The Officially Official Off Season Thread (2016)

[saddles]

But the two years before that he had 2.36 and 2.72. So maybe he'll come back down this next year. But I hear your concerns.

This could become a multi-player deal perhaps.

You mean 3.26 and 3.72 don't you?

His career ERA is 4.54 so I am not impressed with him at all. To me that would be a terrible trade. I just don't want a guy like Morton on the team unless he cost about as much as Hamilton did.

 

[donaldson79]

You mean 3.26 and 3.72 don't you?

Oops....I most certainly did.

 

[scotsman1948]

Rangers are surveying other teams to gauge if there is any interest in Prince Fielder and finding that there is very little

 

[donaldson79]

Rangers are surveying other teams to gauge if there is any interest in Prince Fielder and finding that there is very little

Not so shocking is it?

But I feel Prince is going to have a better year next year than last year, and the same for Choo.

Maybe I'm just being over optimistic, but I feel Fielder will be stronger throughout next season (felt he wore down in 2nd half) and believe Choo is not going to have such a miserable start as he did last year. Of course, he probably won't finish as strong either. But overall, he'll have a better season in 2016.

 

[BULLPEN FAILURE]

TR Sullivan is saying the Rangers made a run at Shelby Miller and Jose Fernandez.

 

[saddles]

Rangers are surveying other teams to gauge if there is any interest in Prince Fielder and finding that there is very little

"With the Tigers carrying $30MM of the remaining burden on Fielder, he’s owed an additional $90MM by the Rangers through 2020. That’s not a monumental obligation for a player of his ability, and there seem to be plenty of teams looking for bats, but it’s not clear what Texas would be looking for in structuring a deal."

 

[saddles]

This from Jamey Newberg this afternoon.

According to T.R. Sullivan, the Rangers are “intrigued” by lefthander Cliff Lee, who would be coming back from a torn flexor tendon in his elbow. Jon Heyman (CBS Sports) reports that Lee seeks a one-year deal and is “drawing interest from 15 clubs.” Lee’s “main goal,” Heyman writes, is “to win.”

Evan Grant (Dallas Morning News) suggests that if Texas signs Colby Lewis, it would “likely take them out of range for any other established free agent starter.”


Grant also notes that Daniels confirmed that the Rangers “have been contacted about several relievers” and said he “would consider moving one to upgrade [the] big league team.” Wilson, in fact, reports that other clubs have reached out to Texas “on all of their top 10 bullpen pieces.”

A Pirates source tells Perrotto “they would need more than Moreland to part with” young catcher Elias Diaz, and they “have interest in a number of Rangers’ relief pitchers, including lefthander Jake Diekman and righthanders Shawn Tolleson and Sam Dyson.”

Regarding Moreland and Pittsburgh, Grant suggests it “becom[es] increasingly difficult to find a fit if [the] Pirates won’t include a starter, Elias Diaz, or [Dallas Jesuit product] Josh Bell.”

Ken Rosenthal (Fox Sports) reports that the Orioles are among the teams seeking to trade for Moreland.

According to Rosenthal, Milwaukee is “listening” on catcher Jonathan Lucroy, who is set to earn just $4 million in 2016 with a $5.5 million club option for 2017. Rosenthal adds that a “[r]ival exec considers . . . Lucroy [the] game’s best bounceback candidate,” as “njuries hurt [his] offense [in 2015, and] catching young pitchers hurt [his] framing numbers.”

Stevenson notes that Texas “has looked into not only backup catcher but someone who could contend for full-time spot.”


Buster Olney reported Monday evening that while a “source [Monday] morning pegged [the] odds of a Jose Fernandez trade at one percent,” by the end of the day the source said: “I’d push that into the 40 [percent range now].” Jayson Stark (ESPN) tweeted later last night: “Hearing tonight that [the] Marlins think they’re making progress with [an] unspecified team. But a deal still appears unlikely.”


This morning, however, Stark reports that a “mystery team” is making a “very strong” bid for Fernandez – and “[o]ther clubs believe it’s the Astros.”

But Evan Drellich (Houston Chronicle) tweets: “Source shoots down [the] idea [that the] Astros [are] in on Jose Fernandez. My take: it’s an easy organization for people to peg as a ‘mystery team.’”

From Olney: “Remember: if you ever read about a ‘mystery team,’ it can only come spoon-fed from an agent who is trying to create leverage.” An executive of another club tells Rosenthal that the Marlins “haven’t proposed anything reasonable enough to make people think they want to deal.”

