Texas Rangers 2024-2025 Offseason Thread

[Kelleyman]

We will know soon enough re Nate 5 dais after WS

 

[scotsman#1948]

I have no idea how Spotrac defines the two designations. Maybe it has to do with his being a player option as opposed to a team option or a mutual option, but that is simply a guess.

sounds as reasonable as anything i could come up with, just don't understand about vesting options

 

[saddles]

sounds as reasonable as anything i could come up with, just don't understand about vesting options

When an option vests it just means something has been accomplished to cause the option to become an option. In this case it was a certain amount of innings he had to pitch.

 

[saddles]

The Mavericks are going to have all their non-nationally televised games broadcast locally on channel 29. I sure hope the Rangers do something like that.

 

[saddles]

The Rangers have granted the White Sox permission to speak with coaches Will Venable and Donnie Ecker about the White Sox managerial position.

 

[saddles]

Winston Santos did well last night in the AFL. He gave up no runs on 1 hit and 1 walk, while striking out 6 in 3 innings.

 

[scotsman#1948]

When an option vests it just means something has been accomplished to cause the option to become an option. In this case it was a certain amount of innings he had to pitch.

i know that part what i can't understand is what's changed in Eovaldi's status. he is no longer showing up on the Rangers free agent list so has he accepted the vested option or what?

 

[saddles]

i know that part what i can't understand is what's changed in Eovaldi's status. he is no longer showing up on the Rangers free agent list so has he accepted the vested option or what?

He won't be a fee agent until he officially declines the option. He has 5 days after the World Series is over to exercise his option.

 

[saddles]

MLB Pipeline has named a hitting and a pitching prospect of the year for each team. They named Alejandro Osuna as our hitting prospect of the year and Kohl Drake as our pitching prospect of the year.

To name Drake over Rosario shows they must be extremely impressed by Kohl Drake.

 

[saddles]

Shawn McFarland's ideas about which free agent relievers the Rangers might pursue:


The big fish: Jeff Hoffman. He’s the best non-closer on the market this winter and has been one of baseball’s best late-game arms since he joined the Philadelphia Phillies prior to the 2023 season. The 31-year-old right-hander had a 2.17 ERA in 66 1/3 innings for the Phillies this season, made his first All-Star team, saved 10 games and held opponents to a .184 batting average in high-leverage situations.

His chase rate, whiff rate and strikeout percentage each ranked in the top 96th percentile, according to Baseball Savant, and his slider is a plus pitch. Hoffman did acknowledge a desire to return to Philadelphia next season, though the Phillies’ payroll is even closer to the luxury tax line than the Rangers’ is.

Hoffman could command an average annually salary upwards of $10 million. That’s a hefty price tag for a non-closer reliever. Hoffman, though, can close if necessary, can work in the seventh and eighth innings and hasn’t missed time due to an injury in the last two seasons.

The middle man: Blake Treinen. When he’s healthy, few have been better than the 36-year-old right-hander. He had a 0.78 ERA and 38 saves with the Oakland Athletics in 2018, a 1.99 ERA in 57 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2021 and a 1.93 ERA in 50 games for the Dodgers this regular season. The numbers are elite; the body hasn’t always been.

He pitched in just five games during the 2022 season with a sore shoulder, missed the entire 2023 season after labrum surgery and navigated two injured list stints this season. He’ll turn 37 years old next June, too.

Treinen’s performance — historically, this season and these playoffs in which he’s saved four games for Los Angeles — suggest a top-line relief pitcher. The recent injury history is cause for concern, though, and could impact his ability to sign a big-money deal this winter. That could allow the Rangers (or any other team that’ll look to stay under the luxury tax threshold) to sign him to a contract that isn’t quite as large or long as Hoffman’s will be.

The value pick: AJ Minter, Jonathan Loáisiga, and Kendall Graveman. In essence: Reliable arms whose market is murky due to a recent injury. Or, in other words: Kirby Yates circa last December. The Rangers signed Yates — a former All-Star closer who rediscovered that form this season — to a $4.5 million deal last winter. The value he brought to Texas might’ve been worth triple that.

