As a Ranger fan I have plenty of reasons to be angry, frustrated, pissed off, dumbfounded and whatever other adjective you want to throw out there about this complete failure of an off season. However, when I read articles about how the Rangers need to get younger and see what these highly touted prospects can do I reach my tipping point.

The truth of the matter is Daniels is trying to sell youth as a ploy to cover up his failures of improving this former juggernaut of an offensive team. His inadequacy as a GM this off season has done nothing but weaken this team without finding any sort of resolution on how to plug at least some of the lost offensive production back into the lineup.

But hey, we do have Soto and Whiteside to look forward to.

Don't misunderstand me. I'm very excited to see what Olt, Profar, and Martin can do this year, but to try and sell Ranger fans on the potential of these young guys playing everyday and putting a product on the field that is hopefully as good or better than last years team is a joke. You can't lose the amount of production the Rangers are losing and try to sell fans on the idea that the team had to gef younger. And with that, still be that championship caliber team Ranger fans are expecting.

The Rangers definitely aren't in a rebuilding year, but the idea they are going with the young guys looks as if they are going to sacrifice wins so these guys can get their feet wet. And if your willing to sacrifice wins, what does that do to your overall season, especially when teams all around you are getting better?

So, Jon Daniels I personally don't believe your bull shit about "we need to get younger" and "we need to see what the guys can do at the major league level." Basically I believe that translates to YOU need to see what they can do since you failed so miserably at making this team better.

At the end of the day I hope I'm eating my words about the potential of this team this coming season. Time will tell.

I can understand your frustration, but the offseason isn't even half over yet. There's still plenty of time for moves to be made.

Re Riding the Ponies:

Losses include Koji, Josh, Adams, Napoli, Feldman, at least half of Feliz and Colby. After Yu there is Harrison, Holland, Ogando, and Perez

Replacements are Soria and Soto, and probably Olt, Profar, Martin.

The Rangers out bid on Greinke, Josh and Shields, and failed to close on Upton.

JD and FO are trying very hard to improve the team, and aside from the Upton craziness, have kept their cool. The planned upgrades fizzled, so see if there is a plan B or else recognize it is time to build around a salary controlled future, namely Profar and Yu. 2013 would be fun to watch and the team could quickly improve into 2014 competitiveness.

Getting younger almost always trumps getting older.

JD and company got outplayed. The good thing is the team had impact prospects to fall back on and give playing time to. But at this point its mostly scraps left and teams aren't dumb, they are seeing what people have signed for or asked for in trades. Getting talent now would cost more than it would have two weeks ago.. AJ and Swisher are probably the best of what's left and nobody here saw either of them as our best options. Ever.

Do you expect JD to say "yeah, we're fucked"???

Yes i would like him to be honest.

I think some of you have fallen prey to the media. Going into the offseason, I expected neither Greinke nor Hmilton to be here in 2013. I also expected Adams, and Feldman gone. I was disappointed that we lost Koji, but that was apparently a personal deal with him. Napoli, I wanted back...until I realized his one great season probably was a fluke and that he would be incredibly overpaid. So I'm not upset about the way this has gone so far at all, and no it has nothing to do with the media or JD.

If we go into next season with the current roster, that would be a little disappointing I guess. But I don't expect that to happen, so I'm not concerned until there's something to be concerned about. Right now, there simply isn't. BTW, the guys we lost aren't close to irreplaceable.

Sure could have seen us using profar, olt, martin as starters or dh. trading young was right. trading cruz, murphy and minor leaguers for a good or top prospect catcher would be fine. IF WE HAD SIGNED HAMILTON. Save money going young. That covers hamiltons salary. Then tie up harrison long term 7 elvis. BUT NO JD YOU HAD A MAJOR LEAGUE FUCK UP.

Now on a separate note Katie Hamilton you piped up. So, now your free game for us to comment. Maybe you should open a SHERLOCKS in ANAHEIM or CALI. I researched & they dont have a franchise as of yet. .

