More Thoughts On Max Ramirez

Listed below are a few additional notes on the newest Rangers catching prospect, Max Ramirez, who was acquired on Friday for Kenny Lofton:

Back in February, Nate Silver touched on Ramirez in BP Unfiltered:

Ramirez doesn�t have a player card up yet, but if he did you�d see some fairly impressive raw totals; he�s a lifetime .303/.401/.481 hitter in the minor leagues. The problem is with the way that Ramirez has been putting up those numbers. A large part of his value comes from his high walk rate, but he hasn�t been young for his levels and he strikes out a lot, which suggests that a lot of those walks result from exploiting weak A-Ball pitching, rather than a core competency for pitch recognition.

Silver also mentioned Max's less than impressive defense behind the plate, and eventually settled on calling him "Ryan Garko with less power." Of course, Garko is hitting .313/.382/.517 with 13 HR in 288 AB this year for the Indians.

This season, however, Ramirez was crushing high-A ball pitching to the tune of .303/.418/.505 in 277 AB. Still a very high walk rate, as well as a slightly lower strikeout rate (22.7% of his ABs in 2007, as compared to 24.9% last year), all while playing a level higher on the minor league totem pole in the Carolina League. In addition, his double and home run rates have improved as well. Pretty impressive stuff.

And for what it's worth, Baseball Prospectus's Christina Kahrl seems pretty pleased with the return Jon Daniels got for Lofton:

A nifty pickup, so at least there's something that Jon Daniels can feel good about. This is a good old-fashioned bit of flipping, where a brief rental on Lofton may not have helped propel the Rangers to the front of the class, but it does bring them a nifty catching prospect. As Kevin Goldstein noted ten days ago, Ramirez isn't much behind the plate, but he is nevertheless one of the best prospects behind the plate around the minor leagues.

[...]

Maybe I'm overly optimistic about the possibility, but having seen catchers as initially bad, brutal, or indifferent as Mike Stanley, Don Slaught, or even Jorge Posada improve with coaching, it's important to note that while catching is a pretty unique skill, it is not one where there's an easily-predicted career arc for guys behind the plate as they get older. Some can be fixed and become perfectly acceptable big league catchers, and some guys are Matt Nokes. With Ramirez, I'd take a wait and see approach, and not be in any hurry to move out from backstopping.

As you may already know, Ramirez has been assigned to high-A Bakersfield, while Taylor Teagarden has been promoted to Double-A Frisco. Ramirez went 1 for 4 on Saturday night for the Blaze.

With the Braves deal for Saltalamacchia seemingly on the ropes, it's good to know at least the Rangers are well stocked for the future at one very important position - catcher.

Cruz Shines In 6-5 Rangers Loss; D-Backs Enter Tex Sweepstakes?

Welcome back, Nelson Cruz.

Texas's newly promoted right fielder went 2 for 3 on Saturday night with a pair of home runs and a walk, driving in all five of the Rangers' runs. Michael Young also contributed an impressive 3 for 5 night, raising his batting average to .300 for the first time this season, but it was not enough for Texas in a 6-5 loss to Kansas City.

Nelson's enhanced, wider batting stance yielded immediate results, as he clubbed a two run "Cruz Missile" home run to left field in the top of the 2nd inning, giving the Rangers a short-lived 2-0 lead. Not only was it first major league at-bat since June 3rd, but it was his first major-league home run since May 21st.

Cruz's next at-bat produced an RBI groundout to second base, scoring Gerald Laird from third with one out in the 4th inning. He drew a leadoff walk to begin the 7th inning, and then crushed another laser beam home run to left field with one out in the 9th inning, cutting the Royals' lead to 6-5. The victim of Cruz's second home run? Octavio Dotel, who probably doesn't have real fond memories of the Rangers dating back to a certain game in September 2004.

Frank Catalanotto followed Cruz's home run with a double down the left field line, putting the tying run in scoring position with just one out. Unfortunately, Ramon Vazquez struck out swinging, and Michael Young flied out to right field to end the game. Moments earlier, Young lined a ball down the right field line which landed just barely foul, possibly by less than a foot.

A miserable effort by Kevin Millwood doomed Texas from the start, as he gave up six runs on nine hits and a walk in just 2.2 innings of work. Millwood had a combined ERA of 3.05 during his last seven starts, so it doesn't appear as though this is anything more than just an off night. However, the Rangers plan to push Millwood back a day in order to give him some extra rest, with John Rheinecker starting on Wednesday in Cleveland instead of on Saturday in Toronto as originally planned.

It's beginning to appear as though the Mark Teixeira trade drama is going to go right down to the wire on Tuesday afternoon. T.R. Sullivan's latest update on Saturday night suggests that the Arizona Diamondbacks are about to enter the running for Mark Teixeira, with first baseman Conor Jackson presumably being a major piece of a potential trade package.

Sullivan also says that the "buzz among industry sources" is that the Rangers are heavily scouting the Diamondbacks farm system, in the event that they step up and make an actual offer. There's the usual mention of the supposed Atlanta package (Salty/Harrison/Andrus) and Anaheim package (Kotchman/Saunders), as well. That's somewhat curious, since the Angels supposedly dropped out of the race late Friday night.

Given the wealth of young talent in the Diamondbacks organization, this could be a very nice development for Jon Daniels and the Rangers. After winning their 8th straight game on Saturday, Arizona is now tied for first place in the NL West with - surprise! - the Los Angeles Dodgers, which could signal the re-entry of the Dodgers into the mix for Teixeira. Then again, Dodgers GM Ned Colletti may have more pressing needs than a first baseman.

As far as the Atlanta offer goes, these latest events could force Braves GM John Schuerholz to upgrade his offer slightly. After all, Schuerholz is under a great deal of pressure himself - the Braves are now 4.5 games back in the NL East and 3.5 back in the NL wild card standings, and the Atlanta clubhouse is practically salivating to the media at the idea of Teixeira being acquired.

However, one has to wonder if Schuerholz won't decide to shift some of the leverage back his way in the coming hours. I find it quite possible that the Braves, frustrated with Daniels' refusal to accept their package in a timely manner, will put a deadline on their offer, in an attempt to force the Rangers' hand. A risky proposition, to be sure, but just how long will Atlanta wait? Until sometime on Sunday or Monday, perhaps?

Meanwhile, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution still believes a deal will get done between the Braves and Rangers, with Ron Mahay the most likely reliever to be included with Teixeira.

SI.com's Jon Heyman has a new trade rumor piece up, which includes the following snippets on the Teixeira situation:

The Angels were said to be disappointed that Texas requested they sweeten their standing offer for star first baseman Mark Teixeira, which apparently consisted of young first baseman Casey Kotchman and probably young pitcher Joe Saunders, with a top prospect such as pitcher Nick Adenhart or infielder Brandon Wood. While they weren't giving up the pursuit, it gave them reason to wonder whether the Braves were leading the race.

[...]

Many rave reviews have been written about Saltalamacchia, but the Braves have a history of knowing their prospects. It's hard to recall a time when they traded away any that have come back to haunt them.

[...]

"[Texas] isn't getting what they think they're getting,'' one competing executive said, referring to Saltalamacchia.

Heyman also says the Yankees are targeting Eric Gagne as a setup man for Mariano Rivera, and that they're willing to trade pitching prospects Tyler Clippard and Jeffrey Marquez in order to get a deal done. Apparently, the Rangers originally asked for Joba Chamberlain, but were quickly told that he was untouchable. I'm going to guess Brian Cashman isn't a big believer of the TNSTAAPP concept.

According to Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune, the Cubs are talking to Texas about Ron Mahay and starting catcher Gerald Laird; for the Rangers to deal Laird, you'd assume Texas would have to send Teixeira to Atlanta first, then plug in Salty at catcher. Since I somewhat doubt that Brad Wilkerson will be dealt before the deadline, he'd probably become the new starting first baseman, with Catalanotto/Byrd/Cruz being the new everyday outfield alignment.

