Texas Rangers Spring Training 2020

[saddles]

He's terrible in the field. Willie is terrible in the field. Solak is terrible in the field.

Would Castellanos make this team better? Yes. I agree with you. We need RHB.

Would he make it that much better that I would have given him $72 million? Hell no.

I'd rather save that DH spot for Willie or Solak and have an extra $70 million to bid on Mookie, Realmuto, Lindor, whoever in the future. You need 3-4 studs. Right now, we have maybe one. That's why they wanted Rendon. I just dont really see the point right now in spending money on MEH players that could hamstring you in the future.

Solak is nowhere near terrible at 2B. He is so inexperienced everywhere else that it is way too premature to declare him terrible at any position. Calhoun and Castellanos probably aren't in the same category either.

What we would have given up for Castellatos would have been for 4 years. It never makes sense to specify the entire length of the contract money wise, and then only compare that to what he could do for us in the first year. Nobody is worth the entire amount of a longterm contract in the first year alone.

 

[saddles]

Still your opinion, do i think they approached it foolishly yes, not serious no

They are most likely seriously foolish.

 

[saddles]

One of the biggest scandals in baseball history is currently unfolding - involving the Rangers' bitter rival - and all this board can do is piss and moan about who has the best guess as to how the Rendon contract offer played out.

At least folks are complaining about the team. Almost every one of your posts are complaints about someone else's posts. You hardly ever bring anything fresh as far as the team or the front office or MLB in general goes. You almost exclusively post about how much you don't like someone else's opinion. You are more negative than just about anyone else on here. It's just that your negativity is directed toward other posters and not the team or the front office.

 

[saddles]

Astros already had Correa, Altuve, Springer, Bregman before they spent on Verlander and Cole.
Nats already had Harper, Rendon, Strasburg, Soto, Turner before they spent on Scherzer and Corbin.
Cubs already had Bryant, Rizzo, Arrieta, Baez, Contreras before they spent on Lester, Heyward, Zobrist.
Royals had a home grown core of Cain, Moustakas, Hosmer, Gordon, Perez.

You need a core of 3-5 studs. Until the Rangers have that core, it's pretty much pointless. Everything they do should be with that goal in mind. That's why I am hoping Kluber, Lynn, and LeClerc go ape shit this year and are traded at the deadline.

That leads to signing some new version of Chan Ho because you have to sign someone in one given year instead of picking up great players when they become available
Sometimes you have to sign the FA a year or two before the minors are ready to produce.

 

[saddles]

You will never know for sure since Boras never countered. Looks like Rendon did not want to play in Texas.

That says a lot. Boras like to play one team against another. It takes a lame offer for him to give up on you.

 

[saddles]

So you’re just willfully ignoring the dozens and dozens of posts on this board about the Astros scandal? There are whole pages with nothing BUT posts about the Astros scandal.

He ignores what people post when he can't complain about their post unless when he is agreeing to someone complaining about a post.

 

[saddles]

 

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[saddles]

From Evan Grant's article about Odor.

The Rangers are adamant they need to see more consistency from Odor. But since he signed a six-year, $49.5 million contract before the 2017 season, the data (all the rage in baseball these days, I hear) suggests that’s exactly what he has been. A consistent underperformer.

Consider a quick paragraph of data: Over the past three seasons, Odor has an OPS+ of 78. The stat tries to distill ballpark factors and other variables out to get a number relative to a league average of 100. Each point above represents a percentage point better than the league average; the same applies to numbers below. For context: There are 104 players with at least 1,000 plate appearances over that time; only two have lower OPS+ numbers. It is a subpar return on the investment.

There have been no repercussions in terms of reduced playing time. Odor has started 421 of the 447 games for which he’s been on the active roster in that time, or 94%. A 153-games-per-season pace. Not just a regular starter; an everyday starter.

 

[saddles]

More from Evan Grant's article.

So, exactly what are the potential consequences if he doesn’t show improvement? That’s the question. The Rangers aren’t going to walk away from the remaining $37 million they have committed. And they haven’t shown much willingness to sit him, though the presence of Nick Solak, Danny Santana and even a bulked-up Isiah Kiner-Falefa may present options.