Josh you feel like you went from the Devil Rays to the Angels. Thats fine. But, if you were really thinking like a christian. Don't you think you owe the Tampa Rays 5 years of service bashing the balls out of there ballpark. Let's say for a discounted rate of $10M per year. JOSH UR A FUCKING HYPOCRIT FRAUD. You call yourself a christian. Baloney

Good ridence

randy

Plenty of time remains, but the quantity of players who could make a difference is dwindling. Having said that, a modest rebuild may have been the backup plan all along with the contracts that have been and are expiring soon.

Again I'm not suggesting the team wont be good, I just dont know how you can lose that much talent and pretend the kids are going to help you get back to where you want to be. I understand its a very long season and things can happen. My gripe isnt with the roster necessarily as much as it's with JD trying to come off as this was the plan all around. Anyway I love the opinions floating around keep them coming.

Would overpaying for Grienke or Josh make you happy?

Once the idiot over payers are tapped out, we can start making our moves.

Why does most everyone just assume that some kind of major trade will be made before spring training begins? We all assumed that the Rangers brass would make a major deal in free agency when in fact, they didn't. Coulda, woulda, shoulda.

Texpango- show me a top tier free agent that hasnt been overpaid in either years or dollars. You want an impact player the Rangers are going to have to overpay. If they dont do it someone else will. Its the nature of the beast.

I would say maybe see if we can get Edwin Jackson cheap. And maybe Pierzynski. Basically I'm not seeing anyone out there right now that I would give up the 1st round pick to obtain Swisher? 32 years old and is going to cost a pick and get signed for probably 3-4 years. LaRoche is the same issue for me. Buying out the decline years and paying a pick to get to the table, just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I'd feel much better if this was the old system and we got the Angels 1st round pick. With this current system giving up a 1st round pick hurts you for the entire draft so shopping for peoples mid level FA that they gave an offer to hurts your entire draft.

@Tex Pantego
Most FA are over paid. If JD is so smart then why did he even go after Greinke and Hamilton if he thought he would have to overpay. The Texas Rangers are pretenders when it comes to FA's. I'm surprised JD still has a job.

Well, have been reading the many laments in the forum for a week now and have only a couple of points to make:

Assuming JD makes no further moves prior to spring training, no one should kid themselves that this Rangers team is bound to the playoffs in 2013. There are too many holes to count, the bench is too thin, and expected reinforcements like Colby and Feliz won't arrive till the All Star Break. The lineup is not balanced and weaker, the outflield is porous, and defense at the outfield corners will be slow and ponderous, the bullpen is definitely thinner and more uncertain, and the rotation will be one injury from plugging rookies into the gap, prior to July. And no lead catcher! There will be a drop off in attendance, simply due to the lack of star power and excitement, thus the ownership team will note less revenue. This may have a negative feedback loop on future acquisitions. My main point is this becomes a year to rebuild and allow the young studs to gain experience and shine. We shouldn't expect to finish above the A's or Angels, and I'd venture a shocking claim the Rangers will finish below the pitching savvy Mariners.

BUT ... 2013 will serve as a great platform to identify future stars, offer invaluable experience to a loaded farm system, and set up nicely for a stronger 2014. For instance, starting pitching may be a real asset as Perez, Ogando, Feliz, Ross and others step up, making Colby an afterthought. Our bullpen will likewise be stronger with the likes of Scheppers, Font and perhaps Ross or Grimm ascerting their talents. We'll know more about Moreland at 1B and Olt at 3B (as a Beltre injury is a given for a player his age who plays with his heart). We'll know whether Profar is a future 2B of SS, where Kins plays, and long pass on Cruz returning in RF. Many questions will be answered in 2013 through a painful transition.

Prediction: Rangers will not be cupcakes in 2013 .. but we'll finish between 75 and 85 wins and fourth place in the West. Look for an exciting rebound in 2014 with a younger, less pricey lineup. ALL OF THIS assumes no further action by JD this winter!!!

I have been shocked by this off-season as much as anyone else, but I will not attack or swear at Hamilton, his wife or JD. Isaw an interview with Josh that said it all. He said I was not a priority for the Rangers and that was obvious. They wanted Grienke, shields and then Upton. After notgettingthem, then they sashay Josh,let's get something done.

I will not comment on his wife despite her crazy and un-needed comments.