Former Ranger Donnie Sadler was suspended for 50 games on Saturday after testing positive for a "drug of abuse." Needless to say, it really doesn't appear to have helped him much.

C.J. Wilson has a nice entry up over at Lone Star Ball under the alias of "blue glove lefty," which is definitely worth checking out. Always interesting to hear the players' perspectives during trade season, especially since C.J.'s name has come up quite often in rumors.

We're now under 60 hours until the deadline. Buckle up folks, it's gonna be a bumpy ride.

Sunday, July 29th Game Preview

Texas Rangers (46-58) at Kansas City Royals (46-57)

Kameron Loe (5-8, 5.59 ERA) vs. Leo Nunez (0-0, 2.25 ERA)

1:10 PM CST in Kansas City, Missouri (Kauffman Stadium)

TV: KDFW/Fox 4 | Radio: KRLD 1080 AM

Latest News On Teixeira Trade Talk

Just over 48 hours until the trade deadline.

First thing's first - T.R. Sullivan has a nice recap of the various trade scenarios on "Postcards from Elysian Fields:"

Arizona: The Diamondbacks have won eight straight and are putting the pressure on the Los Angeles Dodgers. Word is the Rangers are all over their Double A team in Mobile. Some of the better pitchers in their system are Brett Anderson, Matthew Green, Esmerling Valdez, Greg Smith and Max Scherzer, who is probably unavailable. Their best prospect is outfielder Justin Upton but they also have Carlos Gonzalez.

Atlanta: The Braves are willing to do first baseman Jarrod Saltalamacchia, pitcher Matt Harrison and 18-year-old shortstop Elvis Andrus. The Rangers apparently aren't satisfied with that package and seem to be holding out for more.

Anaheim: Angels owner Arte Moreno wanted to make a big splash last off-season and wasn't quite able to do it. He might be the force behind the Angels pursuit of Teixeira. General manager Bill Stoneman is usually more reluctant to make such a splurge.

Los Angeles: The Dodgers have the most desirable young talent, starting with first baseman James Loney and outfielder Andre Either. The Rangers would love to get their hands on Minor League pitcher Clayton Kershaw. The Dodgers seem divided in their approach to the deadline.

I guess Anaheim hasn't backed out of the Teixeira sweepstakes, after all.

The DMN's Evan Grant has a good but lengthy analysis of the possible trade scenarios over at the DMN Seam Heads blog. Quick summary: Grant's wary of the Atlanta offer, and mentions that he's received an e-mail that states Matt Harrison may have a "left arm problem," but that he can't confirm it.

Grant also likes Anaheim's offer, and thinks the Rangers should ask for Reggie Willits as the third player. Willits can certainly reach base at a strong clip (.306/.402/.363 in 278 AB), but he's played mostly at the corner outfield spots for Anaheim this year, and has virtually no power. Am I alone in thinking Willits is somewhat overrated? Finally, Grant thinks the Dodgers could be pushed to include left-hander Clayton Kershaw in a package consisting of James Loney and Andre Ethier.

Ken Rosenthal's latest update on Teixeira indicates the Diamondbacks have not made as strong an offer as either the Braves or Angels, with Rosenthal confirming that Conor Jackson would be a part of any deal consummated. However, Double-A outfielder Justin Upton, who may be the best prospect in baseball, would not.

Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune says that Jon Daniels is having constant discussions with no less than five teams concerning Teixeira - Anaheim, Atlanta, Arizona, Los Angeles and perhaps Boston? He also says that Jon Daniels appears to be insisting for Clayton Kershaw to be included in a Dodgers deal.

Both Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times and Bill Madden of the New York Daily News believe Teixeira will be dealt to Atlanta, for what that's worth.

Finally, Baseball Prospectus's Will Carroll includes this brief note in BP's Sunday "Rumor Mill" segment:

The Rangers also have a couple of small deals in the works, but none seem to be particularly close. Most instead seem to be the types of deals that would fall into place if Teixeira is dealt.

I have a feeling this may be referring to a possible Laird-to-Cubs trade, which would be triggered only if the Rangers acquired Salty from Atlanta and decided to plug him in at catcher.

There's something I'd like to touch on concerning Salty's future position with the Rangers, if Daniels decides to take the Braves offer. BP's Kevin Goldstein has a new article out today which takes a look at the offensive differences between each defensive position. Using OPS as his measure, Goldstein compiled the statistics for the 30 players at each position with the most starts at that position over the last three seasons, in an effort to eliminate outliers such as part-time players and injuries.

Goldstein's analysis proved something I had been wondering about lately; if moved to first base from catcher, Salty would obviously lose a fair amount of offensive value. But just how much? Well, I'll let this brief snippet from Goldstein's OPS chart tell the story:

POS   BAD   AVG   GOOD  ELITE

C     666   748   826   853
1B    758   858   952   987

Let's assume for a moment that Salty's 2008 PECOTA projections (which tag him at .268/.352/.466) hold true, and that's what he's actually going to hit next year. While those numbers would make Salty a very good offensive catcher, he would be a well below-average offensive first baseman. I think Jon Daniels realizes this, and that's why I'm starting to believe that the odds of Gerald Laird being dealt in the next two days are much higher than I originally gave credit for.

In other news, the Rangers are down 4-0 to the Royals, and are in danger of being swept by Kansas City. Sigh.

And don't look now, but since returning from the disabled list, Mark Teixeira has compiled just an .810 OPS. He hasn't homered since July 15th.

Just something to keep in mind.

Latest News From AJC On Teixeira

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's David O'Brien tonight:

The Braves and at least two other teams, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels, were the strongest contenders for Teixeira as of Friday afternoon. But the Angels were reported to be backing out late Friday night. The Rangers could wait this out to the 4 p.m. Tuesday non-waiver trade deadline, hoping a team will cave in to their demands and sweeten an offer.

The Braves have a three-player package featuring their top prospect, catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, plus left-handed prospect Matt Harrison and one of two infield prospects, versatile Brent Lillibridge or shortstop Elvis Andrus.

The Braves have asked for one of three Rangers relievers -- closer Eric Gagne, lefty C.J. Wilson, lefty Ron Mahay -- to be included with Teixeira, especially if the Braves are to include Andrus, an 18-year-old defensive whiz.

Uh-oh.

Royals Pound Texas 6-1; Teixeira, Otsuka Updates

Jamey Wright's pitching line on Friday night against the Royals:

6.2 IP, 10 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, 1 HR

If Wright had any trade value coming into his start on Friday night (a dicey proposition at best), it's probably all but gone now. Yes, Jamey still has a respectable 4.57 ERA. He's also the not-so-proud owner of a 1.72 WHIP, and opposing hitters have lit Wright up to the tune of a .293/.413/.469 batting line. Yes, that's right, a .413 OBP. Ugh.

In other news, Kansas City starter Brian Bannister made the Lofton-less Rangers look foolish, with Sammy Sosa's garbage time home run in the top of the 8th inning providing the Rangers their only offense on the night. Texas lost, 6-1.

Ron Washington said on Friday that Marlon Byrd would be the everyday center fielder for the rest of the season, with Nelson Cruz winning the right field job - for now. If Cruz hits like he did during his first stint with Texas this season (.551 OPS in 144 AB), the odds are pretty high that he'll be out of the organization by the time next spring rolls around, as he'll be out of minor league options in 2008. Hopefully, his new, more open stance that he developed in AAA will help him this time around.

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News continues to emphasize that Jason Botts will be called up very soon, perhaps by Tuesday, as the Rangers continue to futilely attempt to find a suitor for Sammy Sosa. Prediction: Jon Daniels will end up owing one of his general manager buddies a free lunch in Dallas after they agree to take Sosa for a sack of assorted garden vegetables, thereby sparing Sosa and the Rangers the embarrassment of designating him for assignment.

There seems to be very little news on the Mark Teixeira trade front tonight. Ken Rosenthal still has the same story up from early Friday morning about the Saltalamacchia/Harrison/Andrus package, with one minor alteration: according to a "source" (which could be anybody from the assistant GM of the Braves to Turner Field's head custodian), the Rangers want a better pitching prospect than Harrison.

