Sunday Morning Open Thread: Five Questions
1. Who is the best trade target that nobody is talking about yet?
2. Who is your least favorite authority on Rangers baseball? Who is your favorite? You can name writers, columnists, bloggers, message board personalities, radio, etc.
3. You are Rangers GM Jon Daniels. Who is the one player on the major league roster you would declare untouchable at any price? Make your case. If you just say "Elvis. Because he's awesome," I'll ban you forever.
4. Give me your AL West predictions based on the makeup of the teams at the present. Are the Rangers still the favorite? Will the Angels retake control? Explain.
5. Put yourself in the mind of Cliff Lee. Regardless of what has been said publicly, why did you really pick the Phillies over the Rangers and Yankees? Spare no detail.
Open Thread, The Off-Season
Reader Comments (61)
1. Felix Hernandez.
3. Don't shoot me, but it's Elvis. He's very good offensively & defensively at a defense first position. He should continue to improve. Josh us more important to the offense, but Elvis is still a 0-3. He's under contract control AND still relatively inexpensive. I'm convinced that significant contributions from 0-3's are a necessity to compete with higher payroll teams.
4. Texas is still the favorite. We may have the 3rd best rotation in the division, but it's stll among the top 5-8 rotations in the AL. The Rangers are the best team in total (pitching, defense & offense), have the experience of playoff success, and have young players capable of improvement. Also to this point, the Angels & A's have done little to improve. Texas also still has a good farm system that can enable the team to make a July trade for an important pennant race addition. For sure, a couple of injuries could derail post-season plans, just as they ruined the 97 season in the team's late 90's run. On paper though, the Rangers are still the best in the West.
1. Hamels...they don't need him
2. Galloway & Cowlishaw tie. Their too big to know anything about the lowly Rangers, until the last month of last season. Then their experts.
3. Elvis. Did you see the pitching staff before Elvis? ( I think that is why many like the idea of Beltre, hoping he will add the same value Elvis did when he took over at short)
4. Oakland, Texas, Anaheim, Seattle
5. Weather? Higher annual salary?
5. Obviously, a combination of things. He really liked Philly the first time around. He expected to stay there. He was surprised and hurt when they traded him without even trying to work out an extension, but he doesn't hold grudges. He likes National Leageue ball (he is a very competitive athlete and he likes to hit). If you have a strong team (and the Phillies do), it is easier to repeat in the NL. You can make it to the World Series without going through Boston and the Yankees. And, once you're in, anything can happen. They now have an awesome pitching staff and their line-up is still good. His stats will be better and he won't have to pitch in the Texas heat. Notice that I mention the heat last. It wasn't a major factor, but it was a side benefit to avoid it.
1Odd man out in Philly rotation
2Media that chose Cowboys losing to Rangers winning. Too many bandwagon jumping, talking heads
3Feliz, Youth with upside and still flexible to start or close
4 Oakland, Angels Texas Seattle 9It takes a lot of luck and a favorable Interleague draw to repeat)
5 His wife decided where she wanted to be. Cliff didn't care. He just massaged the rationale to fit her choice. She probably heard it and decided at the hair salon, first.
1. King Felix. Seattle is rebuilding and the Rangers still have prospects.
2. BBTiA bloggers who disagree with me! (Just kidding!) - Grandpa Urine by a mile.
3. Cruz. Lot of defensive and offensive value at low cost.
4. Texas, Oakland, Halos, Mariners
5. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$s
1. Justin Verlander
3. Elvis. Great and still has room to improve. Personality makes him highly marketable for the business side and a natural fan fav/face of franchise.
4. Oakland, Rangers, Angels, Seattle.
5. Chance to be a part of something historic, win a ring and not have the bulk of the pressure to be on him.
1. Felix
2. DMN & TR Sullivan
3. nobody qualifies.. Elvis is not a keeper, his goal is to follow Jeter as the Yankees SS (just watch)
4. Texas, Oakland, Halos, Mariners
5. Chance to be a part of something historic, win a ring and not have the bulk of the pressure to be on him. ++ his WIFE made the final decision, he just said "yes dear"
6. why isnt Manny ever mentioned? he can hit!, and other "hot heads" have worked out ok for us.