As for JD, not thrilled with what has transpired, but willing (no choice as a 30 year Ranger fan) to see it through. Ideally was hoping for Upton. Assumed we would never get JH or Grienke as Grienkeused Rangers toup the deal with the team he was going to all along.

Upset, yes, worried, yes, but JH and JD don not deserve the nastiness.

@SR17
I agree with you that every big name free agent the last few years has signed contract that can be viewed as too much. However, I would point out that among that group is one Adrian Beltre. At the time many thought The Rangers "overpaid" him too. But now we can agree that it was a good deal.

I guess my point is that you're right, but that if the Rangers scouts see somebody worth "overpaying" for, JD won't hesitate to make that move.

Its one thing to overpay a FA... its another thing to overpay FA on the wrong side of 30. The Angels will regret the contracts they have given to CJ, Puljos, and Josh in 3yrs. You want to pay for production going forward not past accomplishments.

First of all yes as a fan base we are all disappointed in the lack of moves made this offseason! But it is only December in the past few years JD has made his biggest moves in january and i'm sure that will be the same here! So everyone is pissed that Josh is gone and how are you going to replace his 42 home runs and blah blah blah?? Well lets look at it like this how many of his home runs were in clutch or need situations I'm going to guess about 25 or so give or take. Most of them were hit when games were out of hand one way or the other, but rarely in a clutch or walk of situation! As a fan I would rather have Cruz or AB taking those at bats than Josh! Hell with the way the last game went I'd rather have Profar swinging after all he went 1-1 with a RBI in the wild card game after Josh saw only 8 pitches in 4 ABs! Oh yeah and incase you forgot he rolled double plays in key ABs in that game! Yeah thats not replaceable is it?

And as for Greinke who cares the Dodgers overpaid a guy who didn't want to be an Ace!! He wanted to money but not the work load! He is a coward and can go and were dodger blue all he wants!! Shields would have be great but we missed! Kyle Loushe is still available and could be a nice upgrade to the line up. He posted a sup 3 ERA last year and about 180 or so strikeouts! "He's a product of the NL" is what i keep hearing about him but those same people are dying to have RA Dickey in texas!! Yeah he wants to come here and it would be fun to watch but if that knuckleball goes flat at the Ballpark its going to go a really long way (and the mets and blue jays just agreed in principal to a trade)!! So loushe would be the upgrade that we need to make!!

Young being traded hurts because of the lose of a leader but his role was going to diminish going in to this season and it was the best move for him! Someone will step up and fill that role maybe Kinsler the longest tenured Ranger now or maybe Murphy the Rusty Greer of this generation of fans! Either way it will happen and the youth that will be playing will have solid leadership to look up to!

As for whats still out there Swisher would be a great addition to the line up! First he kills the ballpark he is a switch hitter with good power from both sides but stronger from the left. He could easily match if not surpass his numbers from last year hitting 30 HRs instead of 24 HRs! He hit in the .290 range and drove in almost 100 RBI! But what would be the best part of him coming to Texas is it could make Nelson Cruz the primary DH! I can only imagine what it would be like to tell Cruz to only worry about your BOOMSTICK and just hit HRs!! It would be like having Vady back except he could still play in the field if needed!!

AJ would be nice to really anchor the catching postion! The problem is he is like rectal cancer in the club house!! He is one of the most hated players in baseball! But a guy like Nolan could possibly keep him in line and if that is possible his left handed bat would also be great to have in the right handed dominated line up that we currently have!! No on a personal note Nap is one of my favorite players and has been for sometime but with that being said Boston really over paid for him but i wish him well!! And Eli is not an amazing catcher but he can get the job done and has plenty of time spent behind the plate and lets not forget he did catch some amazing pitchers the season Buster got hurt! The guy is going to contribute!