Meanwhile, Rosenthal also names the Dodgers as the "wild card" for Teixeira, saying that they've proposed a package consisting of James Loney, Andre Ethier and AAA right-hander John Meloan for Teixeira and Joaquin Benoit. Anaheim's supposed package consists of Casey Kotchman and Joe Saunders, with Rosenthal stating that the Angels are reluctant to add a third player. Personally, neither one of those does all that much for me.

T.R. Sullivan doesn't have much news to report either, other than that the Angels haven't offered much of interest to the Rangers other than Kotchman, and that the Braves were told that C.J. Wilson is not available. Wise decision. There's also the usual line about the lack of trade interest in Sosa, and notes about a couple of potential trades would have sent Brad Wilkerson to the Padres and Eric Gagne to the Yankees; however, discussions on both have apparently died.

One curious note: Sullivan suggested on his blog Friday night that the Tex-to-Atlanta deal could be falling apart. I really hope that's not the case. However, for what it's worth, Baseball Prospectus's Will Carroll doesn't seem real optimistic about Teixeira being dealt:

It's looking more and more like Mark Teixeira is going to stay a Ranger. At least two teams are now out of the running (though this can always change) and the Indians offer ended up getting smaller and smaller, until we ended up with the Lofton deal. The Braves have allegedly made their last best final offer of three prospects for Teixeira, and sources say that the Rangers are held up over either adding one more prospect or upgrading the pitcher.

Aki Otsuka's visit to orthopedic surgeon Dr. Lewis Yocum on Friday yielded both good and bad news: the good news is that he doesn't have any structural damage to his troublesome right arm, but the bad news is that he's probably out several more weeks. Aki's new rehab plan calls for 7-10 days of rest and treatment, at which point he'll resume his throwing program. Evan Grant thinks he could be back by late August.

Will Carroll expounded further on the Otsuka injury in his latest "Under The Knife" segment on Friday, saying that Aki is not a candidate for Tommy John surgery, and that the problem rests in his forearm, not his elbow. Carroll describes the injury simply as "relatively minor but debilitating."

Ian Kinsler went 2 for 5 with an RBI single in the first game of his rehab assignment at Triple-A Oklahoma on Friday night. Ron Washington apparently plans to bat Kinsler in the leadoff spot when he returns from the disabled list. Kinsler has a career batting line of .344/.382/.625 in the leadoff spot; albeit, in just 32 AB, which really isn't enough of a sample size to mean anything.

The DMN's Kevin Sherrington has an article up tonight about Jon Daniels and his quest to deal Teixeira, while the FWST's Dave Session writes about how Daniels has to deal Teixeira - except, you know, not to the Angels.

Just under 86 hours until the trade deadline. Isn't this fun?

Saturday, July 28th Game Preview

Texas Rangers (46-57) at Kansas City Royals (45-57)

Kevin Millwood (7-8, 5.56 ERA) vs. Odalis Perez (5-8, 5.84 ERA)

6:10 PM CST in Kansas City, Missouri (Kauffman Stadium)

TV: KDFI/My27 | Radio: KRLD 1080 AM

Analyzing The Kenny Lofton/Max Ramirez Deal

Wow. I'm gone at work for a few hours, and look what I miss.

As you've likely heard by now, the Rangers have dealt center fielder Kenny Lofton to the Cleveland Indians for catching prospect Max Ramirez, who came into Cleveland's possession as part of the three-team Bob Wickman trade on July 20th, 2006.

Ramirez, a 22-year-old righty, was hitting .303/.418/.505 with 12 HR and 20 doubles in 277 AB for high Class-A Kinston in the Carolina League. Make no doubt about it - this kid can rake. Ramirez was also selected to the 2007 All-Star Futures Game a couple weeks ago, representing the World Team. The biggest knock against the 5'11", 170 pound Ramirez at this point seems his defense behind the plate, which doesn't seem to be very highly regarded.

John Sickels of MinorLeagueBall.com ranked Ramirez as the 11th best prospect in the Indians organization in December 2006, rating him a "B-" and commenting that "his glove is shaky."

Baseball Prospectus's Kevin Goldstein ranked Ramirez as baseball's 7th best catching prospect in his "Future Shock" column on July 18th:

Ramirez has always hit for average, and has always drawn walks wherever he went, and now he�s starting to tap into his power potential with 12 home runs in 250 at-bats, just one off his career high. The question mark remains his defense--his arm is below-average but not awful, but his receiving skills are significantly below average, to the point where many question his ability to stay at the position long term. However, as one scout who went over the list with me said, �Hey, Victor Martinez is still catching...�

Baseball America's John Manuel had this to say concerning Ramirez earlier today, which would seem to suggest his defense is slowly but surely improving:

He's patient--he just won Best Strike Zone Judgment in our 2007 Best Tools survey of the Carolina League--but will strike out. Defensively, his footwork needs to improve, but he's shown better ability to receive, throw (wiping out 29 percent of opposing basestealers) and handle a pitching staff.

Meanwhile, Chris Kline (also of Baseball America) weighed in with his own take on Ramirez during his chat session today:

Josh from Warrenton asks: How do you think the Lofton deal will impact Max Ramirez? Do you think his timetable will be accelerated? Teagarden is already at Bakersfield ,will Max head there also?

Chris Kline: I'm a big fan of Max. Total package as a hitter with emerging power. Aside from that, the defense has gotten better. I know Teagarden is catching again, but there are so many questions about how the arm strength will hold up. Ramirez isn't the greatest catcher in the world either, but you have to find a place for him. It'll be interesting to see where Texas puts him, but I think Bakersfield is too big for the both of them.

While I'm not completely counting out the possibility of GM Jon Daniels turning around and flipping Ramirez as part of a bigger deal before the deadline, it appears that Ramirez is a nice addition to the farm system's already impressive stable of catching prospects.

High-A Bakersfield catcher Taylor Teagarden, who's hitting .314/.451/.611 with 20 HR, could find himself in line for a promotion to Double-A Frisco, and there's also the high upside Cristian Santana playing in the Arizona Rookie League. Kevin Goldstein ranked Teagarden three spots above Ramirez in his catcher rankings (mentioned earlier in this article), but also noted how cautious the Rangers are being with Teagarden behind the plate after missing 2006 with Tommy John surgery.

It sounds like a bit of a stretch to assume that Max Ramirez will make the big leagues as an everyday catcher, but Ramirez also played third base in the Gulf Coast League a few years ago, and his offense could very well be strong enough to make him an option at first base down the line. Baseball Prospectus's PECOTA projections place him at a .255-.260 EqA through his age 22-25 seasons, which would make him a slightly above average major league catcher offensively, but not so much at first or third base.

With the market apparently being so limited for Kenny Lofton, this has to be considered a pretty nice haul by Jon Daniels. There's still a lot left to be researched on this trade, but for now, I'm giving this a thumbs up. One last thing to keep in mind, though: per Jamey Newberg, Ramirez is Rule 5 draft eligible this winter.

Taking Lofton's place on the 25-man roster is Nelson Cruz, who clubbed a grand slam last night for Triple-A Oklahoma, and has hit home runs in three consecutive games. He's hitting .352/.428/.698 with 15 HR in 162 AB for the Redhawks, and his monster AAA campaign figures to mean the Rangers will give him a good, hard look to see whether or not he can still be an everyday right fielder at the major league level, as I hoped before the season.

More on the ongoing Teixeira rumors in a short while. Oh, and there's a baseball game tonight as well.

Happy trails, Kenny Lofton. Thanks for four solid months in Arlington, and best of luck to you in Cleveland.

Rosenthal's Latest Update On Teixeira Deal

From Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com, at approximately 12:20 AM CST on Friday morning:

The Braves, major-league sources say, have made the Rangers a whopper of an offer for first baseman Mark Teixeira.

