Dazed and Confused

I just can’t follow this anymore.

It feels like they Rangers are playing a game of chess and I can’t figure out the next move, much less how the match ends.  That, or they are just randomly moving pieces around like a drunken Rotisserie owner.  That seems unlikely, but I can’t rule it out.

My initial reaction to the Napoli deal was positive, but after thinking it through, it doesn’t make much sense. This is not really an analysis of that deal, however.  This is about trying to make sense of what the Rangers are doing in general. And failing to make sense of it.

I don’t believe that they gave up a piece they knew they would need and use for a piece that they have no specific plans for. In the hastily arranged telephone conference to address the media following the trade, Jon Daniels essentially said that getting Napoli wasn’t about Michael Young or Mitch Moreland, it was just about making the club better.  But he didn’t really say exactly how Napoli will make the club better other than to say something vague about versatility and liking the player.

In various attempts to make sense of the Rangers moves (and rumored moves) by the mainstream mediaites and even impassioned fans, I hear some common themes, none of which make much sense to me.

Michael Young: Anywhere and Everywhere

Most people seem to assume that the Rangers really mean it when they say that they are going to use Michael Young all over the field and get him scores of at-bats at second,  third and short as well as first  base and DH.  (Then again, have Jon Daniels or Nolan Ryan ever actually said this, or is this a media creation?  I really don't remember seeing either of the men that matter actually say anything about using Young all around the infield.)  

I’ve never bought that theory and won’t until I see it. And when I do see it, I’ll say that it’s borderline idiotic. It would be one of the most asinine attempts to massage a bruised ego in the history of sports.  It would be making the team worse in order to attempt to keep one man happy by giving him what he doesn’t really want in the first place.

You want me to believe that they are going to arbitrarily take at-bats and defensive innings away from Adrian Beltre, Elvis Andrus and Ian Kinsler in order to shoehorn Michael Young into the lineup? Bullsh.

They don't trust Mitch Moreland

Another assumption I keep hearing is that Mitch Moreland will be used in a platoon or even sent down to Triple-A.  I don’t believe that the Rangers traded away Frankie Francisco because they are concerned about hiding Mitch Moreland or avoiding him altogether. 

Moreland’s splits at Triple-A? .272 / .344 / .457 / .801 vs. LHP and .294 / .378 / .493 / .871 vs. RHP.

Moreland’s splits at Double-A? .385 / .429 / .526 / .954 vs. LHP and .305 / .354 / .475 / .829 vs. RHP.

Moreland’s splits High-A? .289 / .431 / .622 / 1.053 vs LHP and .360 / .417 / .584 / 1.001 vs RHP.

Moreland’s splits in Low-A? .301 / .404 / .455 / .859 vs. LHP and .332 / .398 / .566 / .964 vs RHP.

That’s not a guy whose minor league slash lines suggest platoon (like Justin Smoak’s do).

I think the Rangers are quite high on Moreland and see him having a significant role on the club in 2011 and beyond.  Evan Grant reported that the Garza deal didn’t happen, in large part, because the Rangers refused to include Moreland.  In the telephone conference after the Napoli deal, one of the few things Daniels was very direct about was how highly they think of Mitch Moreland.

I don’t have real strong feelings about Moreland one way or another. I don't think he'll be a star or a bust. I think there’s a very, very good chance that he settles in as a very solid-average first baseman. A small chance he turns into something more and a slightly larger chance that he bombs. But most likely, a solid-average player at first base for league minimum.

Here's how Moreland stacked up among all MLB first basemen with at least 160 plate appearances last year.

