NEWSFLASH: Rangers Trade Frank Francisco For Mike Napoli
The other shoe has dropped on the still-smoldering Vernon Wells trade, and it involves the Rangers in a trade that probably -- although not certainly -- makes them better in 2011 with minimal financial impact, but adds a little shake and wobble to a bullpen that is a little more dependent on good fortune than it was at the beginning of the day.
Per multiple sources (including FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal, who first broke the story on Twitter this afternoon), Texas has acquired catcher/first baseman Mike Napoli from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for right-hander Frank Francisco and a sum of cash reported to be less than $1 million. Given that Napoli will likely be due something between $5.5 million and $6 million in arbitration, and that Francisco will net what I think will be a little more than $4 million, the Rangers are incurring a total payroll hit of $2.5 million, or thereabouts -- less than what they offered Jim Thome, and probably comparable to what they may or may not have offered Manny Ramirez. Texas no longer requires a free-agent slugger in that vein, so this can be viewed as money the Rangers were already willing to spend to upgrade their offense/depth.
In exchange for that payroll hit and the relinquishment of Francisco's services, the Rangers get a multi-positional piece with two remaining years of club control (though he may only be a one-year player here, depending on his performance and projected role going into the 2011-12 off-season), solid power, and some on-base utility -- one who you would think would constitute one-half of a platoon set-up at first base with Mitch Moreland, receive some scattered plate appearances at DH, and get a little playing time at catcher, perhaps amounting to 300-350 plate appearances at the very least and more if he furnishes the offensive punch that he's capable of providing. On this team, that's a very useful piece.
[For those curious on Napoli's 2011 offensive projections, ZiPS has Napoli pegged at .251/.336/.489 next season, FANS has him down at .258/.340/.463, and Bill James -- arguably the most dubious projection set of the three -- has him forecasted at .246/.336/.479.]
Granted, this trade doesn't come without its own set of consequences. Losing Francisco, a very capable eighth- and ninth-inning man over the last three seasons, undermines the overall strength/reliability of the bullpen and heightens the necessity of Tanner Scheppers, Japanese import Yoshinori Tateyama, Mark Lowe, and/or Pedro Strop emerging as quality relief options this season, as Texas is now left with Neftali Feliz (who very likely won't be moving to the rotation now that Francisco is out of the mix), Alexi Ogando, and Darren O'Day as their only assured right-handed relievers in the Opening Day bullpen. If one of those guys doesn't step up in Francisco's absence, and the resultant impact is several high-profile late-inning collapses early in the season, this trade isn't going to look quite so bright and sunny as it does right now.
That will be then, though, and this is now, and right now the Rangers have converted a good late-inning reliever into a nice-fitting power bat that all but finalizes the position-player side of the Rangers' Opening Day roster. You can see this trade not working out, but it's easier to view the more positive side of this deal, and sitting here right now it's easier to argue that the benefits imparted by Napoli exceed the costs than vice versa.
Analysis, NEWSFLASH, Transactions
Reader Comments (85)
Kinsler will spend time on the DH again this year, count on it, and we will get to see MY in his old stomping grounds stomping on ground balls more than we'd like to this year. Mark it down. It's gonna happen.
Young will be fine at second base in limited doses. You have much more time to react to balls at second than at third he will be fine at second if he is needed.
@ jon ... thanks for providing the relative WAR impact... +2.4WAR is huge.
@dub ... Nah... Blanco subs for Kinsler (or Andrus or Beltre). IMO.
I think if there is another trade then it might be Teagarden who packs his bags.
Per Fangraphs (2010) giving up 1.0 WAR to add 3.4WAR.
Given that Napoli is a negative at C, but a positive at 1B the idea would be to platoon him with Moreland and retain Treanor as the primary back up at C. So much for THe face learning 1B.
This is a great move! Plus 2.4 WAR, provides backup at 1B and keeps Young away from 1B ( win - win) and adds a third C to the club house and all for chump change!
I don't think looking at what happened LAST YEAR is the correct way to look at this trade. For one thing, it assumes the exact same levels of performance, the exact same playing time distribution between 1B/C/DH in Napoli's case, and the exact same number of PA/IP.
What we should be looking at is the 2011 Rangers WITH the trade vs. the 2011 Rangers WITHOUT the trade.
