The 3 All-Star G's bring the Rangers home to face the Tigers at the Grill - 7/5-7

[saddles]

Cole Ragans with 3 shutout innings in this game as well.

 

[BULLPEN FAILURE]

1:00 game today

 

[DT LUNA]

1:00 game today

Thanks, see ya at the beer stand.

 

[saddles]

From the Baseball America Prospect Report today:

Luisangel Acuña, Low-A Down East (Rangers)—The younger brother of Ronald Acuña Jr. did it all on Tuesday, collecting five hits in five at-bats, driving in three runs, homering and stealing a base. The 19-year-old shortstop already has five homers this season, three more than he had in as many games in the Dominican Summer League in 2019. Acuña is hitting .278/.366/.439 with 17 stolen bases and 17 extra-base hits.

 

[BULLPEN FAILURE]

 

[BULLPEN FAILURE]

The 1 trade every contender needs to make

Rays: Starting pitcher

It’s unclear when -- or if -- the Rays will get injured ace Tyler Glasnow back. (He’s optimistic he’ll return before the postseason, but it’s still too early to say.) In his absence, Tampa Bay hasn’t been able to replace his top-of-the-rotation production; entering Wednesday, the Rays only have two starters with an ERA+ better than league average: 41-year-old Rich Hill and soft-contact specialist Josh Fleming. Perhaps rookies Shane McClanahan or Luis Patiño will step forward to fill the void, or prospect Shane Baz or veteran Chris Archer will provide a late-season boost, but adding a frontline starter would help the Rays in their effort to overtake the Red Sox.

Potential fit: Kyle Gibson, Rangers

Braves: Impact bat

That may sound vague, but the Braves have a couple of options depending on who they can acquire. In a perfect world, a left fielder would be the ideal candidate, but Atlanta could also add a third baseman and move Austin Riley to left field. Either way, the need for an additional offensive weapon is clear cut.

Potential fit: Joey Gallo, Rangers

Phillies: Relief pitcher

This feels like an annual thing for the Phillies, who have struggled to put together a solid bullpen for several years. Philadelphia could also use some back-of-the-rotation help, but the Phillies’ 4.78 bullpen ERA ranks 12th in the NL and shows no signs of getting better. Philly’s biggest problem? The team’s farm system ranked 23rd in MLB Pipeline’s preseason rankings, leaving a scarcity of quality prospects from which to deal.

Potential fit: Ian Kennedy, Rangers

 

[DT LUNA]

# 22 for Joey
Hicks stays hot

 

[saddles]

2021 MLB Draft prospects by position

www.mlb.com

 

[saddles]

Congratulations to the great Cat.

 

[BULLPEN FAILURE]

Joey on another level right now.

 

[DT LUNA]

Joey on another level right now.

So do you trade him or keep him? That is the question.

 

[DT LUNA]

Joey's value will never be any higher. He has shown every thing any contender would want. Price should be getting higher by the inning.

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

If Joey gets traded, I definitely think we should pursue him in 16 months when he hits free agency.

 

[saddles]

A big question is, how many bigger contracts can we afford once the budget goes back up. This team should be able to have a budget of at least $175 million.

It depends a lot on how many young, and therefore cheap, young players we develop to lessen the load on the budget. The more young guys making the minimum, the more we can spend on the top rung of veterans. That is where the depth of our system can benefit us.

 

[BULLPEN FAILURE]

So do you trade him or keep him? That is the question.

Honestly, if 5/125 gets it done, I keep him. If he wants 7-8 years or a $30m/AAV then I trade him.

 

[DT LUNA]

If Joey gets traded, I definitely think we should pursue him in 16 months when he hits free agency.

That would depend on which Joey he is at the time.

 

[saddles]

That would depend on which Joey he is at the time.

Yes, that goes without saying.

 

[DT LUNA]

If Joey gets traded, I definitely think we should pursue him in 16 months when he hits free agency.

This may be the best approach for me.

 

[BULLPEN FAILURE]

If Joey gets traded, I definitely think we should pursue him in 16 months when he hits free agency.

Big mistake. Boras would take us behind the woodshed.