2023 Texas Rangers

HornHuskerDad said:
First moves announced by Rangers - Heaney opts in for $13M to stay with Rangers, and World Series champs exercise option for Leclerc (yahoo.com). Looks like Heaney and Leclerc are in for next season. Haven't seen any indication on other moves yet.
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Probably for the best. Leclerc is questionable as he seems to lose an mph or two every year, so he needs to learn how to pitch without a commanding fastball.

If you get a chance read Evan Grant's article in today's DMN. Davis and Co. are going to have to reinvest and that gets costly with every penny spent.
 
ViperHorn said:
If you get a chance read Evan Grant's article in today's DMN. Davis and Co. are going to have to reinvest and that gets costly with every penny spent.
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It was a good article, Viper. It will indeed cost money to stay at the top. IMO, the Rangers will have money - I bet season ticket sales for next season will increase by a significant amount. And as the Rangers see some of their minor league prospects make it to the big club, they will be playing for the big league minimum (see, for example, Josh Jung, and Evan Carter) - and that will free some money for the Free Agents they need. Hopefully the Rangers will start to see some of their minor league pitchers make it to the majors - that's always been the big failing of the minor league system.
 
I was glad to see both Heaney and LeClerc return. They were important pieces of the puzzle, and we'll need them again. However, I'm not sure about LeClerc closing. If we get a chance to add someone else, I'd do it.

Speaking of closing, the idea of trying deGrom in a bullpen role when he returns is intriguing. When John Smoltz had Tommy John surgery, he turned into a closer and was nasty as hell. When healthy, deGrom is even nastier than Smoltz was. If he could hold up for 1 - 2 innings every 2 days better than 6+ innings every fifth day, he could be absolutely brutal in the pen. It might be worth a try. He sure as hell can't start regularly - hasn't done a full season of that since 2019.

Honestly, I'm still baffled that they gave him that contract. Massively high-risk.
 
HornHuskerDad said:
Okay, folks - the Rangers won the World Series. The parade was a huge success. The trophy is in the trophy case. Now it's time to look toward next year. Here's the list of Ranger Free Agents: Chapman, Garver, Grossman, Heaney, Hedges, Jankowski, Miller, Montgomery, Odorizzi, Perez, Smith, Stratton. Everyone else on the roster is either under contract, eligible for arbitration, or under team control.

Here's my opinion:
1. Montgomery is a must-sign - he needs to be a key starting pitcher for next season.
2. Garver - sign him if his eyes don't get too big for salary expectations.
3. Heaney - ditto.
4. Grossman/Jankowski - would be nice at the right price, but subject to seeing if a rising star from AAA can take a position.
5. Odorizzi - should be pretty easy to sign, since he missed the entire season and had injury issues. Other teams won't make a big offer.
6. Perez - undecided on this one. He won't command a big contract from another team, but I question whether he has anything left in his tank for another season.

Key names from other teams in Free Agency:
1. Ohtani (Angels) - should the Rangers go after him? NO! He won't be able to pitch for another year, only DH - and he will command top dollar from the Angels or the Dodgers.
2. Blake Snell (Padres) - Very good SP, but will be in high demand, and thus will be expensive.
3. Josh Hader - best RP available and still pretty young. Would solidify the bullpen as closer.
4. Sonny Gray - very good starter, no insight into the level of demand for him.

Keep in mind there is an Exclusive Free Agency period for the rist five days after the World Series. During that window only the current team can make an offer to a Free Agent. I sincerely hope the Rangers are already talking with Montgomery.

We should see some indications by early next week.

Only 112 days until Pitchers and Catchers report to Spring Training!
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You don't want Chapman back?
 
guy4321 said:
You don't want Chapman back?
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Very risky. I'm not sure how much he has left in the tank. He is erratic - send him out one game and he blows the batters away, the next game he can't find the strike zone. Worrisome to try to use him on consecutive days.
The plus - he will be affordable, and he can still hit 100+ with his fastball.
Guess we'll have to wait and see on this one.
 
I am fine with the Russian roulette that is Aroldis Chapman so long as the price is really right. He can still throw a ball through a wall and there is a place for that on any team. Just need to be prepared for the heart attack moments that come with him and the high risk/high reward he is.
 
Chapman worries me too. He may not throw 105 anymore, but he can still throw 98 - 102. Plenty of gas. What's a bit weird about him is that his walks are up as he has aged. That is unusual. He has less control and command of his pitches than he used to have, which is driving his walks up. Maybe our coacing can help straighten him out, but I wouldn't want to keep him if unless they can do so for fairly cheap.
 
Semien and Seager are two of the three finalists for AL MVP but hard to see either of them beating Ohtani who is the third finalist. How in the world can the Angels have Ohtani and Trout and be that bad for that long. Its almost aggy like in their futility.
 
Semian and Seager had great seasons, but Ohtani had one of the greatest seasons in the history of professional sports. He gave an MVP-caliber season at the plate and was a Cy Young-caliber starting pitcher for 23 starts. Nobody else should even be seriously considered.
 
Mr. Deez said:
Semian and Seager had great seasons, but Ohtani had one of the greatest seasons in the history of professional sports.
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Good summary. I can't see Seager beating out Ohtani, either. And it shouldn't be close.
BTW - I seriously hope the Rangers stay out of the Ohtani Free Agent sweepstakes. There are many other places money can be spent to position the Rangers for next year (and maybe even the start of a dynasty!).
 