Name	Team	BB/K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	BABIP
Justin Morneau	Twins	0.81	0.345	0.437	0.618	1.055	0.385
Miguel Cabrera	Tigers	0.94	0.328	0.42	0.622	1.042	0.336
Joey Votto	Reds	0.73	0.324	0.424	0.6	1.024	0.361
Albert Pujols	Cardinals	1.36	0.312	0.414	0.596	1.011	0.297
Paul Konerko	White Sox	0.65	0.312	0.393	0.584	0.977	0.326
Kevin Youkilis	Red Sox	0.87	0.307	0.411	0.564	0.975	0.327
Adrian Gonzalez	Padres	0.82	0.298	0.393	0.511	0.904	0.322
Adam Dunn	Nationals	0.39	0.26	0.356	0.536	0.892	0.329
Aubrey Huff	Giants	0.91	0.29	0.385	0.506	0.891	0.303
Prince Fielder	Brewers	0.83	0.261	0.401	0.471	0.871	0.291
Buster Posey	Giants	0.55	0.305	0.357	0.505	0.862	0.315
Ryan Howard	Phillies	0.38	0.276	0.353	0.505	0.859	0.332
Billy Butler	Royals	0.88	0.318	0.388	0.469	0.857	0.341
Mark Teixeira	Yankees	0.76	0.256	0.365	0.481	0.846	0.268
Mitch Moreland	Rangers	0.69	0.255	0.364	0.469	0.833	0.275
Kendry Morales	Angels	0.39	0.29	0.346	0.487	0.833	0.296
Russell Branyan	- - -	0.35	0.237	0.323	0.487	0.81	0.288
Daric Barton	Athletics	1.08	0.273	0.393	0.405	0.798	0.316
Eric Hinske	Braves	0.44	0.256	0.338	0.456	0.793	0.308
Ike Davis	Mets	0.52	0.264	0.351	0.44	0.791	0.321
Adam LaRoche	Diamondbacks	0.28	0.261	0.32	0.468	0.788	0.33
Gaby Sanchez	Marlins	0.56	0.273	0.341	0.448	0.788	0.299
Mike Napoli	Angels	0.31	0.238	0.316	0.468	0.784	0.279
Lance Berkman	- - -	0.91	0.248	0.368	0.413	0.781	0.282
Jason Giambi	Rockies	0.74	0.244	0.378	0.398	0.776	0.289
Derrek Lee	- - -	0.54	0.26	0.347	0.428	0.774	0.309
Mike Sweeney	- - -	0.67	0.252	0.321	0.444	0.765	0.244
Lyle Overbay	Blue Jays	0.51	0.243	0.329	0.433	0.762	0.285
Michael Cuddyer	Twins	0.62	0.271	0.336	0.417	0.753	0.298
Troy Glaus	Braves	0.63	0.24	0.344	0.4	0.744	0.277
Carlos Pena	Rays	0.55	0.196	0.325	0.407	0.732	0.222
Todd Helton	Rockies	0.74	0.256	0.362	0.367	0.728	0.307
Ty Wigginton	Orioles	0.43	0.248	0.312	0.415	0.727	0.27
James Loney	Dodgers	0.55	0.267	0.329	0.395	0.723	0.302
Garrett Jones	Pirates	0.43	0.247	0.306	0.414	0.72	0.274
Travis Ishikawa	Giants	0.45	0.266	0.32	0.392	0.712	0.307
Kila Ka'aihue	Royals	0.62	0.217	0.307	0.394	0.702	0.231
Jorge Cantu	- - -	0.31	0.256	0.304	0.392	0.695	0.295
Mark Kotsay	White Sox	0.89	0.239	0.306	0.376	0.683	0.247
Andy Marte	Indians	0.49	0.229	0.298	0.382	0.68	0.26
Justin Smoak	- - -	0.51	0.218	0.307	0.371	0.678	0.255
Geoff Blum	Astros	0.45	0.267	0.321	0.356	0.678	0.311
Mike Lowell	Red Sox	0.68	0.239	0.307	0.367	0.674	0.258
Matt LaPorta	Indians	0.56	0.221	0.306	0.362	0.668	0.25
Xavier Nady	Cubs	0.2	0.256	0.306	0.353	0.66	0.326
Rusty Ryal	Diamondbacks	0.12	0.261	0.308	0.348	0.656	0.372
Adam Kennedy	Nationals	0.84	0.249	0.327	0.327	0.655	0.274
Casey Kotchman	Mariners	0.61	0.217	0.28	0.336	0.616	0.229

Are the A's trying to hide or avoid Daric Barton?  Are the Mets trying to hide or avoid Ike Davis? Why would a club make hiding or avoiding a young, cheap player who made a debut like that a high priority? 

I think that the Rangers intend to go forward with Mitch Moreland at first base, knowing that they aren't going to have a blue chip superstar, but a guy who will give them quality at-bats and solid-average production for a great, low price tag. I don't see why they would want to pigeonhole him as a platoon guy when there's no meaningful statistical evidence to suggest that he can't handle the load of being an everyday player.  Moreover, they don't have much in the way of position prospects coming along who can reasonably be expected to come in and fill a significant role during his pre-arb and arby years.  I can't fathom why they wouldn't take advantage of this opportunity with Moreland. 

And who were the Rangers chasing as the "extra bat" before they traded for Napoli? Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez. Would either of those signings been about giving them insurance against Moreland struggling at first base? 

Might Moreland struggle against lefties? Sure. Is the chance of that happening so great that you give up Frankie Francisco -- rather than go out and sign Mike Sweeney or Fernando Tatis -- for next to nothing?  I don't think so, and I don't really think the Rangers think so either.