The Rangers evidently would receive three highly regarded young players � catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Class AA left-hander Matt Harrison and Class A shortstop Elvis Andrus � while sending the Braves only Teixeira.

At a time when teams are reluctant to trade inexpensive prospects for high-priced veterans, such a deal would be a coup for Rangers general manager Jon Daniels.

[...]

The Angels have submitted a substantial two-player offer for Teixeira, according to an industry source, but are reluctant to go further.

First baseman Casey Kotchman almost certainly is part of the Angels' proposal. The other player likely is a pitcher, possibly Class AAA right-hander Ervin Santana.

Kotchman and Santana are more established than any of the players the Braves are offering. However, Kotchman's upside might not be as high as the switch-hitting Saltalamacchia's. Santana's value, meanwhile, has diminished considerably, in part because of his 7.16 ERA in 36 career road starts.

Even if the Angels swapped out another pitcher for Santana � left-hander Joe Saunders perhaps, or Class AA right-hander Nick Adenhart � their offer might not be as strong as the Braves'.

Dodgers starter Brad Penny suffered an injured groin on Thursday night after beating out an infield single at first base, and was forced to leave the game. A night before, Derek Lowe suffered a groin injury as well, meaning Dodgers GM Ned Colletti is almost certainly making pitching his top priority. Barring a major turn of events, the Dodgers are out of the running for Tex. The Yankees and Red Sox are almost certainly out, as well, leaving the Angels and Braves as the lone teams standing.

If Anaheim's best offer consists of Kotchman and Santana, there's no two ways around it: Jon Daniels has to pull the trigger on the Braves deal. If you can reel in a package of Saltalamacchia, Andrus and Harrison for only Teixeira, without even having to include a left-handed reliever - well, let's just say Texas would be coming away very pretty here. And realistically, this is likely the best package you can get for Tex.

It sounds like a deal could come down at any time, so as always, stay tuned.

Thursday Evening Rangers Notes

Rangers GM Jon Daniels has yet to make a deal, and Tuesday's 3:00 PM trade deadline now looms just over 114 hours away. At this point, it's not a question of whether the hammer's going to drop or not, but when.

Lots of trade talk out there today, and obviously, most of that is centered around Mark Teixeira. SI.com's Jon Heyman reported this afternoon that the Angels are being "very persistent" in their quest to land Teixeira, with Heyman suggesting that Angels GM Bill Stoneman could give up first baseman Casey Kotchman, right-hander Ervin Santana and a third major league player, with the possibility of the package becoming even more valuable.

Heyman also doesn't think that the Dodgers are terribly serious about trading for Teixeira, as he says they won't deal Clayton Kershaw or outfielder Matt Kemp, and aren't too excited about dealing James Loney, either. Tonight's latest developments would seem to back up the idea that the Dodgers are falling out of the Teixeira sweepstakes - more on that in a moment.

On the reliever trade front, Heyman says that Eric Gagne is so interested in staying in Texas that he may consider a contract extension, despite being two months away from free agency. As I've said before, the idea of giving Gagne a multi-year contract extension scares the heck out of me, but there's also a new development which could make retaining Gagne more important:

The Rangers are the team to watch, with a half-dozen players to interest contenders. But one thing hampering them is Akinori Otsuka's condition. Otsuka's arm is "barking," according to a friend, and since he's had problems going back to his days in Japan, a lot of folks are speculating now that he may need Tommy John surgery. If that's true, the Rangers better be careful about trading either Joaquin Benoit and Eric Gagne. However, another Rangers person insisted that doctors are identifying Otsuka's problem thus far as "forearm tendinitis," which sounds a little better.

Finally, Heyman says that Jon Daniels will almost certainly deal left-hander Ron Mahay, but he also infers that Daniels' asking price on Eric Gagne is very high, suggesting that Daniels is asking for top Tigers outfield prospect Cameron Maybin straight up for Gagne. Perhaps, too high.

T.R. Sullivan offers some rather significant updates of his own in tonight's latest article, saying that the Angels and Braves are the front-runners for Teixeira at the moment, with an anonymous source stating that both teams have made "strong offers." Both packages would obviously include either Kotchman or Saltalamacchia. Perhaps the most important development is that the Red Sox and Dodgers have apparently faded from the Teixeira sweepstakes - for now, at least.

Sullivan also notes that the Braves want a left-handed reliever as well, but that Texas is unwilling to give up C.J. Wilson, and would likely send Ron Mahay to Atlanta instead. There's also an update on Otsuka, who is being sent to Los Angeles to be examined by famous orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Lewis Yocum. However, this news isn't as bleak as it first sounds:

"More than anything, it's just for peace of mind," Daniels said. "He's been checked out here and we've been assured that it's tendinitis. We want to get him checked out, get some good news and get him back on the mound."

Daniels rejected the idea that Otsuka might need Tommy John surgery, which is sort of reassuring, I guess. Sullivan says that the Indians are showing the most interest in Kenny Lofton, although according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer earlier today, Indians GM Mark Shapiro feels Daniels is asking for too much. Joaquin Benoit is attracting interest as well, but the Rangers are apparently reluctant to deal Benoit with Otsuka's status up in the air.

Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reported earlier today that the Yankees have no intentions of dealing top pitching prospects Joba Chamberlain, Ian Kennedy or Philip Hughes. Feinsand also quotes "multiple sources" who believe Teixeira will still be in a Rangers uniform come August 1st, due to Daniels' huge trade demands.

ESPN's Keith Law fielded a question earlier today concerning the potential Saltalamacchia/Teixeira deal:

Shar (Durham): Your thoughts on the Teixeira/Salty deal? Is it worth it to give up Salty, Davies/Harrison, and Andrus for Tex and a lefty reliever??

Keith Law: It's a very win-now move for Atlanta. I think Texas gets more value in that deal if Harrison is the arm. Now, I say that as someone who thinks Saltalamacchia (sal-tuh-luh-MAK-ee-uh) won't stay behind the plate because of his size. If I'm wrong and he does end up a catcher, it's a heist for Texas.

Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus included this curious note earlier today in his rumor mill update:

One possibility is trying to follow on the rumored Rangers-Braves deal--if the Rangers get Jarrod Saltalamacchia, the Cubs have asked their scouts for an opinion on Gerald Laird.

MLB.com's Drew Davison has a great piece on Oklahoma's Jason Botts, and how he's biding his time waiting for a promotion. There's absolutely no news out there on a possible Sosa deal, so I'll be curious to see how Jon Daniels handles this situation. It's absolutely critical that the Rangers find a way to give Botts regular at-bats at the major league level over the final two months of the season.

Finally, Dave Sessions of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram wrote about Teixeira possibly playing his final home game in Arlington last night:

There were no farewell banners, sappy video highlights or heartfelt waves, but Mark Teixeira might have played his last home game at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on Wednesday night.

I hate to rain on your parade Dave, but there was a fairly large banner just to the left of Greene's Hill, draped over the guardrail, which said something to the effect of "We'll miss you Mark!"

6,868 minutes and counting to the trade deadline. Stay tuned.

Friday, July 27th Game Preview

Texas Rangers (46-56) at Kansas City Royals (44-57)

Jamey Wright (3-2, 4.15 ERA) vs. Brian Bannister (6-6, 3.68 ERA)

7:10 PM CST in Kansas City, Missouri (Kauffman Stadium)

TV: FSNSW | Radio: KRLD 1080 AM

Sweep Dreams: Texas Beats Seattle 7-6; Teixeira Rumors Fly

If only the Rangers had played this well back in April and May.

If only.

Ramon Vazquez belted a dramatic two out, two run homer off of Seattle closer J.J. Putz in the bottom of the 8th inning on Wednesday night, and the Rangers pulled off a spectacular four game sweep of the second-place Seattle Mariners with a 7-6 victory.

Texas led Seattle by a 5-3 score going into the top of the 8th inning; Frankie Francisco induced a quick ground out, but a Jose Lopez single signaled Joaquin Benoit's entrance into the game. Benoit promptly gave up a double down the right field line, putting men at second and third with just one out. After retiring Ichiro with a harmless pop fly to center field, Adrian Beltre tied the game with a two run double to right field, and Raul Ibanez gave the Mariners a 6-5 lead with another RBI double.