“When somebody invests in you, they are going to give you a little more rope,” Woodward said. “There is less rope this year than there was last year.”

Said general manager Jon Daniels: “There is a playing time component. It’s not a threat. It’s not punishment. It’s the reality of the situation. But I look at his offseason as a positive. He took ownership of his career.”

Odor spent the winter in Miami, which was one change. He previously had spent the bulk of his winter in Venezuela. He worked out four days a week at Bommarito Performance, a facility noted for working with NFL players to improve agility and explosiveness through bio-mechanics work. He worked on flexibility, strengthened his ankles, which are such a big part of his setup. He talked often with former players Victor Martinez and Marco Scutaro about understanding hitting approach.

“You know when Rocky had to go to Siberia to train to clear his mind,” said Rangers strength coach Jose Vasquez, who visited him for three days. “That’s what he did instead of pretending like everything was OK.”

He has returned more self-aware, the Rangers believe.

How self-aware is what I wanted to know. Enough to know that the rope of which Woodward speaks is basically played out? I asked Odor on Friday if this was a critical year for him.

“Yes,” he said, then launched into the swagger that can be endearing and maddening at the same time. “Why not? I think every season is critical for me. Every season I’m ready to go.”

But do you feel like you’ve been put on the spot?

“No, I like what they say,” he said. “I know I can be better than who I was last year. When they say stuff like that, I like it. It pushes me to work harder, to do everything better. I’m going to push myself.”

There is a whole organization pushing that proverbial rock right along with him. Because either they get to the top of the hill or it’s liable to sink them all.

 

[saddles]

The more I find out about Nick Solak the more I like him.


He sounds like CF is the position that he sees as the most fun to play. He worked out at 3B the most in the offseason.

 

[WilltheThrill]

They just keep digging the hole deeper and deeper and deeper...

Correa responds to Bellinger, defends Astros' title

Is there anyone with any level of integrity in that entire organization?!?! So far the best we’ve got is Tony Kemp saying he refused to take part in the trashcan scheme. Jose Altuve said he didn’t want his teammates to tear off his jersey because his wife wouldn’t like it, and Carlos Correa is saying it was because Altuve had a new tattoo that was still raw. They can’t even get their stories straight.

“Fair and square”... just reprehensible.

 

[Uncle Siggy]

The only question left unanswered about the Astros this coming season is whose fans are going to be the first ones to throw batteries at them

 

[jta4437]

They just keep digging the hole deeper and deeper and deeper...

Correa responds to Bellinger, defends Astros' title

Is there anyone with any level of integrity in that entire organization?!?! So far the best we’ve got is Tony Kemp saying he refused to take part in the trashcan scheme. Jose Altuve said he didn’t want his teammates to tear off his jersey because his wife wouldn’t like it, and Carlos Correa is saying it was because Altuve had a new tattoo that was still raw. They can’t even get their stories straight.

“Fair and square”... just reprehensible.

Him calling for Fiers to apologize for not stopping them from cheating is just dumfounding

 

[WilltheThrill]

Him calling for Fiers to apologize for not stopping them from cheating is just dumfounding

It’s unreal, isn’t it?

 

[Nightcrawler]

More from Evan Grant's article.

So, exactly what are the potential consequences if he doesn’t show improvement? That’s the question. The Rangers aren’t going to walk away from the remaining $37 million they have committed. And they haven’t shown much willingness to sit him, though the presence of Nick Solak, Danny Santana and even a bulked-up Isiah Kiner-Falefa may present options.

“When somebody invests in you, they are going to give you a little more rope,” Woodward said. “There is less rope this year than there was last year.”

Said general manager Jon Daniels: “There is a playing time component. It’s not a threat. It’s not punishment. It’s the reality of the situation. But I look at his offseason as a positive. He took ownership of his career.”

Odor spent the winter in Miami, which was one change. He previously had spent the bulk of his winter in Venezuela. He worked out four days a week at Bommarito Performance, a facility noted for working with NFL players to improve agility and explosiveness through bio-mechanics work. He worked on flexibility, strengthened his ankles, which are such a big part of his setup. He talked often with former players Victor Martinez and Marco Scutaro about understanding hitting approach.