Because I don't actually believe that they Rangers intend to use Michael Young as a super-utility guy on a level that amounts to an everyday job, and I believe that they will commit more fully to Mitch Moreland than the mainstream media seems to think, the only way I can make any sense of this is to conclude that Michael Young is on his way out the door.

I too have a hard time wrapping my head around Michael Young being traded, but I'm coming to the conclusion that it's more likely than not. I think that Napoli is here to be part of a DH platoon with either David Murphy or Josh Hamilton, depending on whether or not they want to get Hamilton off his feet that day. He'll probably get some work at first base, maybe a little behind the plate, but I don't believe that the Rangers gave up Frankie Frank for a "bench bat" or insurance against Moreland struggling against lefties.

But then again, this just might be the work of a bunch of drunken Roto owners. Your guess is as good as mine.

Comments

[JFitz]

I'm also baffled as to whom the rangers would trade young for if the trade partner is Colorado.

[matchst1ck]

Wash has specifically mentioned Mike Young seeing time at 2B. And that Beltre will need a day or too off at 3B and they are planning on working him at 1B. The only infield position he didn't mention was SS.

I think this is about building depth and insurance. Things happen and they want mitigate those things from hurting our ability to win the division.

I really don't think the Rangers are trying to trade Young. They've been very explicit on that. I think part of the problem is that Ranger fans aren't used to this concept of having to only go with retreads and lottery tickets.

And if that doesn't seem like a good enough reason to get rid Frankie... maybe Frankie asked for a trade. Maybe the FO has more concerns about him than several of us do with his injury history.

I think too much is being read into this during a normally slow period of the offseason.

Of course... I've been known to be wrong. ;)

[Corey Bledsoe]

I think that the writer of this article lead me to assume that he thinks the Rangers made this trade to DH Napoli and trade Young. I just don't see that. I don't know about you all, but I would much rather have Michael Young as my DH than Mike Napoli. MY has come into his own in power numbers as he has progressed through his career. He will bat for above average while Napoli below average. The only good part of that would be to clear Young's salary possibly. But albeit in any trade with MY, we end up sending cash with it...Maybe they did sign Napoli for a DH and send MY outta town, but I don't see it. It doesn't make since. MY will have bat ,300+ w/ 20-25 HR, and 60-80 rbi's at DH (solid DH/utility). Napoli pretty much the same but a .260 average and lower OBP.

I am not sure why they made this trade but I do assume that they had the money to spend so why not? THey are deep in the back end; Wash loves to have a good pinch hitter to come into the game or to give spot starts and keep everyone fresh. This goes side by side with what Wash wants. Last year we did not have a righty PH, unless you think Blanco would be that..Murph was good but he is a lefty and would already be in the game if a Righty was tossing.

[ALL IN FOR JOHNSON]

Like I said on the ESPN thread, if its not Young thats gone before the end of spring training then its Ian Kinsler. Who in the rigth mind thinks Daniels is going to pay $6M for Napoli PLUS the money they sent Toronto ALONG with Francisco if its not going to be for a bigger deal or asset. If that was the case they could of signed Guerrero for $7M guaranteed! Since Napoli shouldnt be a catcher anyways.

Either Young is going to the Rockies and I really dont know for who...maybe H. Street their closer or a middle of the order pitcher...I dont think they would trade Jimenez unless we include Holland and Scheppers. I doubt the Rangers trade him within the division, maybe to the Dodgers along with Holland for Kemp? I dont know if Billingsley would be available.

Kinsler has a lot more trade value than Young, so theres a lot more clubs that would be interested in him. So lets see where the Napoli ripple effect takes us.

If Napoli stays...oh well he provides insurance at 1B and DH...not at catcher though, since even Molina could steal second on him.

[Scooby Dude]

Prospects?

I seriously think that, at the end of the day, JD believes moving Young is addition by subtraction, because you would no longer have to force him into the lineup in spots that make the team worse, just because he's the "face", which he really even isn't anymore, Josh is. Also, I sense lingering bad blood between Young and JD over the problems with moving him to 3B two years ago. The trade is coming.

[fendrman]

See the Newberg article for today. It explains everything quite well. Just because YOU are confused, doesn't mean that the "Ninja" is confused. He has the "Master" plan. The Rangers are MUCH, MUCH better than last year at this time. Can YOU say, "Napoli is the best in the American League at hitting lefties"? Check out Newberg's article. Go Rangers.

[Shawn]

Wash said in a column today that Young would get time at 3B, 2B, 1B, and DH. There was no mention of him at SS. Everyone seems to have the idea that Young is still going to get his 600 AB's and play all over the field. They also think Napoli is going to take AB's from Moreland, but maybe it is Young who will lose more AB's. Maybe the front office thinks Young doesn't have much left at 34. His AB's in the playoffs were terrible last year, so maybe Napoli is protection for Young.