The unstoppable Marlon Byrd led off the bottom of the 8th inning with a single, and Frank Catalanotto sacrificed him to second base for the first out of the inning. Seattle manager John McLaren turned to closer J.J. Putz, who was working on one of the single greatest seasons ever put together by a relief pitcher in baseball history. (Sound familiar?) Putz was 29 for 29 in save opportunities in 2007, with a 0.78 ERA, 0.56 WHIP and .127 BAA.

However, there was one major statistical oddity coming into this game - Putz had allowed just four runs in 46.1 innings of work, but three of those runs were inflicted by the Rangers, and all via the home run ball. This quirk in J.J.'s pitching ledger would come back to haunt him again tonight.

After striking out Gerald Laird, Vazquez crushed a 2-0 Putz fastball to right center field, which traveled so fast that not even Ichiro had a chance to catch up to it. 414 feet later, Texas had retaken the lead, and they would not relinquish it again. To place even more emphasis on how unlikely Vazquez's home run was, it marked just his 12th home run in 1,312 career at-bats. You do the math.

With an impressive Wednesday night crowd of 34,853 roaring for a sweep, Joaquin Benoit toed the mound yet again for the 9th inning. He quickly retired the side in order, with the final out landing safely in Kenny Lofton's glove.

Lofton went 2 for 5 on the night with a two run homer in the 3rd inning and an RBI single in the 5th inning - I hope everybody enjoyed his performance, because with Texas not returning home until August 6th, chances are tonight marked Kenny's final game in Arlington while wearing a Rangers uniform. The same goes for Mark Teixeira, who went 1 for 4 with an RBI double. Perhaps Joaquin Benoit as well, who was credited with a blown save but also picked up the win.

Brandon McCarthy was decent in his five innings of work for Texas, giving up three runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out three. Willie Eyre and Frankie Francisco teamed up to provide 2.1 shutout innings of middle relief, nursing the 5-3 Rangers lead until the dramatics began in the 8th inning.

Trade winds continue to swirl violently around the Rangers, with the 3:00 PM CST trade deadline on July 31st drawing ever closer. The latest Ken Rosenthal report still pegs the Atlanta Braves as the front-runners for Teixeira, but the Dodgers are apparently still very much in the hunt, while the Angels are considering Teixeira as their "primary target."

Rosenthal says that Braves GM John Schuerholz is offering a multi-player package consisting of Jarrod Saltalamacchia and possibly Single-A shortstop Elvis Andrus; Rosenthal believes Saltalamacchia would play catcher for Texas, something which I'll touch on in a second. He also notes that the Braves would love to get a left-handed reliever back along with Teixeira, such as C.J. Wilson - a possible dealbreaker, in my opinion - but that Ron Mahay was a more likely option.

Here's the rub, though: just how much offensive value is Saltalamacchia going to lose if he's moved from catcher to first base? Dealing Teixeira leaves a gaping hole at first base that will be difficult to fill internally; Jason Botts is viewed as an outfielder/DH by the organization, not a first baseman, and Brad Wilkerson may be traded himself in the next week. Despite Gerald Laird's offensive struggles, he seems pretty firmly entrenched as the starting catcher right now.

Furthermore, Baseball Prospectus's PECOTA forecast projects Saltalamacchia for an .820 to .850 OPS over the next five years, with around 20 HR per season; elite production from a catcher, but hardly so from a first baseman. Most Braves fans seem particularly bullish on Saltalamacchia, but that's another matter altogether.

Finally, Rosenthal re-iterates one major connection between the Rangers and Dodgers:

Don Welke and A.J. Preller, two of the top assistants to Rangers general manager Jon Daniels, previously worked in the Dodgers' organization, and know the team's farm system well.

The Yankees are apparently unwilling to part with either Joba Chamberlain or Philip Hughes, two of their top pitching prospects, and Angels GM Bill Stoneman has a pretty long history of not trading top prospects for veteran players. Right now, I'm considering both Anaheim and New York as pretty major long shots, but as long as they remain interested, it's going to help Teixeira's trade value increase.

The DMN's Evan Grant has some slightly different information to offer, saying that Texas is "heavily involved" with the Braves, and that Atlanta is likely offering a package consisting of Saltalamacchia, Andrus and either Kyle Davies or Ryan Harrison, two young pitchers. He says that left-hander Jo-Jo Reyes is probably not available.

Baseball Prospectus's Will Carroll commented on Wednesday about the hypothetical Saltalamacchia/Andrus/minor league pitcher package, and he doesn't seem too terribly impressed with the idea:

Nice return, but does it really fit with the Rangers needs? "Salty" is a nice haul for any team, whether he's at first or moves behind the plate, but Andrus is a Single-A phenom who might be ready before Michael Young's contract is up. The Rangers need pitching, and if the best they're getting for the most tradeable player in the game is someone like Jo-Jo Reyes, I'd be stunned. Moreover, the Braves have needs beyond first base. Chipper Jones is calling for a lefty reliever, while most think the Braves could use one more starter. Unless John Schuerholz is suddenly ready to deal off most of the prospects he has, those needs will go unfilled if he starts off with this trade.

Meanwhile, Grant suggests that the Dodgers would have to give up James Loney, outfielder Andre Ethier and a minor league pitcher to get Teixeira; he thinks Dodgers GM Ned Colletti would balk at adding Highland Park left-hander Clayton Kershaw to the deal, but it's certainly worth dreaming about. Stick Ethier in a corner outfield spot, put Byrd in center field and you suddenly have a pretty decent looking outfield.

Richard Durrett did a Rangers chat session on Wednesday, which you can check out here. Included among the topics covered are the potential Teixeira deal (as if that's any surprise), the Jon Daniels contract extension, and Marlon Byrd's future in center field. Definitely worth checking out.

T.R. Sullivan reports that Vicente Padilla will likely pitch at least three more rehab starts before making a possible return. Pitching coach Mark Connor said that Texas wanted to increase Padilla's workload by 15 pitches per outing, meaning he's scheduled to throw 45 pitches in his next rehab start on Saturday. The Rangers want to get him to 75 pitches before making a decision on whether he's ready to re-join the starting rotation.

Jason Botts returned from the seven-day disabled list on Wednesday night, going 1 for 4 for Triple-A Oklahoma in a 3-1 victory over Portland. Nelson Cruz went 3 for 4 with yet another home run, putting his OPS at 1.118 in 158 AB. Yeah, I'd say Cruz has earned another look at the major league level during the last two months of the season, along with Botts.

Even though I have been loudly carping here for several weeks about how the Rangers need to deal Teixeira, I'll admit to feeling just a bit emotional as tonight's game drew to a close. It's very hard to get your mind around the fact that your favorite team's best player probably won't be around the next time they return home. For all of Teixeira's inflammatory remarks to the media, the fact remains he's still an excellent baseball player.

And for a long time, he was one of my favorite Rangers too.

On July 18th, 2004, Texas was firmly planted in the middle of the AL West pennant race, having just won two straight games against Toronto following the All-Star break. The Rangers were looking for the sweep at home, but trailed 5-1 going into the bottom of the 8th inning of the third and final game of the series.

A huge rally, sparked by such notables as Rod Barajas and Laynce Nix, drew the Rangers to within 5-3, but reliever Vinnie Chulk retired Hank Blalock and Alfonso Soriano. However, Chulk walked Brad Fullmer to load the bases with two outs, and Mark Teixeira stepped in with a chance to be the hero.

I'll let this audio highlight tell the rest of the story, if you don't already remember how it ended.

Good luck to you Tex, wherever you end up.

Rangers Sweep Doubleheader Against M's

Excellent starting pitching? Check.

Dominant bullpen effort? Check.

Offense coming through in key situations? Check.