Mark Lowe is also in the RHP bullpen mix.
Good move. I have always been a Frankie fan, and wish the guy well, but in the end this makes the club better and is worth doing.
Why does everyone want Vlad so bad? You want a guy that is only going to play well for half of a season? And that's if he gets consistent playing time, which he won't. Vlad should be done being a Ranger.
It was hard to watch Frankie last year, he put them on base and somehow wiggled his way out of the jam. (most of the time)
Hate to say this, but I was almost glad when he got injured towards the end, I couldn't take the roller coaster ride when he pitched.
It's time to give some young arms a chance, spring training will be a lot of fun this year!!!
Steve B or Anyone who knows,
Has Napoli also played some at 3B? I think you mentioned that?
Joe
Excellent trade! The addition of Napoli will allow for significantly improved match-ups from game to game and at bat to at bat. Wash has incredible flexibility now to interchange players and protect developing players like Borbon and Moreland while sacrificing little day to day. After checking some stats I wouldn't be surprised to see a lineup split like this.
Against RHP
Borbon
Andrus
Hamilton
Beltre
Cruz
Kinsler
Yount
Moreland
Torrealba
Against LHP
Andrus
Young
Hamilton
Beltre
Cruz
Kinsler
Napoli
Torrealba
Gentry
You could of course sub Murphy in for Gentry against lefties given Murphy's overall ability to hit but I have a feeling Murphy will be in a regular rotation through the outfield and be the everyday replacement when someone gets hurt. By the way has anyone else seen Napoli's splits against lefties. From 08 to 10 he has hit .310/.406/.987. with 45 runs scored, 20 HR's, and 42 RBI in 284 AB's.
With this lineup if he makes it to 400 AB's is a slash line of .285/.385/.850 with 70 runs, 25 HR, and 80 RBI's out of the question?
Young was never, ever going to play 1B and this only proves that point. He's not good enough for 3B so he sure isn't good enough to play the other corner. MY is a professional hitter though and now he can focus on what he does best.
Napoli gives you depth at catcher because somebody will hurt a finger or knee. He also gets good ABs as occasional DH and gets to PH when needed.
Francisco needed a breath of fresh air and he was no longer trusted here. Hasta la vista, baby!
Joey misses the boat on Feliz not starting because we are still jammed at the back end with Beltre, Strop, Harrison, Lowe, Kirkman, Oliver, O'Day, Scheppers, Rhodes and Ogando. Neftali and Holland are both in rotation by June 1 if not before.
Yount in the seven spot?? That WILL be a big trade that JD's gonna pop tomorrow. heh
@ Joe ... Napoli @3b has 1 game in A ball (Cedar Rapids) and 2 games at A+ (Rancho Cucamonga)... 4 chances, 1 PO and 3 assists. He's a marginal defender. That's why LAA was willing to let him go last week.
There is no way we tank in 2011. I am convinced that we have covered almost all injury laden contingencies with this trade. We should win enough to right in the thick of things. Total rotation meltdown letdown is still possible, not likely though.
Name any two position players that can be on the DL at the same time, and you can fit in a winnable lineup with who is leftover.
Maybe it will be Yount for Young straight up. I don't think I'd put it past J.D.
I think this is a back door endorsement of Ogando more than it is an endorsement of Lowe. Ogando showed pretty well during the playoffs and um, Lowe didn't. I'm not certain that Lowe even makes this team. I worry a bit about the loss of pitching but I don't think Daniels makes this move unless his team felt he was replaceable. A calculated risk for sure, but one that fits the Rangers needs to a "T".
All the best to Frankie in Toronto.
Love this trade. We will keep Treanor - Napoli is either the 3rd C or another option unless others do not perform (C's, Moreland, Borbon) and injury like last year. Now we have the type of depth that we have at on the pitcher side. This team is deep, talented and will position themselves to make a trade at sometime for a #1 start for the playoff run.
@ john in clearwater ... Certainly an endorsement of Ogando over Lowe. Actually think O'Day is a better fit for setup for Feliz just like most of 2010 than Ogando though. O'Day's motion and timing is so different that he sets up Feliz better. Lowe and Ogando are power pitchers ... and Feliz isn't that much different so its too much of the same in back to back innings. O'Day breaks it up ... and he's far more reliable in a 1 inning stint.