[Prashanth Francis]

It should be pointed out that Napoli was a bit worse as a hitter last year than he had been in the previous years.

2010 : .238 Avg | .316 OBP | .468 SLG | 784 OPS | .340 wOBA
06-09: .256 Avg | .358 OBP | .492 SLG | 850 OPS | .364 wOBA

Last year's decline probably had a lot to do with his .279 BABIP, much lower than the .299 BABIP he had put up previously in his career. He probably won't be as good as he was in 2008, but his 2009 performance seems like a reasonable estimate.

[fishbait]

As far as I'm concerned, Matchstick and Corey are right on. I'm not much of a statistian but having the "fantasy lineup" will not happen much because of injuries or someone needs a day or two off because of a slump. Napoli means we can keep a good lineup in spite of rest and injuries.

[Da Blade]

This may sound like tortured logic, but seems to me that once Thome fell by the wayside, the Rangers looked at the final roster spot with an incredibly open mind. Once Napoli was available, I think their logic went something along these lines:

1) Napoli fills the need of a RH bat off the bench
2) He brings versatility and seems to be a good clubhouse guy
3) He brings insurance in case of injuries
4) He'll be a constant source of irritation to the Angels, who plowed $23M into relievers this offseason when they theoretically could have traded Napoli for Francisco (not to mention the draft pick they surrendered for signing Scott Downs)
5) He's an available piece for any trade near the deadline
6) And there's no long-term commitment to him past this season

Now, I agree that it makes Wash's job of managing playing time and ABs all the more challenging. And while there were so many times that Frankie frustrated me (whether due to injury or ill-timed ineffectiveness), I cannot argue that he's just a throwaway piece. The pen concerns are legit. But I also can't consider adding a more-than-decent body like Napoli as being anything near disastrous.

[Dave H]

@Corey Bledsoe - I think the great Mike Hindman was indicating that the DH position would be Murphy against most RHPs, Napoli against LHPs, and Josh Hamilton or others when the need a day off from the field. I'm not saying I agree, but the players in that plan have better platoon splits than Mike Young.

[Corey Bledsoe]

Couldn't agree more "Da Blade". Spoken well. This hits the nail on the head.

1) Napoli fills the need of a RH bat off the bench..... ++
2) He brings versatility and seems to be a good clubhouse guy.... +
3) He brings insurance in case of injuries.... +++
4) He'll be a constant source of irritation to the Angels, who plowed $23M into relievers this offseason when they theoretically could have traded Napoli for Francisco (not to mention the draft pick they surrendered for signing Scott Downs) .... maybe??
5) He's an available piece for any trade near the deadline.......++
6) And there's no long-term commitment to him past this season.....+

[Corey Bledsoe]

@ Dave. I could agree with what you are saying. But MY is stil the better player between Napoli and MY. So why DH Napoli over MY?? Agreed?? Now... what we are missing and what "fishbait" suggested is you can not over look the strength and depth that we have now. When has Kinsler, Josh, Cruz etc. ever been healthy over a lengthy span?? We now have depth... we have depth at a greater cost than I would like.. but they have the money to do so. Also, if I remember correctly Torrealba hasn't ever played over something like 90 games in a season but once. Now I agree, Napoli is not a good catcher, but I think you will be surprised with Nap getting more starts at C than what you are allowing now.

Also, scouting reports on Nap are that he has a great arm but he is just erratic. Maybe we can help him out here. Remember, Wash loves Great defense and knows how to teach it.

[stewmo]

See fendrman above. If you're confused read Newberg. He's not.

[Joe]

What a very strange article....

[lipman]

Kinsler has missed an average of 38 games a year. He has missed at least 30 in all but 1 of his 5 years.
In the last 2 years, the Rangers have used somewhere in the range of 32 different catchers due to injury or underperformance.
They also saw Julio Bourbon regress from an outstanding rookie year, so much so that down the stretch when the Rangers were 8 games up, they were putting Josh in CF everyday.

So when you take the fact that Kinsler has a good chance of missing 30+ games, the Rangers have a good chance of needing some catching help, and they might be a little weary of having Moreland as their only option at first (if he regresses, who do you put there? Chris Davis?) down the stretch. JD saw a way to insure against those things, and when you have a playoff caliber team, you have to be ready to weather a storm or two.

[TR Newburg]

Newburg ? Lol check TR Sullivan too then. Hindman actually makes sense this time- the comaparison to the drunk Roto World is brilliant. It's like JD was enamored with Napoli being available, and blindly made the deal without thinking about it. Why give up a lock down 8th inning guy or would be closer when there are plenty of platoon guys on the market you could sign on the cheap ?