1) Josh Johnson
2) EGrant is the only person over at the DMN that should write about anything having to do with major league baseball or the Texas Rangers. Everybody else that tries is embarrassing. My favorite? Hindman is probably the best combination of passionate writing/most informed/. Everything he writes is must-see although I will disagree with his opinions (I think we will have a very difficult time replacing Sir Cliff Lee) quite often.
3) It's Elvis. Anybody that can survive in The Show as a 20 year old has a legit chance at becoming either a star or a superstar. That's Elvis.
4) The Rangers have taken a significant step backwards. I have them in a flat-footed tie with the A's until further notice.
5) Why did Cliff leave? Wife wasn't totally on board with being here but I also think he was scared off when rumors were rampant that the Rangers were going to trade Michael Young in a salary dump so they could fit Lee's deal within the budget. Truly elite teams don't pull stunts like that.
1. A lot of good suggestions on the board already. I'll be silly and say "the good young pitching prospect from another organization". JD has a way of going after things other people don't.
2. Gerry Fraley really used to get under my skin because he was so negative alllllllll the time.
3. Love him or hate him, it would be hard to get rid of Michael Young. There are so few people that really want to be a Texas Ranger and Michael is one of them. As a long time fan, it reminds me of Toby Harrah and how he felt. I lived in Texas for a lot of years before moving, and I just felt good about people that wanted to be there. His leadership in the clubhouse and community would be hard to replace as well. And, oh yeah, he's still a pretty good major league ballplayer.
4. I don't think the A's will start as slow this year as they did last year. Team health will play a huge part in how the season plays out. Pitching is so important in the game, so I will go with A's, Rangers, Angels, Seattle.
5. Cliffy chose the Phillies because they paid him well, his wife loves the city, and that team has a great chance to win. I don't think there were any hidden agendas. I think there may be a grain of truth to Cliffy not having to play "savior" during the length of the deal.
1. Josh Johnson
3. Tough call between Elvis and Cruz. Elvis plays a huge defensive position well and has been developing with the bat (would still like to see some more growth there). He is young and has a great work ethic. Cruz has talent to spare and he has become consistent in all phases of his game over the last two years. Clutch hitter, great defensive arm, does get a little lazy and have lapses in judgement at time (letting his talent cover for him). He may be a little injury prone, though.
4. Texas, Anahiem, Oakland, Seattle - the margin for all is razor thin as it is in any major league season. Texas had some players have better years than before (can they continue) while making up for some huge disappointments (Feldman and Harden). Anahiem seemed to have injury problems all season and should bounce back, but they haven't added much to, if anything, to the team this offseason. Oakland is on the rise and always seems to have exceptional young pitching (and this year they will have more experience). Seattle doesn't have much beyond King Felix which means they will probably win the West this season.
5. I think he loved Philly (clubhouse, winning, etc.). Great sports city when you are winning and the Phillies do that. NL vs AL. Easier path to WS. Possibly an historic rotation. I have a feeling his wife liked it. No TX heat (though not a huge factor, it doesn't hurt). One of the factors that I think was very important was his son's health - his son's doctor is in Philly and is one of (if not the) best in the country.
1. David Wright. The Mets are not going to the playoffs during the final 2 years of his contract. It's time to leverage his performance in a trade to rebuild for 2014-2016.
2. Jean-Jacques Taylor's writing is annoying and immature; Jamey Newberg's missives have become too self-centered to be compelling to read; The BBTiA team rocks.
3. No player is untouchable. Failure to listen and negotiate leads to missed opportunities.
4. The Rangers are the favorites because they will continue to develop in-house talent.
5. Lee wants to win multiple champioships. Phillly is poised for a stronger run over the next 5 years than the Yankees and Rangers.