With the Dodgers reportedly tapping the brakes on their nearly done Monday deal with the Reds for closer Aroldis Chapman as reports emerged of a recent domestic violence incident involving the 27-year-old, Bob Nightengale (USA Today) tweeted that Houston “will be waiting if the Dodgers’ deal for Chapman falls apart.”

Wilson reports that the Rangers are “unlikely to go nuts on Japanese pitcher Kenta Maeda. They don’t believe he is at the same level as Yu Darvish and Masahiro Tanaka.”

According to Sullivan, Joe Nathan wants to pitch again after his second Tommy John surgery, which was performed in April by Rangers team surgeon Dr. Keith Meister, and the Rangers will “courtesy meet” with their former closer. Stark says six teams are interested.


Sullivan is the latest to identify free agent first baseman-outfielder Steve Pearce (who played in Pittsburgh when Jeff Banister was on the Pirates’ coaching staff) as a Texas possibility. Jerry Crasnick (ESPN) suggests Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, and Texas “could have some interest in Jeff Francoeur as an outfield bench bat if he doesn’t return to [the] Phillies.”

Grant reports that the Rangers are “laying the ground work to find a new Class A affiliate so they can escape High Desert of the California League after 2016. A deal to buy a club and move it to Kinston, N.C. fell through over the summer, but the Rangers are trying to lineup with another Carolina League or Florida State League team. They are so determined to leave High Desert that it won’t be surprising if none of their top prospects even make a stop there in 2016.”

Grant adds that the organization is evaluating its AAA situation, as its deal with Round Rock expires after the 2018 season, and that San Antonio has emerged as a possibility. “To make that happen,” Grant reports, “the Rangers would likely have to align with a group willing to purchase an existing AAA team that would move to San Antonio. The current San Antonio club [which is currently San Diego’s AA affiliate] would then move to another location – perhaps Shreveport – in the Texas League. It is, for sure, a complicated scenario, but would seemingly be the most ideal for the Rangers.”

 

[scotsman1948]

"With the Tigers carrying $30MM of the remaining burden on Fielder, he’s owed an additional $90MM by the Rangers through 2020. That’s not a monumental obligation for a player of his ability, and there seem to be plenty of teams looking for bats, but it’s not clear what Texas would be looking for in structuring a deal."

Jon Daniels has shot down the rumor that they're shopping Prince Fielder

 

[BULLPEN FAILURE]

Jon Daniels has shot down the rumor that they're shopping Prince Fielder

Good on Daniels for publicly saying that. It does kinda irritate me when names get thrown out there, valid or not.

 

[saddles]

TR Sullivan says we are talking with the Indians about starting pitching.

 

[saddles]

Jon Daniels has shot down the rumor that they're shopping Prince Fielder

Maybe JD wants to distinguish between having discussions and shopping. I would think that they have discussions with teams about many different players without ever getting to the point of shopping those players.

 

[donaldson79]

I would think that they have discussions with teams about many different players without ever getting to the point of shopping those players.

Very valid distinction.

 

[BULLPEN FAILURE]

Maybe JD wants to distinguish between having discussions and shopping. I would think that they have discussions with teams about many different players without ever getting to the point of shopping those players.

Jeff Wilson reporting that no discussions have been had about Prince Fielder with other teams.

 

[saddles]

Jeff Wilson reporting that no discussions have been had about Prince Fielder with other teams.

HaHa. Evan said they have had discussions. I believe Evan's exact phrase was they were "surveying clubs' interest". JD says they haven't been "shopping" Prince. And now Wilson says a "source" says they haven't had "conversations" with other clubs about Prince. So one source disputes another source and JD disputes that they are "shopping" Prince. Maybe if Wilson's source was right JD would have used a more definitive word than "shopping". Is Evan's source right or is Wilson's source right? Who knows?

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

 

[romeo212000]

Lol at Evan grant being called out for his garbage.

 

[Kelleyman]

Lol at Evan grant being called out for his garbage.

Tweet made in due diligence. PA

 

[saddles]

I wonder what it is behind the scenes that they don't like about Gimenez?

 

[donaldson79]

I wonder what it is behind the scenes that they don't like about Gimenez?

Well, he'll be 33 years old before next season, is a lifetime .218 hitter and has a total of 55 RBI in his 7 year career.

Personally, I like the guy. But he's caught about 35 games a year over the past few years. I'm thinking they paid him almost a million to be a fall-back position, and hopefully will stay healthy in the minors enough for immediate call-up, which we know is probably going to happen at some point in 2016.