HornHuskerDad said:
Good summary. I can't see Seager beating out Ohtani, either. And it shouldn't be close.
BTW - I seriously hope the Rangers stay out of the Ohtani Free Agent sweepstakes. There are many other places money can be spent to position the Rangers for next year (and maybe even the start of a dynasty!).
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His salary is going to be insane, and I understand that. He's ridiculously good, but I agree. We just don't need an impact player like that in our lineup. If we're going to throw a bunch of money at somebody, I'd want it to be a starting pitcher or closer.
 
Horn2RunAgain said:
Listening to Nadel's call of the final out, which was replayed several times on the 105.3 post game, was really cool. I remember him calling the dallas Blackhawks games in the late 70s, and the fw Texans for a year thinking this guy is something special as a play by play guy. Paying homage to Mark Holtz, saying he wished mark could see this day was a nice touch

Sandler and Nadel were very emotional. Us long time ranger fans knew exactly how they felt
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Eric is special, for sure!

What you might not know is that Eric taught himself to speak Spanish so he could do broadcasts on Spanish language radio. He tells some pretty funny stories about it, too.

Back when he was the PBP guy for the Blackhawks, he used to come out drinking with the fans and players after the games at a North Dallas bar called the Mad Hatter. They played oldies music, and we’d all stand around and drink and try to be the first one to name the song and the artist. And we’d quiz each other with trivia. One night, Eric just about put everybody else away when he asked the question, Where was Lassie born? We were making all kinds of guesses like Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Miami, and so forth, and he just slayed us when he answered, Colleyville!
 
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HornHuskerDad said:
Very risky. I'm not sure how much he has left in the tank. He is erratic - send him out one game and he blows the batters away, the next game he can't find the strike zone. Worrisome to try to use him on consecutive days.
The plus - he will be affordable, and he can still hit 100+ with his fastball.
Guess we'll have to wait and see on this one.
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Chapman's WHIP (walks and hits per inning) was 1.27. The ONLY returning bullpen pitcher with a lower hits per 9 inning ratio was LeClerc. Chapman may walk batters but given a choice I'd rather give up a walk than a base hit.

That's his value. He also gives up fewer HRs per nine than anyone but Leclerc in the pen.

As the mlbtv guys said over and over again, when it comes to a bullpen arm "it's still a game of swing and miss ability" (because of men on base when they come in). Chapman K'd 16 batters per 9 inning. (!) The Rangers would be out of their mind to let him go, even at an inflated price. Guys like him don't grow on trees and you can't find a Chapman on every roster.
 
The Angels have hired Ron Washington as their manager. I still think he was a great manager who got the most out of his players. It wouldn't surprise me if they get tougher this year even with Shohei gone.
 
Bruce Bochy comes up short in manager of the year losing to the Baltimore manager. The vote was taken before the playoffs and given Baltimore won the AL East and was a 100 loss team just like the Rangers a couple years ago it’s not hard to see why the Baltimore manager won. Bochy of course gets the last laugh as he gets his fourth World Series ring.
 
Mr. Deez said:
The Angels have hired Ron Washington as their manager. I still think he was a great manager who got the most out of his players. It wouldn't surprise me if they get tougher this year even with Shohei gone.
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Interesting that Ron hasn't been a head coach since 2014.
 
I will hold judgment until Spring Training as who knows what their roster will look like after the free agency period.
 
HornHuskerDad said:
He will have an uphill battle with the Angels. Trout is always injured, and Ohtani will be gone in Free Agency. The Angles' cupboard is bare - and their farm system hasn't produced.
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The Angels are the LA Clippers of baseball. They play in a big market that should be easy for them to succeed in. Yes, they have to share it with the Dodgers, but Orange and Riverside Counties are mostly their market, which is still a hell of a lot of people. Despite a few periods of success, they have mostly sucked.

They do try. They usually have a decent payroll and often hire competent managers. Mike Scioscia was excellent. I don't think Phil Nevin was bad. However, their system has been poor at producing players for the last 20+ years. Yes, Trout is a legend, but he's about the only significant player their system has produced for them in several years (though Nolan Schanuel, Zach Neto, and Reid Detmers are showing some promise).

They've also had bad luck with big contracts. Trout is costing them a lot more than he's producing. Anthony Rendon has been a dumpster fire. And the problem has gone back a long time. Albert Pujols never produced like he did in St. Louis. They threw money at Josh Hamilton, CJ Wilson, and Ian Kinsler too - mostly a waste. It goes back even further to the Mo Vaught debacle. It's just a troubled organization.

Wash will have an uphill battle, but I do think he's a step in the right direction for them.
 
Very quiet on the Free Agent market. Would love to see some signs that the Rangers are working the free agents to put together another title team for next season - namely SP, closer, and DH/backup catcher. I suppose they could always work trades to fill some of those needs.
 
I wouldn't mind seeing them go after Craig Kimbrel if he doesn't expect too long term of a deal. He's in his mid-30s, but he's still dominant and pretty durable. And it would be nice to have a veteran leader in the bullpen.
 
Ohtani wins MVP unanimously with Seager and Semien finishing second and third. Ohtani's season was extraordinary so him winning and winning unanimously isn't remotely a shock. Rangers appear to be quietly in his top 2 or 3 choices and the lack of any talk from Arlington which is how Ohtani wants his wooing to be is indicative that Texas may well be making a strong run at him. I still think he ends up with the Dodgers but can you imagine the Ranger lineup if he was in it, Holy Cow.
 
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