1) Heath Bell
2) Don't care for any of the writers at DMN
3) Elvis. Regardless of what happens 4 years from now when he becomes a FA, he filled that hole at the leadoff spot, being fearless going into deep counts, is spectacular at short and once he adds consistency to the ability to make the stunning play, watch out!
4). Rangers, A's, Angels, Mariners. Rangers have the bset balance in the division, A's are still pitching top heavy, Angels are lost in terms of direction, Mariners go for the youth movement, which pays off down the road.
5) Just liked Philly better. Never wanted to go to the Yankees, they were just used to jack up everyone else's price.
1. I'm going to have to agree that Josh Johnson is the best trade target out there now that Greinke is gone, and with him, unlike Greink, there are very few juicy rumors.
2. My favorite is Jamey Newberg. Not only does he offer good insight, but he can write. I like Evan Grant, but he's grammatically challenged. It's like watching a AAA shortstop who will make a great play, and then whiff on an easy grounder. Evan needs to learn that a split infinitive diminishes the force of what he is trying to say. I love to read Randy Galloway, even though he's forgotten whatever little he once knew about baseball, simply because he always has a take -- he's often wrong, but never in doubt; and I like T. R. Sullivan because he is a good journalist and always has something to say. Almost everyone else who writes or talks about the Rangers on a major stage is truly insipid. The DMN columnists generally (Evan Grant excepted) have simply become talking heads and have no more to offer than the the TV guys, which is a big bag of nothing. That's why I read these blogs.
3. Nobody. Maybe Yorvit Torrealba. Seriously -- a good catcher is hard to find. I take that back. Josh Hamilton can't be replaced at any price, but especially not at any price that any team would be willing to pay. He may flame out, but you have to ride with him.
4. I go with Oakland on top, closely followed by the Rangers, and then LAA. Seattle trails far behind. Oakland's pitching is just too good, and a year of maturity may well allow them to pull away. Texas may win 90, but I don't think 90 wins the division this year.
5. He went for the money. He gets $24 million over six years, but, if he's not pitching well after five, the Phiilies buy him out and his five year average is over $26 million. If he's done, five years for $132 million is wonderful. If he pitches well, the Phillies exercise the option and he has $144 million for six years, and has the opportunity to get another one or two year contract(s) for hefty money. I don't believe that any other team's offer was that good over the same period of time. He's a businessman, and he went for the best deal. It didn't hurt that he enjoyed his time with the Phillies, and that his kid had a good doctor there. But, he enjoyed his time in Texas, too.
Who hasn't been talked about? Everybody gets talked about in the off season. I'd like to see Josh Johnson in a Rangers uni.
BBTiA, Evan Grant favorite reads. Randy Galloway is my least favorite..a clown. An enetertainer.
Nobody should untouchable.
Probably Oakland then Texas, but LAA will be better than most think. The Rangers could just as easily wind up in 3rd as 1st.
Lee went to Philly because that's where he wanted to be. The best cahnce to win. That's two we won't have to face this year..Greinke and Lee..yaaaa.
(1) Liriano? Stephen Drew? (from the perspective of what other might acquire from the Rangers rather than what the Rangers might acquire -- Scheppers, Kinsler)
(3) Hamilton. Solid OF defense, immense power, great hitting ability. Almost completely unreproducible production by any combination of fielders on the FA market.
(4) Rangers (90 wins), A's (86 wins), Angels (78 wins), Ms (78 wins)
(5) Historically awesome rotation filled with cool guys. Who wouldn't want to sit around with Oswalt and Halladay and talk pitching or hunting or whatever.
1. If we can't have Lee, can we get Justin Smoak back? Kidding, of course. I like the idea of Justin Verlander from Detroit, but doubt Rangers have enough to get him.