The Texas Rangers were absolutely brilliant on Tuesday, sweeping a day-night doubleheader from the second-place Seattle Mariners on the backs of starters John Rheinecker and Kameron Loe.

Rheinecker in particular was superb, giving up just one unearned run on six hits and a walk. He needed just 94 pitches to get through seven innings of work, while striking out four. Ron Washington seems quite impressed with Rheinecker's outing, as he should be:

"He did an excellent job," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "To shut down that lineup and hold them to one unearned run, he did an exceptional job. He changed speeds, kept the ball down and threw strikes."

T.R. Sullivan notes in his game story that the Rangers were considering optioning Rheinecker back to AAA after Game 1, and adding left-hander A.J. Murray before the start of Game 2, but that his strong performance quickly put an end to that idea. Rheinecker credits his success on Tuesday to his ability to control his emotions, which prevented him from overthrowing and allowed him to locate his pitches better.

Rheinecker seems to have won a spot on the team for now; he will apparently be available out of the bullpen this weekend in Kansas City, and is likely the lead candidate to start on August 4th against Toronto, which is the next time the Rangers will need a fifth starter.

In the meantime, the offense managed to squeeze just enough run support for Rheinecker out of Seattle starter Ryan Feierabend, as Marlon Byrd hit a game-tying RBI triple in the 4th inning, and Michael Young hit the eventual game-winning RBI single in the 5th inning. Byrd also made a brilliant sliding catch in center field; he appears to be turning into a more and more viable center field option every day, as far as 2008 is concerned.

Joaquin Benoit pitched through a somewhat dicey 8th inning, but he struck out Richie Sexson with a man on second base to end the inning. Eric Gagne gave up a leadoff single to begin the 9th inning, but a great defensive play by Michael Young triggered a fielder's choice force out at second base, and a pair of strikeouts ended Game 1 with a 2-1 Rangers victory.

Kameron Loe took the mound for Game 2 of the doubleheader, and followed up Rheinecker's effort with a strong outing of his own. He allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks in 6.2 innings, while striking out five; however, his performance was gutsier than the box score reveals.

With Texas and Seattle deadlocked at 1-1 with two outs in the 5th inning, Kameron Loe struck out Raul Ibanez swinging to escape a jam that would have left runners on first and third - or so he thought. Home plate umpire Jim Reynolds ruled that Ibanez had foul tipped the ball and was still at bat; Ron Washington and Kameron Loe loudly protested, but to no avail. TV replays conclusively showed that Ibanez did not make contact with the ball; in other words, Reynolds badly blew the call.

Ibanez stepped back into the batter's box, and laced a two run double to center field, summoning a loud chorus of boos from the home crowd upon Reynolds and infuriating Loe, who should have been out of the inning. Kameron managed to channel his anger productively, as he retired the next six batters he faced. There's no doubt he wanted to stay out there and keep going, but with 117 pitches on his ledger for the night, Washington wisely lifted him from the game.

Texas tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the 5th inning with a Mark Teixeira RBI single and a wild pitch that scored Michael Young; the game would remain tied until the 8th inning, when Travis Metcalf delivered the eventual game-winning RBI double off the left field wall, scoring Gerald Laird. Metcalf finished 4 for 4 in the nightcap with that 8th inning double and a 3rd inning triple; it sure seems like he's been hitting better than his .697 OPS would indicate.

C.J. Wilson came on in relief of his roommate, and logged 1.1 scoreless innings, bringing the Rangers to the 9th inning with a 4-3 lead. After throwing 17 pitches in Game 1, Gagne came on once again for the save, and finished the job yet again to complete the sweep of the doubleheader.

What a great day of baseball.

With the July 31st deadline now less than a week away, both the local and national media are beginning to go into a frenzy over the Mark Teixeira trade rumors. FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal touched extensively on the possibility of a Teixeira-to-Atlanta deal earlier today, saying that Braves GM John Schuerholz will likely have to part with top prospect Jarrod Saltalamacchia to get a deal done.

Rosenthal also says the Angels are in deep on Teixeira, and that the Rangers believe there's a "50-50" chance he'll be dealt before the deadline. SI.com's Jon Heyman has a very good rundown of the teams interested in Teixeira, with GM Jon Daniels saying that the offers on Teixeira are "improving." That's in stark contrast to Buster Olney's piece on ESPN.com, who quotes rival executives that believe the Rangers' asking price on Teixeira is coming down.

Finally, MLB.com's Jim Molony published an article earlier today, which stated that according to multiple major league sources, trade talks involving Teixeira have "intensified" in the last 24 hours. Personally, I believe the chances of Teixeira being dealt are rapidly ballooning; this will probably go down to the wire, but I wouldn't be real surprised if we saw a deal commence in the next 48 to 72 hours.

1:40 AM Update: According to an article released in the last couple of hours by MLB.com's Mark Bowman, the Atlanta Braves have emerged as the favorites to land Teixeira. A Major League scout confirmed that a deal was in the works, and that Saltalamacchia would "almost definitely" be included, as well as possibly pitching prospect Jo-Jo Reyes and phenom shortstop prospect, Elvis Andrus. The fireworks are about to begin, folks.

The DMN's Evan Grant has the latest edition of his "Inside the Rangers" newsletter out, which is always worth checking out. He provides a brief rundown of who he thinks will get dealt before the deadline (a list which includes Teixeira, Kenny Lofton, Sammy Sosa, Brad Wilkerson, and Joaquin Benoit), as well as his usual excellent Q&A segment. There's also a great question concerning Eric Gagne, which I may touch on further tomorrow.

Ian Kinsler's rehab assignment schedule has been set, with the plan being for him to report to Triple-A Oklahoma on Friday, and begin playing a string of four rehab games for the Redhawks. If everything goes as planned, the Rangers hope to activate him on July 31st in Cleveland.

Vicente Padilla's rehab start for Double-A Frisco went well on Tuesday, as he retired five out of the six batters he faced during his 30 pitches of work. His fastball topped out at 95 MPH, which is certainly an encouraging sign. He'll likely throw again on Friday.

Jon Daniels said on Tuesday that Aki Otsuka will likely not be activated from the disabled list before the 3:00 PM trade deadline next Tuesday, which is a fairly significant development. Like I've said before though, this is probably for the best.

Triple-A Oklahoma right-hander Edinson Volquez pitched six strong innings tonight in a 6-1 win over Portland, allowing just one run on two hits and three walks while striking out eight. Oh, and some guy named Nelson Cruz went 2 for 4 with a HR, bringing his batting line in AAA this year to .340/.420/.653 in 150 AB.

The Rangers will look to finish off a four game sweep of the Mariners on Wednesday night, with Miguel Batista and Brandon McCarthy squaring off.

Let's keep those good times rollin', boys.

Wednesday, July 25th Game Preview

Seattle Mariners (54-44) at Texas Rangers (45-56)

Miguel Batista (10-7, 4.32 ERA) vs. Brandon McCarthy (4-7, 5.53 ERA)

7:35 PM CST in Arlington, Texas (Rangers Ballpark in Arlington)

TV: FSNSW | Radio: KRLD 1080 AM

Rangers Survive Late Scare With 8-7 Win

For one night in Arlington, Sammy Sosa was hitting like he was back in the glory days.

And Eric Gagne was human.

Sosa went 2 for 4 with a two run double and a three run HR, and the Rangers survived a late comeback by the Mariners to hold on for an 8-7 win on Monday night.

Sosa showed he could still be a capable lefty masher against Seattle left-hander Horacio Ramirez, with his two run double in the bottom of the 3rd inning giving Texas a 3-2 lead. In the bottom of the 5th, Sammy delivered yet again with a line drive blast into the left field seats that put the Rangers up for good at 6-3.

Sosa's updated batting line against LHP this year now sits at an impressive .338/.438/.622 in 74 AB - that certainly can't be bad for his trade value, however limited it might be.

Brad Wilkerson stepped in three batters later versus Ramirez, and clubbed a two run line drive home run that barely cleared the left center field wall. Exit stage left, Horacio.