Now the whole getting younger thing! Yeah the line up did get considerably younger but we boast about having the best farm system in baseball.......... well nows the time to prove it! Me personally (and I've been a fan way longer than most of you you know before september 2010) and I'm very excited about this season!! Getting to see Martin, Olt, and Profar in the everyday line up is going to be amazing!! The middle infield is going to be solid and the outfield is going to be great! There is so much speed out there!! The rotation and bullpen are what concerns me the most. The rotation is very young but with the best pitching coach in baseball (Mike Maddux) one of the best control pitchers of all time (Greg Maddux) and the strikeout king and one of the most feared pitchers of all time (Nolan Ryan) working with these guys they will progress very quickly. Look at Harrison he went from a 4-5 starter to a Cy Young candidate and an All-star in one season!! Darvish is working very hard on his control and who better to help him that Greg! The major concerne for the rotation will be 4 & 5! Do you use Perez or Grimm? Both pitched well at times but didn't get consistant enough starts or innings last season so I guess we shall wait and see!

Lastly in my rant just because we have a small payroll and a bunch of players that few people out side of the Ranger nation have really heard of does not mean that they will not be competitive! Prime example the Rangers with all the all-stars and the Angles with all they money and talent did not win the division. last year it was the team with the smallest payroll in baseball and only one maybe two everyday players that people have heard of ( Josh Reddick and Stephen Drew and maybe Coco Crisp but only because of his name) and a pitching staff that had no real big league experience are the AL West champs!

Have faith people JD knows what he is doing even if we as fans and wanna be GM's don't see it! We all have a million ideas of how to better our team but when it comes down to it we can only speculate and hope! This will be an exiting year for the rangers and its amazing fan base but the good thing is the fairweather fans will be weeded out and the Ranger faithful will be there to support our team no matter what!! So all you douche bags that only have ranger gear that say world series on it can go the hell on and keep your opinons to your selfs and let the real Ranger nation enjoy this season!!

Oh yeah and I can't wait to BOO that traitorous injury prone piece of crap when he makes his return to our beloved Ballpark!!

I agree if Daniels believes the FA is worthy the money he will bite. There are a lot of things about this off season I don't understand and to list them all would be exhausting. In regard to the Angels, after signing Hamilton anything short of a World Series ring will be seen as a failure.

Michael Young -2.4 WAR
Josh Hamilton 3.3 WAR
Mike Napoli 1.4 WAR
Koji Uehara 1.5 WAR
Mike Adams 1.2 WAR
Scott Feldman 0 WAR

Assuming all of their replacements are 0 WAR players, which they probably won't be, the team lost 5 WAR vs last season. Of course, it's troubling that the Angels have made an apparent gain, but you have to expect both Pujols and Hamilton will continue regressing, and how likely is it that Mike Trout will have a 10.7 WAR season again?

And Joe, there are dozens of combinations of FAs, trades, and youth that can make up that loss of 5 wins.

For example, by my count, I'd expect an additional 5 wins by signing Swisher to play RF, moving Nellie to DH, and getting rid of Michael Young. That roughly offsets the loss of Hamilton and Napoli in WAR terms. (Note: WAR's not the be-all-end-all, but it's not so far off that doing math in this way isn't at least a plausible outcome.)

You're using bWAR. I'd argue that fWAR is superior. If you use fWAR, the WAR loss from the players you identified is 6.8. You're also not factoring in the loss of Lewis and Feliz. That's another 2.6 WAR. (Sure, those players may return midseason, but we have no idea whether that will happen and whether they will be immediately effective when they do return.) Add to that the expected 0.5 WAR loss due to age related decline for Beltre and Cruz and the loss in WAR from moving Kinsler from 2B to 1B, and now you're up over 10 wins lost off a 93 win team. That's .500 baseball.

Plus, Rangers fans dramatically underestimate the Angels. They won 89 games last season despite Pujols bumpy transition, Trout not being on the team in April, a terrible bullpen, and mediocre starting pitching. It's possible their offense will be better this year, their bullpen will be much better, and their starting pitching probably won't be worse. (And they may still upgrade their starting pitching this offseason.)

As it stands now, the Rangers look to me like a .500 team (maybe a little better), and the Angels look like a 95 win team. It's possible that won't happen. The Angels might suffer a rash of injuries to key players and the Rangers rookies might all take off and compete for rookie of the year. But that's not what any objective observer would expect. The Rangers are just as likely to suffer injuries as the Angels, and it seems very unlikely that Martin, Profar, and Olt will have take off immediately. Most young players take years to develop.