2. Favorites are Norm Hitzges and Evan Grant -- least is anybody who substitutes schtick for knowledge.
3. Nobody is untouchable -- in this day of players working for who ever is the highest bidder, no GM owes loyalty to a player.
4. Rangers/Oakland, LAAs and Ms. Razor blade between the As and Rangers -- could go either way.
5. He went to Philly because he wanted to be there. Nothing wrong with that.
Johan Santana (Mets) and Ian Kennedy (Dbacks) would be nice additions to the Rangers.
1 - David Price (it will never happen though)
2 - Fav = Newberg (that's easy)... least fav is Galloway and that Ian guy (again, this is an easy choice)
3 - Right now, because of what happened this morning with Greinke, I think Neftali Feliz and probably CJ Lewis are completely untouchable.
4 - I think the A's may be the team to beat right now. Like the Rangers, the Angels have done nothing this offseason to improve.
I'm telling you guys, if the Rangers catch a bad break or two they could easily become the 3rd best team in the AL West. JD now NEEDS to get busy NOW!
5 - Actually, I have more respect for Lee now than before. I totally expected him to take the high $$$ bid, regardless of location... and he showed me that his family is more important than his ego and his wallet (not that $120M isn't enough), which is kind of rare nowadays.
REGARDING GREINKE - all of you that said "wait for Greinke's price to come down and then make the trade"... I told you that another team would swoop in and grab him and sure enough, that's what happened. I never say this but I TOLD YOU SO. You cannot sit on your hands and be complacent in this league/sport. You need to be wise, yes... but you have to strike while the iron's hot.
Also... I cannot imagine that anything short of landing a prominent, well known TORP, isn't a complete a failure and will do NOTHING to increase ticket sales, national attention, etc... Losing out on Greinke is a big blow, fo sho! And anyone that thinks otherwise is stupid!
BTW - can one of the BBTiA guys give us a rundown of the prospects the Brewers are giving up, complete with a comparison to Ranger prospects; i.e. Escobar to Profar, etc...?
1. Felix Hernandez
2. worst: Lewin [gone :)] , Barnett, Wilson.... best: Nadel, Newburg, BBTIA, Grant (with old responsibilities would be higher)
3. Pudge Rodriguez.....sorry too late TWICE.
4. Coin flip with the Angels with the A's making noise too.
5. Lee and his family simply liked Philly better. Cliff from a pitcher's standpoint. His family from a quality of life standpoint.
1. Felix although I doubt Seattle would let him go
2. Cowlishaw is a douche
3. Elvis Andrus hits for average and is a brickwall at short. Superstar with a many years of elite baseball ahead of him.
4. Oakland, Texas and Angels fight for 2nd, Seattle
5. Cliff Lee wanted to be back in Philly. He's comfortable there, he's joining a rotation where he probably won't be the # 1 starter. They will dominate. Ca$h was not a factor because he took much less money to play in Philly.
1) I don't think anyone is talking about Josh Johnson or Felix Hernandez because they are untouchable. Florida told Texas last year that Johnson is untouchable and Seatle has recently told New York that Hernandez is untouchable. Now with Greinke gone I can't think of any must-haves.
2) I must say that I hate TR Sullivan. Since I live in Amarillo I don't read the DMN or much of anything local to the Rangers so I get TR and his question and answer pieces just come across as really arrogant and I don't care for him.
3) There is not one person on this team I wouldn't trade away for the right price.
4) The Angels were on top until someone was able to knock them off. Now the Rangers are on top and I'll pick them until someone else knocks them off.
5) He has a chance to be in one of the greatest rotations of all time on a team that has a decent legacy, his family is ok with it, and don't forget, he is getting paid a lot of money.
1. Great suggestions so far. I can't imagine the price tag on King Felix or Verlander.
2. Jennifer Floyd Engel absolutely wears me out, she's garbage!
3. No player is untouchable. Elvis is not the guy, he's good but come on. I've made plenty of Tony Fernandez comparisons before and I won't let go of them.