So let’s try it again. Minter, a 31-year-old Tyler native, has a career 3.28 ERA in 384 games for the Atlanta Braves. He also underwent hip surgery in August and hasn’t pitched since. Loáisiga had a 3.52 ERA or better in three of his last four seasons with the New York Yankees, but the 29-year-old right-hander underwent UCL surgery in April that could potentially impact his availability to start next season. Graveman accumulated 3.5 WAR between 2021-23, according to Baseball-Reference, but missed the 2024 season with the Houston Astros after offseason shoulder surgery.

None are flawless. Few veteran relief pitchers — at least those that can be acquired without a bank-breaking contract — are, however.

 

[Kelleyman]

MLB Pipeline has named a hitting and a pitching prospect of the year for each team. They named Alejandro Osuna as our hitting prospect of the year and Kohl Drake as our pitching prospect of the year.

To name Drake over Rosario shows they must be extremely impressed by Kohl Drake.

I thought this strange re Drake

 

[Kelleyman]

Shawn McFarland's ideas about which free agent relievers the Rangers might pursue:


The big fish: Jeff Hoffman. He’s the best non-closer on the market this winter and has been one of baseball’s best late-game arms since he joined the Philadelphia Phillies prior to the 2023 season. The 31-year-old right-hander had a 2.17 ERA in 66 1/3 innings for the Phillies this season, made his first All-Star team, saved 10 games and held opponents to a .184 batting average in high-leverage situations.

His chase rate, whiff rate and strikeout percentage each ranked in the top 96th percentile, according to Baseball Savant, and his slider is a plus pitch. Hoffman did acknowledge a desire to return to Philadelphia next season, though the Phillies’ payroll is even closer to the luxury tax line than the Rangers’ is.

Hoffman could command an average annually salary upwards of $10 million. That’s a hefty price tag for a non-closer reliever. Hoffman, though, can close if necessary, can work in the seventh and eighth innings and hasn’t missed time due to an injury in the last two seasons.

The middle man: Blake Treinen. When he’s healthy, few have been better than the 36-year-old right-hander. He had a 0.78 ERA and 38 saves with the Oakland Athletics in 2018, a 1.99 ERA in 57 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2021 and a 1.93 ERA in 50 games for the Dodgers this regular season. The numbers are elite; the body hasn’t always been.

He pitched in just five games during the 2022 season with a sore shoulder, missed the entire 2023 season after labrum surgery and navigated two injured list stints this season. He’ll turn 37 years old next June, too.

Treinen’s performance — historically, this season and these playoffs in which he’s saved four games for Los Angeles — suggest a top-line relief pitcher. The recent injury history is cause for concern, though, and could impact his ability to sign a big-money deal this winter. That could allow the Rangers (or any other team that’ll look to stay under the luxury tax threshold) to sign him to a contract that isn’t quite as large or long as Hoffman’s will be.

The value pick: AJ Minter, Jonathan Loáisiga, and Kendall Graveman. In essence: Reliable arms whose market is murky due to a recent injury. Or, in other words: Kirby Yates circa last December. The Rangers signed Yates — a former All-Star closer who rediscovered that form this season — to a $4.5 million deal last winter. The value he brought to Texas might’ve been worth triple that.

So let’s try it again. Minter, a 31-year-old Tyler native, has a career 3.28 ERA in 384 games for the Atlanta Braves. He also underwent hip surgery in August and hasn’t pitched since. Loáisiga had a 3.52 ERA or better in three of his last four seasons with the New York Yankees, but the 29-year-old right-hander underwent UCL surgery in April that could potentially impact his availability to start next season. Graveman accumulated 3.5 WAR between 2021-23, according to Baseball-Reference, but missed the 2024 season with the Houston Astros after offseason shoulder surgery.

None are flawless. Few veteran relief pitchers — at least those that can be acquired without a bank-breaking contract — are, however.

