Sign lohse(assuming you can get him without a ton of years) and let ogando and Perez fight for the last rotation spot with any luck Perez wins and ogando fixes the bullpen.

Why not? Becauses we don't need him. Hell St Louis loses Carpenter and they are not interested.

BEcaue we would give up a first round pick, I think.

It's very telling that a starting pitcher coming off the season he just had is not yet signed. The Red Sox gave Ryan freaking Dempster $26M and he's going to get killed in the AL East. The Cubs handed Edwin Jackson $50M, etc... so something must be wrong with Lohse or he would have already signed... and I would have to think that any team picking in the 20's (in this years draft) would be ok with giving it up to sign a good starting pitcher... but it's not happening... there's probably something going on with him that we don't know about.

Sure. If its after the draft.

or piss off baseball as a whole(like we did with beras or however you spell it) and sign lohse to a minor league deal and not pay the draft pick

I'm against signing Lohse, and I'm opposed to the idea that something is wrong with him since he isn't yet signed.

I think its a couple of things; a first round draft pick, he is a NL thrower with not great velocity, ( See Ryan Dempster in AL last year) and its very obvious there is something wrong, maybe its his agent? Is it Boras?

Even if he doesn't employ Boras we have alot of live arms we can plug into the five slot and survive. All this team is going to do this year is be .500 without a couple of career years showing up. Why waste the money it would take to sign him to even a one year deal. The rules, if he is healthy say he is going to have to make $13M, right?

@christian86, that is expressly forbidden under the new collective bargaining agreement. They refer to it very specifically. Such a contract would not be approved.

1) NL pitchers don't transition to the AL very well (in general)
2) Depends heavily on location (velocitally challenged)
3) Costs the #1 Pick
.....a) Lose the potential future star (I know... low percentage of hitting)
.....b) Lose the $$$ that could be massaged by an intelligent GM to sign other picks.
4) Already 34 or 35 years old?
5) Post-Dave Duncan syndrome is well-documented (although Duncan was retired last year - carryover?)
6) The Plan states that, unless confronted with a great deal (Beltre, Lee, etc.), we go with the organization's youth.

#6 Trumps all else.

^^
To point #1: Lohse's ERA+, WHIP, H/9 & HR/9 are all better NL vs. AL. He would be Oswalt, The Sequel.

Actually he would be dempster 2.0

i would think in our ballpark hed be colby lewis part 2(doesnt walk people but with his velocity would give up homers)

David Draggle writes:

1) NL pitchers don't transition to the AL very well (in general)
2) Depends heavily on location (velocitally challenged)
3) Costs the #1 Pick
.....a) Lose the potential future star (I know... low percentage of hitting)
.....b) Lose the $$$ that could be massaged by an intelligent GM to sign other picks.
4) Already 34 or 35 years old?
5) Post-Dave Duncan syndrome is well-documented (although Duncan was retired last year - carryover?)
6) The Plan states that, unless confronted with a great deal (Beltre, Lee, etc.), we go with the organization's youth.

#6 Trumps all else.

1. Though I generally agree with you, it's still more contingent on the pitcher than it is the league. Guys like Zack Greinke can pitch well in the AL and the NL. Same with Cliff Lee. Being an ace means the ballpark doesn't matter. However, taking MORP's or replacement-level starters out of the NL and putting them in a league with an extra hitter, and you are playing with fire. I would consider Lohse a MORP, and I think his ERA in Arlington would be somewhere around 4.0-4.2.

2. "Depends heavily on location" - said everyone, about every pitcher, ever. This shouldn't be on a 1-6 list; it's a given.

3. Costs a first round pick. We have two.

4. 34, yes.

5. Again, it's contingent more of the talent level of the pitcher than it is a pitching coach.

6. It basically comes down to: is Kyle Lohse worth the lowball money (2 years, $18 million?) plus the idea that he's better than Alexi Ogando or Derek Holland, displacing one of them to the bullpen. I've argued that losing one of our two late first-round picks is not the worst thing in the world, because we do have two. The new CBA really fucks over the smaller and middle market franchises who heavily rely on international scouting and investing a lot of money in the draft. Although we've become of the 6 or 7th-best markets in the game, we are an organization who's operated aggressively and progressively with the mentality of a small market franchise.

Anyway, I'm not exactly stoked on Kyle Lohse -- and I don't think the Rangers will sign him -- but if we could get him at, say, 2 years at $8-$9 million AAV, then why not? He would marginally help our team (1.5-2.5 wins), but more importantly he would be another cheap asset. Those are valuable on the trade market.

It's just good business.

B-O-R-I-N-G

Not as boring as last night danny

Trying out the kindle of the kid. Go Harry!!

Lohse will eventually sign with the Brewers, Cubs or Pirates for 2/$25 or 3/$39. He was at the $12m range in 2011 and 2012, snd he is an agent of Boras with great success in the NL Central. Thus way too costly for the Rangers when all a fifth starter not named Colby Lewis could/would be needed is 4 or 5 starts, always barring injuries. True for all teams, and may prove the best opportunity for Lohse to sign the contract he is somewhat looking for. The Rangers keys to fill the loses rests in the maximizing of the potential levels of their 4 current starters and the success from the left side of the plate, especially with the 3 Ms, and the always given great health and avoidance of devastating injuries. To Wash's credit he sees good health and conditioning as keys in Spring Training, even somewhat over the win column.