4. A's & Rangers tied at the top with Angels then the Mariners.
5. World Series Ring...pretty damn easy!
1. I personally wouldn't mind getting Marlon Byrd back. I think you could get him for not that much after his rough end to the season, and it would allow for the rotating DH option that seems to make everyone happy/healthy for less then adding a Vlad .
2. Not a Galloway fan
3. I do not think anyone is ever untouchable, but imo Ian is the closest to it on this team. I think the end of last season/playoffs show a glimpse of what he is going to be entering his prime. I think his production will outweigh his paycheck heavily the next few seasons.
4. I still like the Rangers, do not know why people think the A's are going to score runs all of a sudden.
5. Cliff Lee knew he was going to Philly the day the World Series was over. He just wanted to make sure his paycheck got as big as possible
1. Josh Johnson. Not sure I believe he can't be had.
2. Mike Rhyner knows very little about baseball, and he's simply lazy. He wouldn't have a job at my radio station.
3. Elvis. He's the straw that stirs this drink. Leader all the way. Ideal number two hitter, by the way. This will be his team soon, but only until free agency.
4. Rangers
5. Who cares?
1) Santana. Just a hunch that they may decide to tear down and start over.
5. Not a single person has mentioned that the Lee family wanted Philadelphia partly because the hospital and doctors there have helped with the son's battle against leukemia.
Philly may just be the best place for Cliff to get money and win, for his wife to enjoy more of a four season climate and for the son to get the best medical treatment available.
Shocking, I know to some, that there is more to life than baseball and cash!!!
The best player that nobody here has mentioned but would be obtainable would be Ricky Nolasco. I like that he doesn't walk anyone and is a righty who is tough on lefties. With the pitching depth that Florida has, he would be much cheaper than Grienke. He is affordable ($3.8 mill last year) and should really bounce back this year now that his knee surgery is behind him.
2. I don't know if I have a least favorite but I would argue that Grandpa Urine is the least believable. I have a lot of friends who write for the Star-Telegram, so I will name Jeff Wilson as my favorite.
3. I wouldn't trade Nelly Cruz for anything. I like Josh, but worry about his injuries. Nelly is the cornerstone of this francise as much as Josh is. He has power, speed and plays a very solid RF with a cannon for an arm.
4. I don't think that Anaheim or Oakland has the firepower to catch Texas unless the Rangers have injuries or bigtime regressions. In fact, I think that Kinsler, Torealba and Andrus will all improve this year.
5. I think that Lee chose Philly because the NL is easier than the AL and he makes that Philly team head and shoulders better than any NL pretender. I think the hotter weather and less friendly park (just the conditions, not the people) in Texas probably pushed him away 50% as much as the ease in the NL pulled him.
1. I saw Ricky Nolasco's name pop up yesterday and that really intrigues me. He is not Josh Johnson, but his numbers look solid enough and he's worth going after as a #3 behind CJ and Colby. At this point, ace pitchers aren't going to be an option unless you're making trades for your fantasy team.
2. Colin Cowherd and Buster Olney are both terrible. Clueless know-it-all brainlacks. TR Sullivan, on the other hand, is the most plugged-in man on the planet. He was, after all, the one that broke the Cliff Lee story before the New York writers and the Philly writers had a clue.
3. Neftali Feliz will be buried in his Rangers jersey. He's young and has an electric fastball. His off-speed stuff shows great potential (as one of his breaking balls was the greatest pitch in franchise history) and, when he gets movement on his speedy stuff, he dominates. As closer or starter, I see nothing but upside and this club needs to hold onto talented young pitching. Plus, his awesome awesomeness is awesomely awesome.
4. Rangers keep the AL West crown. Two left-handed bullpen guys and the return of Kendry Morales does not fix the Angels and the A's still can't hit. It will be a little more competitive and not locked up in June, though.