Kevin Millwood was not at his best, loading the bases in the top of the 1st inning and then giving up a two run single to Jose Guillen with nobody out. After another single at the hands of Adrian Beltre to reload the bases, Millwood managed to strike out Richie Sexson, and induced a huge inning ending double play from Kenji Johjima to escape trouble.

He was passable the rest of the way, and was removed after just 5.1 innings, having surrendered eight hits and four walks during a 115-pitch outing. Ron Mahay allowed an inherited runner to score in the top of the 6th inning, adding a 4th earned run to Millwood's ledger for the night.

Mahay and Frankie Francisco combined for 2.2 innings of shutout baseball, bringing Texas to the 9th inning with an 8-4 lead. Ron Washington called on Eric Gagne to pitch in a non-save situation, and the results were not pretty, to say the least.

Gagne gave up a single-double-home run-single to begin the 9th inning, hanging several pitches down the middle of the plate. After a fielder's choice force-out at second base, Ben Broussard stepped in with a man on first and one out. Ichiro waited on-deck, having already gone 2 for 5 on the night. With Gagne's shaky pitching, disaster seemed imminent.

Broussard hit a scorching line drive to right field, but right at Marlon Byrd, who then loaded up and fired a strike to Mark Teixeira at first base to catch the napping pinch runner Willie Bloomquist; he had started running towards second at the crack of the bat. Incredible finish, and it only further cements "Byrdman's" place in my heart.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram blog notes that Gagne entered tonight's game with a 1.48 ERA and left with a 2.30 ERA, and the three runs he allowed were the most he's allowed since a four run outing on August 18th, 2004. Gagne had this to say after the game concerning his performance:

"It should be the same, it's a major-league game. Get people out," Gagne said. "I didn't do my job today, I went out there and I wasn't focused enough and I wasn't making my pitches. There's no excuse, you've got to execute."

T.R. Sullivan wrote earlier tonight about Robinson Tejeda's demotion to AAA, saying that the Rangers are adamant about Tejeda making some adjustments and straightening out his problems before getting another look at the major league level. Ron Washington, in particular, doesn't seem too pleased with Tejeda's regression:

"It's all going to depend on Tejeda and how he goes down and does what he has to do," Washington said. "We want him to get into a program where he can be consistent with his delivery. He has to make sure he incorporates just one delivery instead of all those different ones that are causing his ball to scatter all over the place."

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News includes some more frightening statistics concerning Tejeda:

Among the 112 pitchers to start at least 12 games since May 1, Tejeda's 7.93 ERA is highest over that span. His 51 walks since May 1 are tied with Arizona's Doug Davis for the most in the majors.

Grant also notes that the Rangers are uncertain about what to do with the fifth spot in the rotation going forward, and that John Rheinecker could become the leading candidate for the spot with a strong start on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Sullivan thinks Texas could take a look at Mike Wood, Edinson Volquez or even Eric Hurley before the season's over. With this sudden jolt of instability to the starting rotation, I wonder if this doesn't slightly lessen the chances of Jamey Wright being dealt.

Aki Otsuka experienced no setbacks during an outfield throwing session on Monday, and is expected to throw again Wednesday. Texas hopes to send him on a brief rehab assignment on Friday or Saturday, which would give the Rangers a chance to activate him before the July 31st deadline. Bleah to that.

The trade winds blowing through Arlington seem to be stronger than Buster Olney thinks; Sullivan noted earlier tonight that trade interest in Mark Teixeira has picked up considerably, while Grant believes Texas may be able to get the most value by packaging several players together, such as Tex and Joaquin Benoit. This is shaping up to be a very entertaining week; let's pray Jon Daniels doesn't blow it.

Continuing with the T.R. Sullivan extravaganza, he has a new mailbag out tonight with questions ranging from when the next possible All-Star Game in Arlington might be, to concerns about C.J. Wilson's control issues. There's also a variety of fan-proposed trades, including the following:

Mark Teixeira for Erik Bedard and Nick Markakis. Yeah, I guess Daniels could call that one in to Orioles GM Mike Flanagan - if he wants to get hung up on, that is. An ace-caliber lefty, as well as a young, cheap and productive corner outfielder for Tex? Dream on.

Mark Teixeira for Andrew Miller and Magglio Ordonez or Brandon Inge. First of all, what are the chances of Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski trading Ordonez, who's in the midst of an MVP-caliber season? The answer is zero. Secondly, Brandon Inge is not much better, if any, than Hank Blalock at third base offensively, and does not fill a need for the Rangers. But hey, Andrew Miller's pretty good.

Mark Teixeira and Edinson Volquez for Tom Gorzelanny. I'm beginning to wonder if some Ranger fans understand the concept of "trades." You see, for a trade to be completed, both teams have to approve of it.

Sullivan also includes an intriguing throw-away line at the end of his column, saying that the Rangers have considered converting Vicente Padilla to a closer during "internal discussions." Very interesting, and certainly the first that we've heard of this.

And finally, Ron Washington does not seem to be a big fan of doubleheaders:

"I hate 'em," Washington said. "I hate 'em. I hate 'em. I hated them as a player, I hated them as a coach and I hate them as a manager. I hate them. Especially as a player because I'd go 0-for-10."

Hopefully this quote never reaches the ears of Ernie Banks.

Tuesday, July 24th Game 1 Preview

Seattle Mariners (54-42) at Texas Rangers (43-56)

R. Feierabend (1-3, 9.31 ERA) vs. J. Rheinecker (0-0, 12.00 ERA)

4:05 PM CST in Arlington, Texas (Rangers Ballpark in Arlington)

TV: FSNSW | Radio: KRLD 1080 AM

Tuesday, July 24th Game 2 Preview

Seattle Mariners (54-42) at Texas Rangers (43-56)

J. Washburn (8-7, 4.02 ERA) vs. K. Loe (5-8, 5.69 ERA)

7:35 PM CST* in Arlington, Texas (Rangers Ballpark in Arlington)

TV: KDFI/My27 | Radio: KRLD 1080 AM

* According to the Dallas Morning News, Game 2 of the doubleheader will begin approximately 30 minutes after Game 1's completion. So if it's one of those two hour long affairs, we could be looking at a much earlier start time than 7:35.

NEWSFLASH: Tejeda Optioned, Rheinecker Recalled

Well, that didn't take long.

Per the Dallas Morning News, the Rangers have optioned right-hander Robinson Tejeda to Triple-A Oklahoma, and have recalled left-hander John Rheinecker, who will start Game 1 of Tuesday's doubleheader versus Seattle.

Despite making 19 starts this season, Tejeda has pitched just 95.1 innings this year, which is short of the 98 innings required to qualify for the league leaderboards. If you pretend that 95.1 IP is enough to qualify, however, you'll find that Tejeda's 6.61 ERA is good for dead last in all of baseball, with Ervin Santana's 6.22 ERA coming in one spot ahead of him at #89.

Also on the bottom 10 list: Kameron Loe (who does barely qualify with 104.1 IP, but has a 5.69 ERA), Kip Wells (5.75 ERA) and Adam Eaton (5.84 ERA).

A few other fun statistical facts: Tejeda's WHIP ratio is 1.78 on the year, and if you again pretend that he has enough innings pitched to qualify, you'll find he's also dead last in all of baseball in this department, as well. In addition, Tejeda's 60 walks allowed is good for 3rd in the AL and 5th in MLB, but in much fewer innings than those in front of him.

Oddly enough, another ex-Ranger pops up one spot above Tejeda in the WHIP category, with Arizona's Doug Davis allowing a horrid 1.71 walks and hits per inning this year. Of course, he also has a 4.13 ERA, which would seem to indicate he's getting extremely lucky on the mound. Perhaps he should start buying lottery tickets.

In the meantime, John Rheinecker has pitched well lately in Oklahoma, putting up a 2.28 ERA in his last four starts for the Redhawks. Barring a truly amazing performance by Rheinecker on Tuesday, he'll be back in AAA come Wednesday morning.

