pitcher. There are very few relievers that you could convert to a starter and get a good starter. That tells me it is much easier to find a relief pitcher.

By the way, I don't think you are in the minority at all. I think most, if not almost all, on here agree with you.

I am neutral re Burke. If he wants to start then that is fine with me. Do think though multi inning relief pitchers is becoming the new normal. There are some pitchers they never go beyond 5 innings.
So you need a guy that goes 2 every other outing or so.
Other thing though is to have a championship club you need working pieces for the 7th 8th and 9th. The hodge piece stuff that this team does including bullpen games is far from a winning formula and eventually blows up

I don’t think all the one run losses was a fluke
It was a losing formula by design

 

[Kelleyman]

There is a good reason why, generally, starting pitchers make more money in free agency. That is because it is easier to find a decent reliever free agent than a decent starting pitcher free agent. The more rare something is, the higher price it demands.

Perez is valuable because he can go 7 innings regularly and really that is more valuable than relief - but yeah we need good relief pitching and solid starters

 

[saddles]

think though multi inning relief pitchers is becoming the new normal.

I think they have been around for a long time.

 

[saddles]

Other thing though is to have a championship club you need working pieces for the 7th 8th and 9th.

When we were good we traded for guys to fill those roles.

 

[saddles]

There are some pitchers they never go beyond 5 innings.

Those guys are for non-contending clubs, or at least they should be, for the most part.

 

[saddles]

The hodge piece stuff that this team does including bullpen games is far from a winning formula and eventually blows up

If they would have allowed Burke to start last year, that alone would have kept us out of several bullpen games. Of course, that would have meant going out and signing a bullpen pitcher 11 months ago so that Burke wouldn't have had to be used in the pen.

 

[Kelleyman]

If they would have allowed Burke to start last year, that alone would have kept us out of several bullpen games. Of course, that would have meant going out and signing a bullpen pitcher 11 months ago so that Burke wouldn't have had to be used in the pen.

We are not certain it is allowed but both you and me have beat different drums on this one
But I do think I heard him show some a tiny bit of interest in trying to start in an interview earlier this year. I would like to see him pursue it but if he is our shutdown multi innings guy that is not all bad

 

[saddles]

We are not certain it is allowed but both you and me have beat different drums on this one
But I do think I heard him show some a tiny bit of interest in trying to start in an interview earlier this year. I would like to see him pursue it but if he is our shutdown multi innings guy that is not all bad

It would have allowed him the chance. Of course, we do not know if he would have been successful.

When we have a guy who has shown that he cannot be successful as a starter, I have no problems putting them into the pen.

The thing about those multiple innings guys is that when you have a good team with capable starters and several capable relievers, you don't need a guy to pitch multiple innings nearly as often. The better the pitching overall, the less you need guys to pitch more than one inning out of the pen.

The ironic part is, if you use a capable starter in the pen, when you are short of capable starters, you will need that multiple innings guy more often. It is like planned failure. You short yourself a capable starter and thus create more bullpen innings.

 

[Kelleyman]

There may be another interview but he does show interest in starting but he was not ready at the first of the season. He does quite the company line.

I think he can ask to start and they might go ahead and let him. Of course his overall velo may decrease but unless we pick up other guys he does fill a priority gap

 

[saddles]

There may be another interview but he does show interest in starting but he was not ready at the first of the season. He does quite the company line.

I think he can ask to start and they might go ahead and let him. Of course his overall velo may decrease but unless we pick up other guys he does fill a priority gap

There is a very simple answer to that. Sign some bullpen guys and have enough capable starters so you don't require so many bullpen innings.

One part of that is determining if Burke can be a capable starter again. That requires going out and finding a relief pitcher to fill his spot and it may require Burke beginning the year in Round Rock until there is an injury. Or he can pitch in Dunning's spot until Dane is fully recovered in late April or early May.

 

[saddles]

he was not ready at the first of the season

It wouldn't have been bad for him to begin in AAA.

 

[BULLPEN FAILURE]

What would you guys change the banner to? We still have Elvis, prince, beltre, and Darvish.

 

[Kelleyman]

Good ol days lol

 

[Kelleyman]

There is a very simple answer to that. Sign some bullpen guys and have enough capable starters so you don't require so many bullpen innings.

One part of that is determining if Burke can be a capable starter again. That requires going out and finding a relief pitcher to fill his spot and it may require Burke beginning the year in Round Rock until there is an injury. Or he can pitch in Dunning's spot until Dane is fully recovered in late April or early May.

We shall see. Have to think it is in the table

 

[saddles]

We shall see. Have to think it is in the table

I think we will find out by how many, if any, bullpen pieces they either sign or trade for. They are depending on Burke being in the pen until they get a replacement. Remember when they gave lip service to letting Feliz compete for a rotation spot. Then when he pitched well in ST as a starter they crawfished and claimed they couldn't allow him to start because that would leave them without a closer. Lol

 

[BULLPEN FAILURE]

I think we will find out by how many, if any, bullpen pieces they either sign or trade for. They are depending on Burke being in the pen until they get a replacement. Remember when they gave lip service to letting Feliz compete for a rotation spot. Then when he pitched well in ST as a starter they crawfished and claimed they couldn't allow him to start because that would leave them without a closer. Lol

Am I misremembering things? I distinctly remember Feliz being a starter, and then getting hurt from that and basically ruining his career.