Now... case can be made that TEX might want to try Ogando or Lowe (maybe) as Closer and let Feliz get up to speed as a SP ... but don't think that happens in 2011.
I've been watching MLB Network tonight (which is amazing) and have decided that for all Ken Rosenthal brings to the table he is incapable of determining what a teams actual needs are. He just got done explaining how the addition of Napoli means that the Rangers will surely trade Young due to an inability to get MY a sufficient number of AB's. I just did a cursory look at a few Rangers AB's for next year and if everything stays as it is I believe Wash can manage to get the following # of AB's out of Young, Napoli, Moreland, Torrealba and Treanor. Young gets 500 to 550 playing DH and spot starts at select INF positions. Napoli can expect to see nearly 400 AB's while spliting time with Moreland at first and Torrealba and Treanor at Catcher. Moreland can expect 300 AB's by splitting time with Napoli at first against RHP with Napoli taking most of the LH AB's. Torrealba could expect 250 AB's and Treanor between 50 and 100.
I know Young's contract is bad but what can we really expect to get for him. There are only a few teams that could take on his contract and most of those aren't even interested in taking on a bad contract. The Angels could use him but are unlikely to offer anything of value in return and just took on an exceptionally bad contract in Wells to go along with bad contracts for Matthews and Abreu. Colorado has expressed intrest but outside of Jimenez, Cargo, and Tulowitzki is there anything that the Rockies have that we might really want? Furthermore Colorado has a chance to take the NL West this year so they are unlikely to deal any of their top three players. If all we can get for Young are bit players and mid level prospects I believe we would be better off keeping Young for the time being and utilizing his skills with the bat to solidify our own lineup.
LOL @ Yount/Young
He, too, spent his career at premium defensive positions even though he was pretty horrible...especially range-wise. Luckily teams are smarter these days.
Back of the bullpen:
1) I still think there's enough talent to move Neftali to the rotation, and I think he'll be given an opportunity to win a job there out of Spring Training. But if he doesn't win a job then (and he probably won't) he'll spend the entire season closing. Look for 2012 to be the season when the Rangers give him a little time to work his stuff out as a starter.
2) There is no reason not to put 2 power pitchers in the 8th and 9th innings. Unless something goes wrong, they won't be seeing the same hitters. Better to have O'Day in the 6th or 7th seeing guys who will be seeing Feliz the next time up. Besides, Ogando showed himself to be much better when given a full inning of work, rather than when brought in to a tight, men-on-base situation. Make him the 8th inning guy.
3) Let's be fair to Mark Lowe. He throws 96 with good location when healthy. He's fairly young. JD sees something in him, for him to get a $1.7m contract coming off a lost season due to injury. Nothing you saw from him in a Rangers uniform last season should count against him. He rushed back after missing basically the whole season with an injury, and was incredibly rusty. I have a good feeling about him.
4) Don't count Arthur Rhodes out of the mix for primary setup man either. Lefties often get slotted as "the lefty" in a bullpen setup, but Rhodes is just a really good pitcher.
If the Rangers decide to go with a twelve man staff to start the season I can see O'Day making the team. However if they decide to go with just elevan I don't think O'Day makes it. At this point it becomes Gentry vs O'Day for the final spot and given Borbon's inability to hit lefties early in his career I can see the Rangers starting the season with a CF platoon of Borbon and Gentry. Until sring training proves me wrong I can see the Rangers bullpen shaping up like this. Feliz, Ogando and Lowe from the right side and Oliver, Rhodes, and Feldman/Harrison from the left.
Andrus makes no sense in the two hole, if you are going to move MY, which I think is highly unlikely then put Moreland in the 2 hole. If Borbon can hold down leadoff then you put Andrus in the 9 hole to get the back to back speed advantage.
Borbon, Moreland, Hamilton, Beltre, Cruz, Kinsler, Young, Yorvit, Andrus
or
Andrus, Moreland, Hamilton, Betre, Cruz, Kinsler, Young, Napoli, Gentry
but what about
Sizemore/Kemp, Young, Hamilton, Big Bad, Cruz, Beltre, Kinsler, Napoli, Andrus
or
Sizemore/Kemp, Young, Hamilton, Beltre, Cruz, Kinsler, Andrus, Moreland, Yorvit
or
Andrus, Young, Hamilton, Big Bad, Cruz, Beltre, Kinsler, Napoli, Moreland (in left)
and on and on, if we could sign big bad, catch Napoli against LHP, and get Grady or Kemp for some trade package including Murphy.