Tejeda's Struggles Continue In 8-3 Rangers Loss

Sigh. What a disappointing series.

Robinson Tejeda's struggles continued on Sunday, as he surrendered five runs (three earned) in just five innings on five hits and five walks. After escaping a bases loaded jam in the 1st inning, Tejeda pitched solid through the next two innings, but a two out, two run RBI single in the 4th inning put the Rangers in a 2-0 hole.

The wheels completely fell off for Tejeda in his final inning of work, as he led off the 5th inning with a double, wild pitch and RBI single. Robinson managed to retire Travis Hafner and Trot Nixon, but gave up yet another two out, two run RBI single to put Texas down 5-0.

Tejeda now has a 6.61 ERA and 1.78 WHIP in 95.1 IP this year, and he's not really showing any signs of getting back on track. It's hard to believe this is the same pitcher who threw seven dominant innings in the Rangers' 2007 home opener. Since Texas won't need a fifth starter until August 4th due to the way their off-days are scheduled, it appears Tejeda will likely be optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma in the hopes of getting him straightened out.

Offensively, only Marlon Byrd did anything of particular note, going 3 for 4 with a triple. Although Byrd isn't really considered as a defensive wizard in center field, I have to wonder if the Rangers aren't considering him as a major option for the center field job in '08. He's still playing a bit over his head, I think, but the fact remains that Byrd is hitting .355/.404/.516 after nearly a third of a season, and it's starting to appear more and more likely that this is for real.

He'd certainly come cheaper than Torii Hunter, who's two years older than Byrd and will likely command something in the range of five years, $70 million this off-season. The rest of the free agent center field crop includes Eric Byrnes (who wants 5 years, $45-50 million and isn't that great), Andruw Jones (who's having a miserable season), Corey Patterson (who can't hit), Aaron Rowand (another likely overpay) and Kenny Lofton, among a few others.

Gerald Laird will not play in tonight's game against Seattle, but he hopes to return for the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader, after being hit on the left hand by a Paul Byrd fastball on Sunday. Very lucky break (no pun intended) for the Rangers, because it certainly appeared to be more serious than merely a bruise when it happened.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Gil LeBreton has a nice piece out today, touching on the accusations from rival executives that Jon Daniels is overvaluing his players.

Lone Star Ball's Adam Morris has some chat highlights from ESPN Insider's Buster Olney, which don't seem to paint a particularly optimistic picture for the Rangers as we approach the trade deadline. Entering a "Teixeira must be traded at all costs" state of mind is one of the worst things Daniels could do right now, and hopefully Olney is off-base with his remarks.

And finally, condolences to the family of Tulsa Drillers first-base coach Mike Coolbaugh, who was killed on Sunday in the 9th inning of a Texas League game by a line drive that struck him in the head. The 35-year-old Coolbaugh played professional baseball for 16 years as a member of nine different organizations, including a one-year stint in the Rangers' minor league system.

Coolbaugh's brother, Scott, is the hitting instructor at Double-A Frisco. Mike is survived by his wife, Mandy, and his two sons, with a third child due in October. Very tragic situation all the way around, and especially so for Tino Sanchez, who hit the fatal line drive. Rest in peace, Mike.

Monday, July 23rd Game Preview

Seattle Mariners (54-41) at Texas Rangers (42-56)

Horacio Ramirez (5-2, 5.89 ERA) vs. Kevin Millwood (6-8, 5.50 ERA)

7:35 PM CST in Arlington, Texas (Rangers Ballpark in Arlington)

TV: FSNSW | Radio: KRLD 1080 AM

NEWSFLASH: Laird Exits Game After HBP

During the bottom of the 2nd inning of tonight's Indians/Rangers game, Cleveland right-hander Paul Byrd hit Gerald Laird on what appeared to be either his left hand or wrist. Laird went down immediately, screaming in pain and rolling around on the ground. Trainer Jamie Reed came out to help him off the field; Gerald stumbled as he headed towards the dugout, a result of what I can only imagine as a tremendous amount of pain.

Needless to say, Laird's likely out for at least six weeks, and will probably miss the remainder of the season. There's no doubt that his freak injury (torn ligament in left thumb) on May 20th, 2004 has had a serious negative impact on his major league career; by the time he was activated on July 24th, Rod Barajas was firmly entrenched as the Rangers starting catcher, and would remain so through the end of 2006.

To be sure, Gerald hasn't had a real great season thus far at the plate, batting .233/.291/.349 in 275 AB. But Laird was in the midst of a five-game hitting streak coming into tonight's game, and finally seemed to be in a bit of a groove at the plate. Bye-bye to that.

I know that neither this or the Sosa beanball were intentional, but that doesn't mean I'm not seething anyway.

UPDATE: Victor Rojas just reported on KRLD that X-rays came back negative, and that it's merely a bruise.

Judging by Laird's reaction after the HBP, this is nothing short of a miracle. It may still be a few days before he returns to the lineup, though.

Rangers Suffer Heartbreaking 3-2 Loss

Ordinarily, this is where I recap each night's Rangers game. But I don't have the heart to do it tonight.

Texas was just one swing away from completing a miracle rally in the bottom of the 9th inning, against perhaps the worst closer in baseball, Joe Borowski. But Brad Wilkerson couldn't finish the job, executing one of his patented game-ending strikeouts instead.

What a gut-wrenching loss.

Vicente Padilla will throw a bullpen session on Saturday, and will pitch a two-inning game at Frisco on Tuesday if everything goes well. Pitching coach Mark Connor says he'll be using a modified version of a spring training schedule with Padilla:

"I think if we can get him through a couple of starts with no problems, then we can bump the pitch count up a little quicker than we could in Spring Training," Connor said. "He threw real well yesterday. No problem with that. It's just the sitting down and getting up process [during a game].

I'm still concerned that Padilla will suffer some kind of setback sooner than later, but this is encouraging news at least.

Ian Kinsler had a CT scan on his left foot on Friday, and the results seem to indicate he's still on schedule to return to the team in about a week.

Despite Robinson Tejeda's struggles in the rotation, manager Ron Washington is sticking with Tejeda - for now:

"We haven't stopped giving him the ball and until we stop giving him the ball, we're going to wait until he gets his act together," Washington said. "We're hoping and praying that something clicks. Every time you go out there, you're pitching for a spot on this rotation."

If Padilla does make a healthy return to the rotation, the Rangers will have two options: either trade Jamey Wright, or option Tejeda to AAA. Wright's recent run of four consecutive "good" starts will probably have some team interested at the trade deadline; he likely won't fetch much, but resigning Wright based on a few nice starts would be a huge mistake.

Case in point: Wright was 5-3 with a 3.84 ERA through his first nine starts last season with the Giants. He finished with a 6-10 record and 5.19 ERA.

And finally, the DMN's Evan Grant has some fairly major news concerning the trade commodities in the Rangers bullpen:

According to a major league source, the Rangers are "strongly leaning against" trading Gagne before the July 31 trading deadline. They are more likely to pursue a contract extension that could keep him here for at least two years.

Grant believes this vastly increases the chances of Joaquin Benoit being dealt; I'm not sure I'm in love with that idea, but if his trade value has increased as much as the local media is saying it has, I'm certainly interested. As I've said before, signing Gagne to a multi-year contract extension is a very risky proposition due to his lengthy injury history. Jon Daniels better do his homework before making a decision here one way or the other, lest we end up with another Jeff Zimmerman on our hands.

Michael Young will return to the Rangers for Saturday's game, after spending the last two days in Los Angeles attending the funeral of his wife's grandmother.

Texas really needs Young back. And for that matter, they really need a win too.

Saturday, July 21st Game Preview

Cleveland Indians (57-39) at Texas Rangers (41-55)

Cliff Lee (5-6, 5.67 ERA) vs. Jamey Wright (3-2, 4.31 ERA)

7:35 PM CST in Arlington, Texas (Rangers Ballpark in Arlington)

TV: KDFI/My27 | Radio: KRLD 1080 AM