Have to think Rangers won’t sign anyone 10million and above unless they are 8th inning guy or closer

 

[scotsman#1948]

Have to think Rangers won’t sign anyone 10million and above unless they are 8th inning guy or closer

hopefully they go after Tanner Scott and/or Carlos Estevez

 

[scotsman#1948]

Shawn McFarland's ideas about which free agent relievers the Rangers might pursue:


The big fish: Jeff Hoffman. He’s the best non-closer on the market this winter and has been one of baseball’s best late-game arms since he joined the Philadelphia Phillies prior to the 2023 season. The 31-year-old right-hander had a 2.17 ERA in 66 1/3 innings for the Phillies this season, made his first All-Star team, saved 10 games and held opponents to a .184 batting average in high-leverage situations.

His chase rate, whiff rate and strikeout percentage each ranked in the top 96th percentile, according to Baseball Savant, and his slider is a plus pitch. Hoffman did acknowledge a desire to return to Philadelphia next season, though the Phillies’ payroll is even closer to the luxury tax line than the Rangers’ is.

Hoffman could command an average annually salary upwards of $10 million. That’s a hefty price tag for a non-closer reliever. Hoffman, though, can close if necessary, can work in the seventh and eighth innings and hasn’t missed time due to an injury in the last two seasons.

The middle man: Blake Treinen. When he’s healthy, few have been better than the 36-year-old right-hander. He had a 0.78 ERA and 38 saves with the Oakland Athletics in 2018, a 1.99 ERA in 57 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2021 and a 1.93 ERA in 50 games for the Dodgers this regular season. The numbers are elite; the body hasn’t always been.

He pitched in just five games during the 2022 season with a sore shoulder, missed the entire 2023 season after labrum surgery and navigated two injured list stints this season. He’ll turn 37 years old next June, too.

Treinen’s performance — historically, this season and these playoffs in which he’s saved four games for Los Angeles — suggest a top-line relief pitcher. The recent injury history is cause for concern, though, and could impact his ability to sign a big-money deal this winter. That could allow the Rangers (or any other team that’ll look to stay under the luxury tax threshold) to sign him to a contract that isn’t quite as large or long as Hoffman’s will be.

The value pick: AJ Minter, Jonathan Loáisiga, and Kendall Graveman. In essence: Reliable arms whose market is murky due to a recent injury. Or, in other words: Kirby Yates circa last December. The Rangers signed Yates — a former All-Star closer who rediscovered that form this season — to a $4.5 million deal last winter. The value he brought to Texas might’ve been worth triple that.

So let’s try it again. Minter, a 31-year-old Tyler native, has a career 3.28 ERA in 384 games for the Atlanta Braves. He also underwent hip surgery in August and hasn’t pitched since. Loáisiga had a 3.52 ERA or better in three of his last four seasons with the New York Yankees, but the 29-year-old right-hander underwent UCL surgery in April that could potentially impact his availability to start next season. Graveman accumulated 3.5 WAR between 2021-23, according to Baseball-Reference, but missed the 2024 season with the Houston Astros after offseason shoulder surgery.

None are flawless. Few veteran relief pitchers — at least those that can be acquired without a bank-breaking contract — are, however.

they could just retain David Robertson and Kirby Yates as middle relievers

 

[saddles]

Have to think Rangers won’t sign anyone 10million and above unless they are 8th inning guy or closer

I guess it depends on what else they are in the market for.

 

[saddles]

I thought this strange re Drake

He was very impressive this year.

 

[Kelleyman]

He was very impressive this year.

No doubt but not our#1 pitching prospect

 

[saddles]

No doubt but not our#1 pitching prospect

Their ERA and WHIP were very similar this year. The only difference I can see that might have swayed their judgment is that Drake started 5 games at AA and Rosario didn't pitch in AA at all. That, and the fact that Drake threw 20% more innings than Rosario, may have made the difference in their eyes.

 

[saddles]

No doubt but not our#1 pitching prospect

Well, I think our two top pitching prospects, Rocker and Corniel, weren't considered due to being injured most of the year.

They could rank Rosario higher than Drake in the rankings and still think Drake had the better year, as a lot of what goes into those rankings is the so-called experts opinions about the potential of each guy. We never saw Bradford ranked very high.

 

[Kelleyman]

Post season Clase is a reason not to overpay a RO on thr FA market