[Fred]

This move about developing depth, making the club better and providing insurance in a multitude of ways. Let;s use this example that happened last year: 1) N. Cruz & I. Kinsler get hurt at the same time. In addition to this, M. Moreland regresses like C. Davis & J. Smoak. Finally the Catching position does not produce. What happens: If the 1st 2 happen at the same time you do this:
C- Torrealba/Treanor
1B - Moreland
2B - Young (Instead of Blanco or Arias-type)
SS - Andrus
3B - Beltre
LF - Hamilton
CF - Borbon
RF - Murphy
DH - Napoli

This looks a lot better then the lineup they throughout last year in this situation. This allow the team to protect themselves when they have at least 2 injuries or lack of productions at a position. This happened a lot last year. At the end of the year (or July) they have depth, they can use it to acquire the piece (or pieces) they don't have at that moment. I completely understand the move and love it!!

[TaosJohn]

I'm not as baffled at this roster as some are. Granted, it's not the usual past-his-prime slugger at DH hoping to get ahold of one and crush it (see Sosa, Jones, VG) but having a .300 hitter at DH doesn't sound so bad to me. Yes, there are a lot of unknowns as far as how MY will handle such an outside-the-box role, but between MY and Napoli, look at the versatility in the lineup every day. How many first basemen did we use last year? Davis, Garco, Smoak, Moreland, Cantu-- probably another one or two I'm forgetting, and that doesn't even take DL stints into consideration. What's so mysterious about adding a proven hitter that can also play first AND catch? Three catchers on the roster, why not? Vlad was a mistake waiting to happen in the field. Did you really want Manny out there instead? I admit, even my novice "eyeball test" on MY's defense shows declining skills, but would you rather have Arias or Guzman along with Blanco in that role? It is a different look, but I see the advantages of multi-tool, multi-position assets (even if those tools aren't as sharp as they were a few years ago) being preferable to a bat-only player taking a roster spot.

[windingmywatch]

Hindman's and Newberg's pieces this morning are classic baseball writing of the first order. Excellent excellent excellent.

[WWJDD?]

Well, as we know, Kinsler will, at some point, have his month- 6 weeks injury, at which point Young will get plenty of work at 2B.

[Corey Bledsoe]

And, as far as sending a 8th inning BP guy away. Like Newberg states.. He probably wouldn't have been a Ranger next year. & we have plenty of depth.. may it be proven arms (Oday, Oliver, Rhodes, Oganda) or guys that are somewhat proven and definately have the talent (Oganda again here, Lowe, Scheppers, Holland, Kirkman, Feldman, Harrison, the Japanese pitcher, Beltre, Strop, Castillo.. and lastly DO NOT forget about Hurley.. although I see him working his way into the rotation this year.. he is killing it right now. We have plenty of depth and talent there... So, Yes this is why the coaching staff/owner gets paid the big bucks for.. they will find which arms fit best where. & lastly I trust them more-so than any other staff in MLB.

[Skeletor]

Also, interesting that he said Tx was close to acquiring Wells and that Wells only wanted to play for the Rangers or the Angels. As much as we made fun of the Angels, if Toronto would have taken on more of his salary (which is why the deal fell through), it would have been great to have him. It sounds like he really wants to be in Arlington. When is he a FA again and will he be old as dirt by then?

[diznpeewee]

"I believe that they will commit more fully to Mitch Moreland than the mainstream media seems to think."
-Mike

I agree. ...and the reason I agree is because it is very easy to be optimistic with MM's bat. There is not a historically creditable issue with him facing Lefties vs. Righties. There IS a potential issue with him being more one-dimensional in the realm of bat vs. glove. I don't think that the sample is large enough or that he has been allowed to give full attention to playing first base long enough. We might see it in ST. A little patience, and more first base time, not sharing time with Young, Napoli, or Davis would allow to see his true glove value. There were a few ugly moments around the base last season, balls that Davis, NOT Young or Napoli, would have likely handled ...but MM was a rookie and a relative newbie to first base. ABOVE ALL ELSE, don't allow him to participate in the Rangers ' First Baseman Incubator to MLB Program'. I think that syndrome is the reason that Davis (and MM) are still here. The FO doesn't want to continue the A. Gonzales, C. Pena., M. Texiera etc. tradeaway errors ...of course Davis and his glove/bat is the inverse of MM and his bat/glove. Time with Thad Bosley might bring CD’s long arm swing back in and show the 2008 numbers. Careful attention to seasoning (patience) could produce 1 or 2 very good major leaguers.... hopefully for the Rangers. Napoli and Young are the one dimensional players whose upsides are either being realized now (Napoli) or are on the backside of the career production curve (MY). Try with the young fellas for now. There is now a lineup of bats and backups that could make opposing pitchers make more mistake pitches.