Would that be the best offense in baseball? or would the Yanks or Sox beat it, at least on paper I mean?
Jon Daniels you magnificent son of a b!tch!
Why the hell are you guys still clammoring for Vlad? There is absolutly no need for him now.
We have depth now. That's for sure. Moreland can hit lefties as well. I'm just saying. Remember the World Series? We needed 3 catchers last year. We just have more room for failure now.
Joey,
Sure. Now tell me exactly how they will be distributed in their playing time (including Young, Moreland, etc.) and project the overall difference in WAR.
Right.
I used 2010 WAR because although it is clearly flawed it was the baet quick and dirty # available.
Clearly the ancedotal evidence supports the decision. i was just attempting to put it in some measurable, though not precise context.
Please, give me a break here.
Clearly the ancedotal evidence supports the decision. i was just attempting to put it in some measurable, though not precise context.
Which I appreciate. I do appreciate the quick context. I really do. But I don't think any reasonable projection of Napoli in Texas has him logging 510 plate appearances, given the current roster composition, or has him playing 66 games at catcher (which would be counterintuitive for an organization that clearly values good catcher defense).
Your wording indicated a 2.4+ WAR boost, which is correct in a 2010 context, but it conveys the idea that that boost will also apply in 2011 (which another poster picked up on), and none of my preliminary work on this deal indicates that this trade will provide a boost in value that great. My issue is more with the potentially misleading wording than the spirit of your post.
Again, I'm not trying to antagonize. I'm simply interested in disseminating accurate information.
Joey likes only the best posts.
"Joey likes only the best posts."
...and they ain't nunna mine, but I'm glad he hasn't booted me... yet. That being said, I like good gloves on the field. I know their value is a little subtler than than the big lumber... note to self...remember them rollin' around triples off the wall last year. I liked them bats then.
Back to my rant. With very dependable bats in every slot, I'd like to see Gentry's speed glove and Davis' sticky glove in the bigs, this year. We could very well have opportunities to see them come around at the plate, given the runs that we should accumulate. Good gloves make good pitchin' arms better and good teams champions.
No problem. I just didn't want anyone thinking I was quite that stupid.
However, I do believe the loss of FX2 will NOT materially, if at all, lower the Ranger's WAR due to the depth that can step up in the bullpen.
Further i do believe that keeping The face off 1B and adding a good extra bat will both increase the Ranger's WAR over what it would otherwise have been.
Now I am gonna speculate that keeping The Face off of 1B and the addition of a good right hand bat might truthfully be worth as much as possibly 2.0 WAR.
Doesn't this make Toronto's trade of Wells look even that much worse? Now they essentially traded Wells away for Juan Rivera and Frankie Frank, both of whom will be free agents. I guess this was really of case of dumping a overpaid guy simply for the sake of getting rid of the contract.
Toronto made out like bandits Charles. I have no idea how anyone could see Toronto's trade as being bad, its a serious steal to lose Wells contract, and replace him with a comparable Rivera AND add a backend bullpen piece. Very nice work by Toronto's GM.
Feliz belongs in the bullpen period. For good. He doesn't have the pitches to start but he can be the next Rivera. I don't worry too much about the bullpen if our two senior citizens don't have to pitch every day. What concerns me is the rotation.
I think we need to see if Borbon can be the man in center every day. You do that by playing him everyday. He is young and you can't draw conclusions from the 1-year plus time he has. If Hamilton goes down we have a problem. Personally I'd trade Hamilton today to Boston, or NY, or Chicago White Sox (Danks?).
I also wonder if JD doesn't have a big one lining up. As other have noted we are really heavy at 1B, DH. Overall this was a great trade. Props JD.
Let me add on Young that you can't afford to be sentimental and win in sports or business. If Colorado can provide payroll flexibility and maybe provide a near future piece go for it. Colorado has a terrici young lefty who is oft injured but otherwise terrific. I think his name is Freidrich. Some salary relief and a decent top tier prospect and I'd not hesitate to pull the trigger. Its all about winning folks all about winning.