“You know when Rocky had to go to Siberia to train to clear his mind,” said Rangers strength coach Jose Vasquez, who visited him for three days. “That’s what he did instead of pretending like everything was OK.”

He has returned more self-aware, the Rangers believe.

How self-aware is what I wanted to know. Enough to know that the rope of which Woodward speaks is basically played out? I asked Odor on Friday if this was a critical year for him.

“Yes,” he said, then launched into the swagger that can be endearing and maddening at the same time. “Why not? I think every season is critical for me. Every season I’m ready to go.”

But do you feel like you’ve been put on the spot?

“No, I like what they say,” he said. “I know I can be better than who I was last year. When they say stuff like that, I like it. It pushes me to work harder, to do everything better. I’m going to push myself.”

There is a whole organization pushing that proverbial rock right along with him. Because either they get to the top of the hill or it’s liable to sink them all.

different year, same exact story.


The front office is going to ride that odor pony no matter what. I think the guy sucks and I always have, but they seem convinced that odor will be an all star someday.

He’s seemingly the only player in Major League Baseball who can play like a minor leaguer ( 0.3 WAR) and still count on his team playing him 150 games because he’s a “ clubhouse leader” whose doing “ all they ask”.

 

[Uncle Siggy]

MiLB: Player raises shouldn't lead to contraction

Minor League Baseball says player raises shouldn't mean fewer teams
9:00 PM ET

NEW YORK -- Minor League Baseball said planned salary raises for its players in 2021 paid by Major League Baseball should not lead to contraction, and it has sent a proposal to MLB as part of negotiations for a new agreement between the levels.

The commissioner's office sent a memo, obtained by The Associated Press, to all 30 teams Friday announcing wage bumps for minor league players between 38% and 72%.

The raises come as MLB is negotiating with the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, the governing body of the minors, to replace the Professional Baseball Agreement that expires after the 2020 seasons. MLB proposed cutting 42 of the 160 required affiliated teams during those talks, a plan criticized by minor league team owners, fans and politicians.

MiLB said in a statement Saturday it "fully supports MLB's decision to raise the pay rates for players in affiliated Minor League Baseball" but added it "believes MLB can afford these salary increases without reducing the number of players by 25 percent.

"We have provided MLB with a specific proposal on how we can work together to ensure improvements to older facilities and reduce travel between series through limited realignment. We look forward to continued good faith negotiations with our colleagues at MLB and our principal goal remains to preserve Minor League Baseball in as many communities as possible."
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/28702734/mlb-raising-minimum-salary-minor-leaguers-2021
Minor league player salaries are paid entirely by MLB teams. Commissioner Rob Manfred said at the winter meetings in December that the league would like MiLB to share some of the costs associated with "player-related improvements.''

MLB has voiced frustration that bargaining stalled following that proposal and has urged the NAPBL to resume negotiations and "commit to working in good faith toward a better, more modern working agreement for our two leagues.'' The sides are scheduled to meet next week.

Response from minor league players to news of the wage increases was largely positive. Concern remains that the raises -- which will bring minimum salaries to between $4,800 and $14,000 per season, depending on the level -- may not be enough to help players fully address issues around housing, nutrition and training hours sacrificed in the offseason as they take on other jobs.

Anxiety also remains that the raises could be a precursor to a reduction in affiliates.

"What does it mean for us? I'm not sure," said Jeremy Wolf, a former minor league player who founded More Than Baseball prior to last season. His organization raises funds and provides other services for minor league players, including assistance with housing, equipment, food and post-baseball plans.

The group has also tried to provide some level of representation for minor league players, who are not eligible for the major league players' union unless they are placed on a 40-man roster by a big league team.

"I do know that what we're doing for the game is incredibly important," Wolf told The Associated Press. "We're showing that minor leaguers have value. That baseball has value. In the middle of all of the problems within baseball, we're that bright spot bringing the game back to people and communities that love and want it to thrive.

"The owners are going to do what they're going to do, but as long as we make sure players have a voice in all of this, we're doing our job."