[Jon]

To echo everyone's thoughts it is about depth.

Now this could be confusing Mike because I never, ever recall the Rangers even having anything close to a truly complete front line. This depth thing is an absolutely foreign concept to someone like me who has been watching the Rangers from the beginning.

Hopefully I am not getting to deep here..................

[Steve]

"a lock down 8th inning guy"...????!!!! I watched Frankie pitch all year, and he was blowing saves left and right.
After 2-3 months his first stat line W and L looked like a starting pitcher.
Later, Wash started to show more confidence in Ray/Ogando, who bailed Frankie out many times.
His stats looks bad and his pitching looked even worse.
He was definately not a " lock down guy" in any shape or form.

[Jack Daddy]

I think the key thing here, that makes this make sense is injury and performance protection. As several of you (lipman, fred, etc.) have pointed out. I think it would be foolish to assume that NONE of Hamilton, Cruz, Kinsler, Young, one of the catchers or Beltre misses ANY time with injury. Hell, they ALL did (other than Young, who missed all of September 09) LAST year. Add to that the uncertainty that Borbon and/or Mooreland (and the Catchers for that matter) will peform. Remember, Davis had a great start too. My point is, with injuries, there will be PLENTY of ABs to go around. If not, then Napoli probably sits a bit more until something comes up. But right now, Mooreland is a Hamilton/Cruz injury or a Borbon falling flat from becoming the 4th OF. And Young is a Kinsler/Beltre injury from becoming the starter at 2nd or 3rd for 2-4 weeks. Or Young gets hurt (he's 34). You have ASSUME that one of these injuries WILL happen. That's the way baseball go. And if they don't, you have another chip to utilize at the trading deadline (when Young's 11 salary will be 2/3 less).

For once I agree with Galloway - sure Young could be traded. Of course he could. But I don't think this means they are planning to or that this move doesn't make sense. It only doesn't makes sense in the world of PERFECT health and Borbon/Mooreland and Treanor/Torrealb performing to potential. You can't make those assumptions and JD isn't.

[Scooby Dude]

The problem with the injury/depth ananysis is that Young is going to be very unhappy without ABs. So if you go through a stretch of the season where everyone is healthy and performing well, you're left with a pair of bad options. Either play Young @DH every day, foregoing the MUCH better (based on recent splits evidence) option of playing Napoli against LHP and Murphy against RHP (added bonus- you get to put Murph in LF and DH Hamilton roughly 80-100 times a year), or else you go with that platoon setup and wind up with a sulking Michael Young riding pine most games. Of course, at that point he might waive his 10/5 protection and just ask to be traded, and he could be dealt at the deadline to a team with an injury at 2B/3B or that feels it is one piece away from a Wild Card run.

Still, JD's actions certainly have the feel of a guy who is trying to run Young out of town.

Also, I think a GREAT way for JD to mitigate any p.r. hit for trading Young would be to do it the same week he locks up Josh Hamilton to a 5-year deal or CJ Wilson to a 4-year deal, which could be coming soon.

[HubZ]

Napoli Trade~

This Trade was a lot of meat to chew and digest.
Certainly a cryptic element in pragmatism
.
After breaking down and looking at it at face value, it finally makes sense- Depth.
Yes, it's become more simple. First, one has to take 'the money factor', as salaries,
completely out of the equation. That definately means Mike Youngs 3y/$16mm overstuff.
Without doing so, you automatically think Young is on the outs on a trade~ Really?
Obviously Daniels/Ryan see the reality of a 'fan backlash' w/loss of credibility to the normal fan.
The 'hard core' can view it as part of doing business, which Baseball is. Oh come the wiser.

What you're seeing is a rebuild of a Champion Team- making it better... as Daniels has openly stated.
Without ANY money factored in, you have a team that depth is key to the equation.
With that equation you have a team poised to meet any and all roster challenges.
The Focus: Defending the AL Championship and repeating an invitation to the World Series

Now, if the Staff will develope, mature and proceed with expectations... I won't choke on mine.
I keep seeing the vision of Cassious Clay, after the 1st Liston fight, yelling from atop of ropes:
"I've changed the world". Seems Daniels is changing our Rangers in an also unconvential knock-out. Depth is good. It takes players like Mike Young and Napoli too... make it happen, with Depth.