5. I didn't want to be a hero.
1. Carlos Zambrano
1. Nolasco or Gallardo
2. all of BBTIA is the best in my book, although Durrett does a good job of covering everything broadly, but BBTIA for in depth stuff. Galloway is a dee-dee-dee
3. I think after last season it has to be Hamilton, he was the MVP, but he would have to be able to do it year in and year out to be considered untouchable. If he's not playing at MVP caliber then he is certainly tradeable.
4. Rangers (still favorite b/c on division championship last season, must be knocked off my someone to win) A's (the good young pitching will carry them, but also curse them at times) Angels (good experienced rotation, but havent done anything to offense) Mariners (who the hell knows what they are doing?)
5. It is the NL, and the Phils are the Yankees of the NL, so it was a match made in heaven. He will probably have a year added onto his career simply by pitching against the DH-less lineups and Philly is considered a contender every year
1.In terms of bang for the buck I think Gavin Floyd could do a lot with the lowest investment in term of dollars and trade chips used.
2. There is a list I don't like Engel, Taylor, If Dale Hansen ever talks about them he is certainly on the list.
3. Again a list, but Derek Holland is near the top simply because I think he is primed for a breakout and his trade value would not come near what his actual value should be. I think there is also no way you could trade MY, Nellie, Hamilton, Andrus, Kinsler, Feliz, Lewis or CJ. After last year you must keep the core intact.
4. Like anyone could even know that Napoleon. If I had to guess I'd say LA Tex and Oak are all close and SEA is way back
5.Less Pressure, higher annual salary, no dh, mass transit Phillies arguably most popular franchise in town but Cowboys way more popular than TX, never wanted to be a Yankee
1. Ricky Nolasco
2. I'm a big Jamey Newberg fan. He always seems to be in the same mental mindset that I am. BBTiA does a great job as well. Grant and Sullivan do okay. Like most of the comments on here I agree that the major guys like Colishaw and Galloway aren't even worth reading (so I don't). Norm Hitzges had some outstanding game analysis during the playoffs.
3. I will say Neftali Feliz, but I could see anyone getting traded for the proper price. Hamilton, Kinsler, and Cruz have injury issues. Colby and C.J. have only put up their numbers for one season. If this front office is willing to talk about trading Young, who maybe be on the downswing but is still one of the most reliable hitters in baseball, then I don't think anyone is untouchable. Neftali has tremendous upside AND has performed at the major league level.
4. The Rangers are still the favorite. They would have won the division last year without Lee, and that team is basically still intact. I'm not afraid of the Angels anymore. If they would have gotten Crawford it'd be a different story. The A's will be the team that could sneak up on us. With the rotation that they have they are going to win quite a bit, and if the free agent hitters they've been adding work out if will be trouble. I predict the division will finish the same as this past season. I can't predict games so I won't even try.
5. Cliff went to the Phillies for the same reason that LeBron went to Miami, or that Malone and Payton went to the Lakers several years ago. He looked at the players he would be playing with and thought, "We'll be unbeatable". And from the three teams that were after him and decided the Phillies were the sure thing. There was also the comfort level aspect but I think it was less of a factor. Because of those things he took less money to be where he wanted to.
1. Johan Santana, Ubaldo Jimenez, Liriano, Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, Edison Volquez ... Just throwing some names out there. If the Mets don't compete could they ship Santana and be in full rebuilding mode?
a lot of people have mentioned Nolasco, who I find very intriguing. Any idea what it would cost? Would Hunter plus Borbon get it done? I am completely guessing here- no idea what he's worth.
1. Ricky Nolasco, Gavin Floyd, Joe Blanton, and Edwin Jackson. FIrst, since this team has the money and seems unlikely to add a big name free agent like Beltre, I wouldn't mind taking Blanton off Philadelphia's hands. He is probably would not cost anything in terms of prospects if you agree to take on most of his salary. At $8.5 million, he is not overpaid for a pitcher that posts a career 4.21 FIP and about 2-3 WAR per season. He is certainly a major improvement over, say, Matt Harrison or Scott Feldman.
