Monday Morning Rangers Notes: Hot Stove Apropos Of Nothing
Joey MatschulatA few Thanksgiving weekend hot stove leftovers for your perusal as we wait for Tom Hicks to break his oath of silence regarding the came-and-went bid submission deadline (which seems to be generating plenty of off-the-record unrest):
● According to the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo, the Brewers "have made a few inquiries" regarding right-hander Kevin Millwood (whom the Rangers "haven't been inclined to move"); however, general manager Jon Daniels clarified on Sunday that he had not spoken to his Brewers counterpart, Doug Melvin, in weeks (Nick Cafardo, Boston Globe; Adam McCalvy, MLB.com)
[I'm not sure if Daniels' clarification really tells us much of anything, but it is interesting to note that Melvin has coveted Millwood for quite some time; during last December's winter meetings, it was revealed that Melvin held Millwood "in high regard" and that he was thought to be involved in trade talks between the two ballclubs, but ultimately nothing came of it. Encouraging that the Rangers are reluctant to move Millwood; they're certainly listening to offers and just might bite if the deal is right, but there shouldn't be a sense of urgency in play by any means.]
● Free agent outfielder Jermaine Dye would apparently like to join a western division ballclub; free agent infielder Miguel Tejada remains on the Rangers' radar (Jon Heyman, SI.com; Nick Cafardo, Boston Globe)
[The Dye thing has already been discussed at great length in this space, and the Tejada nugget is meaningless. I would imagine that the likes of Jason Bay and John Lackey are on the Rangers' radar as well, but that doesn't make either of those options remotely realistic; as for the notion itself, nobody is going to be against Tejada being the Rangers' backup infielder, per se, but nothing about this -- the money, the role demands, the usage patterns -- properly lines up. Please don't let the entire off-season be like this.]
● Jon Daniels flatly denied a Saturday rumor suggesting that the Rangers were looking at free agent infielder Marco Scutaro as a potential starting third baseman, prompting multiple beat writers to retract earlier reports carrying those rumors; nevertheless, Texas has reportedly contacted Scutaro, presumably with the intention of employing him as a utility infielder (Evan Grant, Dallas Morning News; Jordan Bastian, MLB.com)
[Scutaro possesses some value as a high-bat control, high-plate discipline, high-versatility player, but it's not enough to justify tendering a multi-year contract worth multiple millions and, in the process, forfeiting the No. 22 pick in next summer's amateur draft. Scutaro isn't really the story here, although this did manage to get me thinking about what circumstances would have to come into play for Michael Young to demand yet another trade ... and, yes, I have to admit that displacing him again would probably do the trick.
I would imagine that continued poor ownership -- along with repeated missing of the post-season -- might also be something that would infuriate Young to the point of activating his exit strategy, but even if the worst-case scenario were to develop, there wouldn't be any need to worry about that until 2011 at the earliest. Can't fathom such a worst-case scenario becoming reality, but the ensuing P.R. disaster would probably be sent over the edge by Young demanding a way out. Let's not even think about this again.]
Quick Hits: Per Nick Cafardo, catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia will embark upon a two-week trip to the Dominican Winter League for the purpose of testing his surgically repaired right shoulder; additionally, outfielder Nelson Cruz "could be a target" for the Brewers, whatever that means ... FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal and MLB.com's Joe Frisaro both report (here and here, respectively) that Marlins right-hander Josh Johnson will not be traded this off-season, quelling speculation that Texas could get involved in the chase ... Team president Nolan Ryan (via the Toronto Sun's Bob Elliott) says that Blue Jays right-hander Roy Halladay will not approve a trade to Texas; then again, why anybody would think he might have changed his tune in the last four months is beyond me.
Reader Comments (5)
The rumors of Dye, Johnson(Nick & Josh), Scutaro and Tejada are amusing @ best! Please someone tell me if you move Millwood, who do you plan on plugging into his spot in the rotation???
Yeah, I'm with BP that there are some real "doozies" floating out there. The Dye rumor at least makes sense, considering he's a RH bat who can play the OF. Wonder if a Millwood for Dye trade is in the works...?
I don't think replacing Millwood's spot in the rotation will be that big of a deal. That's one area where TX has really amazing depth. Albeit, many of the guys who could plug that hole are green, but if you look consider the sheer number of available arms (Moscoco, Feliz, Hurley, etc.) - chances are that someone can do as well as Millwood over the course of an entire season.
My #1 priority this offseason is to replace Tom Hicks. I firmly believe that any of the prospective owners will be smart/patient enough to stick with Ryan/Daniels for at least a couple of seasons. I don't think it's too hard to see that firing Nolan Ryan would drop the public perception of any new owner even lower than that of Hicks. If we can get the sale of this team completed before the start of the season or at least a couple weeks before the trade deadline, then I would think there would be money to go out and persue someone like Nolasco or Johnson from Florida.
None of this mumbo jumbo matters until Hicks is out of here and new ownership is in place.
"Please someone tell me if you move Millwood, who do you plan on plugging into his spot in the rotation???"
I guess the default arrangement would be Feldman/Hunter/Holland/McCarthy/Harrison (with Feliz and/or Nippert being called upon first when attrition inevitably takes its toll), but that isn't something that I really feel comfortable going into the season with.
On a related note, Ken Rosenthal reported earlier tonight that the Orioles and Rangers were also discussing Millwood, with one source indicating that the primary motivation for moving Millwood off the books would be to acquire Jermaine Dye. That would likely amount to a step backwards.