[dude in UK]

MJH, brother, you cut right to the heart of the matter in that they Rangers certainly liked Napoli enough to give up a key piece in their bullpen. I think the Rangers probably promised Young he'd not lose any PAs this season (or he wouldn't have been so agreable to the Beltre signing). Doesn't make sense at face value to give up cash and a very good reliever for Napoli unless you figure he'll also be receiving at least 400-500 PAs. That leaves piddly amounts of playing time for MM, even if you figure Young will take some of his PAs from the rest of the guys in the infield, and Napoli will take some of his share from the catching position.

Moreland will play some outfield, too, but really, it seems we know the Rangers prefer Hamilton, Kins, and Cruz all play as often as their bodies will allow. Elvis and Beltre will probably play until their legs fall off. The catching duo of Yorvit and Matt will probably get 85-90% of the starts behind the plate. That seems to leave Borbon, Murphy, MM, MY, and Napoli fighting it out for probably 2,400 PAs maximum. Blanco will get some ABs also, obviously.

But, read the end of the 1st sentence of the paragraph above; it says a lot about the situation that transpired last yr:

"...we know the Rangers prefer Hamilton, Kins, and Cruz all play as often as their bodies will allow."

Injuries throw it all up in the air frequently with those guys. That trio missed about 600 PAs last yr due to time on the DL. Throw in Treanor's missed time, too. Napoli, MM, and MY (along with Murphy), give the team a lot of insurance offensively. They absolutely couldn't score for good portions of the season when Ian and/or Nellie were out, and also when guys like Vlad and Elvis began to wear down. In April, July, and August, the Rangers were below league average offensively -- they just barely scored above 4 runs per game in those months. May was pretty decent, June was amazing (Superman had a month for the ages in all those interleague games against weak competition, resulting in the team scoring well over 6 runs per game!). September was really good also, though the level of competition with the expanded rosters wasn't very high, apparently.

So looking back at your post, the theme is the Rangers have gone out and gotten too much talent to fit everybody in -- and it makes you wonder what in the hell is JD doing?. 2011's roster seems to allow a lot better for injury mitigation, disappointing periods of performance from maybe a couple of players, and gives Wash the opportunity to rest some guys without concern for how many runs it will cost him that day. I think it may simply be JD made this trade with all those goals in mind. Trust me, there are going to be plenty of ABs to go around. We'll probably leave Surprise feeling pretty good despite an injury or two.

[Joe]

There are plenty of at bats to go around.

Napoli plays 40 games at 1st base against LHP and up to another 20 at C, more likely no more than 10, and up to 20 at DH while MY plays 3rd and 2nd for 10 a piece. That's 70 games which is not that much less than what Napoli is used to, and in the event of injury he can play more or MY can sit for 10-20 games to increase his playing time if he is hot.

Moreland gets at least 120 games at 1st. I think this is just fine considering he will still be learning

Young plays almost all of his games at DH except when he spells Beltre and Kinsler for 10 games each.

What is the big freaking mystery. This gives you a scenario where everyone gets at bats but where you are not depending on any one of MM, MY, or MN to do too much for you. Further, you get rest all around because of the awesome depth that has been assembled.

Further, you get to test MY's willingness to take an off day 10-20 games a year. If he isn't willing to do at least that for the next few years he asks for a trade and you deal him and sign Vlad. Either way you have a great scenario that improves depth as well as the everyday lineup and takes the pressure off MY to learn 1st, not that he wouldn't want it.

I think Newberg hit the nail on the head when he talks about Napoli's awesome numbers against lefties, that is what puts him ahead of other guys like Sweeney, not to mention his ability to catch as well if one of our guys goes down which is a definite possibility.

[dude in UK]

Scooby Dude, I believe when everyone is healthy, MY will DH against all the lefties and Napoli will play 1B. Mitch can come off the bench to face a righty later in the game. That's a pretty stout lineup they'll trot out there against southpaws.

If we have an injury or two, Moreland will be fine at 1B, RF, or DH against LHPs. I agree with MJH that he's got a chance to be real solid as an everyday player. No platoon required, but when you have a lefty-masher like Napoli, it's a no-brainer. Heck, Mitch might start anyway against the tougher southpaws when they feel it would be better to have Napoli behind the plate rather than the weaker hitting Torealba or Treanor. Neither of those 2 hit lefties well at all.

Now the real question becomes what do you do with all that talent during the 9 Interleague road games? What about the World Series? Ha! Thinking positive! All top GMs worry in January about what their WS lineups should look like, right?

[HubZ]

Wash should win Manager of the Year in 2011. There hasn't been a rounded offensive, defensive team like this since the '60 and '61 Yankees. He's going to be playing a NL game all the way. The best thing about the team, it's so balanced with long ball or small ball, at most anytime during a game. WoW!