Second, I would try to trade for either Floyd, Nolasco or Jackson (in that order of preference). They are all decent bets to be owrth 3.5-4+ WAR next season. They aren't TORPs, but they are decent #2/3 starters. Floyd is probably as good or better than CJ and Lewis, while Nolasco and Jackson are a little riskier but comparable pitchers. I'd imagine any team would want either Holland or Hunter in any such deal. By doing that, you enter 2011 with a rotation of, say, Floyd, Lewis, Wilson, Blanton, and Hunter./Holland. That would be a significant improvement over our current rotation, as every pitcher would be a good bet to be worth 2-5 WAR.
2. Worst is, by far, Randy Galloway.
3. Absolutely no one is untouchable. I can't even imagine who I would make untouchable. I'd certainly be willing to trade even Elvis in the right deal. Frankly, I would have been open to dealing Elvis for Greinke, so long as it didn't require much more on top of that, and the Rangers were allowed to negotiate an extension. If I had to name someone, I'd say Hamilton.
4. If the Angels sign Beltre, I will reluctantly put them at about equal to, or better than, the Rangers. The A's aren't far behind.
5. The Phillies are a better team entering 2011 than Texas. He has a substantially better chance to win a World Series with Philly over the next two years than Texas. I don't blame him at all. And he got a better financial deal, to boot.
I would send Perez, Beltre, Scheppers, Profar, and Erlin and more to the Mets if they'd send us Santana and Wirght and cash back.
1. Easily Felix Hernandez, but I sincerely doubt anyone will convince Seattle to move him.
2. Randy Galloway is easily my kryptonite; I hate that guy. Josh Garoon is pretty bitchin'.
3. No on is untouchable depending upon the price. Who's the one player I would hold out the longest? That's a different question and not the question that was asked.
4. I think the A's and Rangers might come down to a one game playoff (game 163). I'd put them both down ~89 wins. I think the Angels come close with about 86. I think the A's rotation will once again be stellar, and the bats will improve; however, there pitching staff could improve and still not see better results. Regardless, I believe the A's are the Ranger's biggest competition. The Angels will be better, but they've got plenty of holes that haven't been addressed. The Rangers still have a solid team, and the pitching staff is not crumbling the way some would have us believe. I think we'll have a true breakout season from Derek Holland. The Mariners are just a hot mess.
5. That rotation could be the GOAT.
5. I chose the Phillies over the Rangers because of a little-reported incident while hunting in Arkansas a few weeks ago. Somehow I got separated from Tommy and Mitch and there was a banjo savant that looked like John Daniels and a guy that resembled Derek Holland who said I had a purdy mouth, and after that it gets a little blurry. I just knew I had to get as far away from there as possible. Japan was an option too, but Kristen said there were too many foreigners over there.
2.
J. Newberg
M. Hindeman
J. Matschulat
E. Grant (I liked him better last year at D-mag)
oops, sorry....those are my MOST FAVORITE Texas Ranger writers
1. Not sure, but it will be a pleasant surprise when JD pulls it off, I'm sure.
2. Galloway...Parks, Matches, Garoon, Hindman...you guys rock.
3. Elvis because I don't believe he's reached his offensive ceiling by a long shot, and I think his defense would be impossible to replace.
4. Rangers are the favorite slightly at the moment, with Oakland and Anaheim not too far behind. I'd like to see what moves are coming over the next half-dozen weeks, though.
5. Lee didn't believe the Rangers could consistently win, IMO. He didn't believe in the aging Spankees either. He sees the Phillies rotation, and their playoff experience, and thinks he'll be in the WS more often than not over the life of his contract.
2) Favorite is definitely a combination of Newberg and BBTIA. Newberg writes off of emotion and more from a fan perspective, but BBTIA focuses on logic and statistics. Put both together and you have a pretty complete analysis of Rangers baseball.