[Scooby Dude]

So everyone is fine with the idea that Young DHs against RHP, instead of Murphy? In 2010 Murphy OPSed .847 vs RHP, while Young OPSed just .739, for a .108 difference (quite a gap, there). Plus the benefit of DHing Hamilton 80-100 games with Murphy in LF, possibly allowing Hamilton to actually play 140+ games? Seems like a no-brainer to me.

[Goodasgoldyesmaam]

Injuries...Michael Young.

[Pull T]

So our entire bench on any given night would start for most other teams?

I am missing the problem...

[Scooby Dude]

The problem is that if everyone is healthy and the team puts its best lineup on the field, it has a guy on the bench who will likely throw a hissy fit about not being a starter, and that guy happens to be a major fan favorite. Does that not seem like a problem, either in the clubhouse, or else by forcing the team to not put its best lineup on the field on a day-to-day basis?

[Pull T]

I don't want Murphy to get as many PAs as you do, nor am I panicked about Face rotating in starts at 3B 2B and 1B as many are.

...so I don't see it as Face being buried on the bench all year

[Spanky68]

One of two things will happen:

A) everyone will stay healthy and Texas will have the unfamiliar problem of having starter-quality players coming off the bench in key matchup situations late in the game. I see that as a very good thing for a team that was asperations of returning to the Series. Yes, there will be a problem trying to soothe all the egos of the bench players who think they should be starting. That is what a manager is for. Also, teams that win seem to not have that problem as much as teams that lose, so if this snowball goes down hill like it should, this shouldn't be a big problem.

B) injuries take a key bat or two out of the lineup for an extended time. Someone comes off that deep bench to fill the hole a lot better than an untalented replacement would. Again, not a problem unless you have massive, MASH unit type injuries that come too fast to be filled. If it gets that bad, we are screwed anyway, so don't lose sleep over it.

I think that the bullpen is still deep enough to absorb the loss of Frankie Frank. I could be drinking the wrong Koolaide, but I think that Napoli is an impact bat and I am happy that the Rangers got him for a relatively low price.

[Pull T]

...And I'd want Napoli at Catcher against lefties which allows for more Face PAs.

[Tom B]

I have to admit, it looks good in Janurary. Sadly, they don't play games that count until about April Fools Day. Who was that Rangers manager, Kevin what's his name, who said, 'They just didn't do what I told'm to?" He's now back in the broadcast booth where all experts go to elaborate. The Rangers lineup does look better today than it did in December. It's kind of like Wall Street: It looked good until the opening bell rang. I think it will be a great year unless the unimaginable happens. Or, What Would Wash Do? WWWD happens. If they don't self destruct, I do see 95 wins. But, that is Jan perspective.

[Pabloesque]

Today's Newberg Report was awesome. If you haven't read it and you're not a subscriber, let me know and I'll post it here.

This move was made to build a deeper bench by dealing from an area of strength. FF was either hot/cold or injured... he was very unreliable. Napoli will put up really nice numbers here... just watch.

Still very concerned about CF depth... that, to me, is the only remaining position I don't feel good about. And of course the lack of a true TORP. I do NOT like the idea of going into 2011 with this rotation.

[Mike Gray]

I think Mike Hindman is way off base on this one, and I think Joe is pretty much right on. Plus, they can now carry 13 pitchers if they want to, and not have to rely on Andres Blanco. You have the four outfielders, two catchers, four infielders, MY and Napoli, and everything's covered.

[dub]

MY will be traded, or he won't be. Take this to the bank. I read palms too.

[TheNatural]

There is a little birdie brewing about a possibility of Mikey heading to Toronto.

Anybody know if they are on his no trade list?

[Lfloyd]

How many prospects did we have to give up last year to acquire pieces to make a WS run? We traded for Bengi, Frenchy, Cantu, Guzman, Cliff. Point is, we weren't deep enough last year to make a run. Now, at least as far as hitting and fielding go, we are very deep. We lost Kinsler, Hollad, Hunter and McCarthy before ST was over. There is no such thing as too much depth in January. I would be willing to bet good money we look back next year and either wish MY was still here, or we are glad he wasn't traded.

[Pull T]

How long until Face is a 10/5 guy? He's gotta be damn close.

[Mike Walters]

Pull T Young becomes 10/5 the middle of this May. That is why the talk is so heavy about moving him right now.

[Joe]

I believe that happens in May.

[Steve]

Lfloyd, smart post... like the way you put it all in perspective ... for me...
If somebody read through all the postings on here (like I did), I say it was all worth, because of your post :)