3) Without a doubt it's Elvis. He plays maybe the second most important position in sports behind QB. He's young, insanely talented, and has a chance to be a really special player for a long time. I don't think you trade Profar because of the chance Elvis becomes a Yankee, but I don't think you just say Elvis is tradeable because of the chance he may leave in a few years. (I would consider Hamilton untouchable right now, but because of the risks, I would trade him for the right package... whatever that may be)
I'm VERY upset Greinke slipped through the cracks. I find it very hard to believe that the Rangers couldn't find a match with KC, despite their supposed needs up the middle.
I trust JD. I trust Nolan... and Greenberg, etc... but unless I see a front line TORP coming to Texas sometime before spring training, I'm going to grade this post AL West champion, AL Pennant champion, and World Series runner-up offseason as 1 of the worst EVER. It will speak volumes about the mindset of this organization, and that winning a pennant is good enough.
I don't care about Adrian Beltre, I don't care about Carl Pavano... and I don't want JD to make a move for the sake of making a move (which I think is what JD is trying NOT to do... which is a good thing) I want to see a legit #1 on this roster by the time P&C's report for ST.
If we go into 2011 with CJ, Colby, Hunter, Holland, and Feldman/Feliz/Ogando/Kirkman, etc.... we will NOT make it to the post season. Write it down...
CJ may have #1 stuff and may pitch like a number 1... but that's a HUGE gamble. As is pencilling Lewis as your #2. He's a strained elbow away from being a journeyman. And I think we can all agree that Hunter is NOT a #3 and we have NO idea what Holland may do (good or bad)... it's just too much of a risk.
We have the position players... we have good bullpen arms... and everything's clicking right now... but if any one of the starters stumbles, it will have a trickle down effect that could set this team back and we'll be cellar dwelling again.
Strike while the irons hot... IT'S TIME!!!
2) Least favorite is Jamey Newberg... by far.
He goes out of his way to remain ignorant about simple but important mathematics, and he proudly boasts of that ignorance. Really pathetic.
1. Josh Johnson. Seattle isn't going to trade Felix, so the idiots saying that should be banned.
2. Joey obv.
3. Feliz. Young, still developing, lots of potential. Love Elvis but I am hoping Profar > Elvis.
4. 2nd or 3rd in the AL West. If Oakland gets any kind of offensive help they will win the west.
5. NY is a bunch of douche clowns and Texas isn't winning a title with the current team.
2. Best are Jamey Newberg and Evan Grant.
2. Different Ranger writers for different moods.
-Newberg is good when I want to celebrate over a win or stew about a bad loss, because he just writes from a pure fan perspective. Not that great for objectivity, obviously.
-Joey is my favorite BBTIA author, good mix of objectivity with fandom.
-El Magico is good for a scouting standpoint that fans don't usually get.
-Garoon and the new guy are great if I'm feeling like reading a baseball-oriented textbook.
-Hindman is interesting. Weird shift from really optimistic to very pessimistic in just a couple years. Its like he hates winning.
The Marlins aren't trading Josh Johnson. Remember when we traded for Jorge Cantu and Jon Daniels, just out of curiosity, asked what it would take to get Josh Johnson? He offered Perez and Tanner Scheppers, and Florida said no. I wouldn't mind if we got another starter, but I don't think we're in trouble if we don't. We would have won the division without Cliff Lee. The Angels haven't done much to get better, and the A's still don't have enough offense to be a serious threat, even with their great pitching. I'm content to stand pat right now, go into the season, give Feliz or Ogando a look as a starter in Spring Training, and then see what's available at the Trade Deadline again
% chance Texas will trade for Felix Hernandez this offseason = 0.00%
You might as well suggest they trade for Clay Buchholtz or David Price. Come on people.
so much for nolasco, now he's close to signing extension with marlins