Texas Rangers 2017 Thread

The Lucroy trade was a salary dump - just to make way for Brett to come to the Rangers and back up Chirinos. The PTBNL probably won't be a big deal.

HOWEVER - speaking of big deals, it's now two hours until Zero Hour for the non-waiver trading deadline, and we still haven't heard anything on the Yu status. I've got to believe JD is furiously working the phones. Probably won't come down until five minutes before the deadline.
 
Yu to the Dodgers announced a few minutes after the deadline. I hate it, but it had to be done. No word yet on what player(s) from the Dodgers.
 
Decent return. Not spectacular but pretty decent. I like Calhoun's numbers at AAA. AJ Alexy has good stuff but is young and inexperienced. The other guy is a toss-in.
 
"Rangers right-hander Yu Darvish was traded to the Dodgers, a source tells MLB.com's Jon Paul Morosi. Neither team has confirmed the deal.

Morosi reported that second baseman/outfielder Willie Calhoun, who is the Dodgers' No. 4-ranked prospect according to MLBPipeline.com, right-hander A.J. Alexy (No. 17) and infielder Brendon Davis (No. 27) were sent to Texas."

Disappointing that JD was not able to bring in the Dodgers' top prospects, but it sounds like he did the best he could - and those three beat getting a compensatory pick if Darvish were to hit Free Agency with the Rangers -

"Among players considered to be on the trade market this month, none of them was affected by the new qualifying rules as much as Darvish, who is set to hit free agency this winter. In the past, when a team lost a player who rejected a qualifying offer, it received a first-round pick as compensation. Under the new QO rules set forth in the Collective Bargaining Agreement that was ratified over the winter, only teams that receive revenue sharing can receive a first-round compensation pick when a free agent rejects a QO to sign elsewhere. According to Morosi, the Rangers are not on the list of 16 clubs that will receive revenue sharing, which isn't surprising given the size of their market.

As a result, the best the Rangers could have done in terms of Draft-pick compensation if Darvish rejected a qualifying offer and left at the end of the season was a comp pick before the third round (likely in the 70s). In other words, the incentive was there for the Rangers to make a trade as the package of Calhoun, Alexy and Davis is far more valuable than a pick in that range. "

Source for the quotes cited here - http://m.rangers.mlb.com/news/article/245562418/dodgers-acquire-yu-darvish-from-rangers/.
 
I don't like the QO rule. It greatly weakens the position of teams that can't re-sign expensive players.

HornHuskerDad said:
Disappointing that JD was not able to bring in the Dodgers' top prospects, but it sounds like he did the best he could - and those three beat getting a compensatory pick if Darvish were to hit Free Agency with the Rangers -
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Gotta keep in mind that Darvish is a 2-3 month rental. That's going to hurt his value significantly. It also doesn't help that, as talented as he is, he's not an elite starter. He can blow guys away when he's on, but he's not consistent and rarely pitches deep into games. A guy like that isn't going to command elite prospects.
 
JD got the minor league types that I wanted, but failed to get the 3-4 starter in the package that he probably could have gotten before the season went downhill for Yu. Maybe the change of clubs will provide a jolt for Yu, and he will become a consistent pitcher. Will be interesting to see where he goes at the end of the season and how much he gets.
 
ViperHorn said:
JD got the minor league types that I wanted, but failed to get the 3-4 starter in the package that he probably could have gotten before the season went downhill for Yu. Maybe the change of clubs will provide a jolt for Yu, and he will become a consistent pitcher. Will be interesting to see where he goes at the end of the season and how much he gets.
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Somebody will pay him a lot. If he's a beast download the stretch, it could be the Dodgers. If he flops or is mediocre, then I could see the Yankees, Giants, or Nationals throwing money at him.
 
^And I wouldn't count the Rangers out on Yu as a Free Agent. IMO, the Rangers may be willing to pay Yu market value - the sticking point would be the length of the contract. It's difficult to offer a pitcher a guaranteed contract that would take him past age 36 or 37. The Rangers might pay for five years, possibly adding a buyout option for an additional year, but I can't see anything longer than that. Guess we'll see in the off-season.
 
I don't know HHD. Yes going into next season with basically 1 real SP is not where you want to be, but we will need to see what is out there. Ross should be let go, but if Cashner, Griffth and Bibens-Dirkx have strong finishes, at least 2 can fill the back end of the rotation. Paying the money it will take for YU (basically a 0.500 pitcher that cannot be counted on) might be better spent on a solid controllable number 2 starter.
 
The Rangers have Hamels, Perez and Cashner to fill 3 of 5 SP roles next year. Bibens Dirkx is fun story but there is a reason he is a 32 year old rookie and I dont see him as an option into next year. I agree that Ross needs to be let go. Griffin is a fourth option but he is constantly finding new and interesting ways to get injured. Nick Martinez keeps getting chances to grab a place in the rotation and keeps farting them away. So that leaves at least one and really 2 SP positions to be filled. Its not illogical to suggest that instead of spending 30M on Darvish the Rangers take that money and get two mid level SP's to fill in rotation.
 
FWHORN said:
mid level SP's to fill in rotation
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Totally agree.

Also there is something wrong with the pitching and hitting coaches. The pitchers at times seem to be totally clueless on what they are supposed to be doing. Hitting against good opposing pitching has been an issue all year. Issue is the constant non-hitting. They hit well at times mid-May until the All-Star game, but before and after has been real ugly. Also, rookie pitchers seemingly have an easy time against the Rangers.

This week the fielding has fallen apart due to a lack of concentration, but I write that off to the circus surrounding Beltre and the realization that this team isn't going anywhere.
 
ViperHorn said:
Totally agree.

Also there is something wrong with the pitching and hitting coaches. The pitchers at times seem to be totally clueless on what they are supposed to be doing. Hitting against good opposing pitching has been an issue all year. Issue is the constant non-hitting. They hit well at times mid-May until the All-Star game, but before and after has been real ugly. Also, rookie pitchers seemingly have an easy time against the Rangers.

This week the fielding has fallen apart due to a lack of concentration, but I write that off to the circus surrounding Beltre and the realization that this team isn't going anywhere.
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We're in a bit of a warm-like-piss situation. We've gone from being a great team to a mediocre team. We have plenty of power (second in HRs) and can steal bases pretty well, but we strike out in bunches and other than Choo and Beltre, nobody can draw a walk to save their lives. That means extreme inconsistency and complete offensive shutdowns against tough pitchers.

The pitching has had injury problems but has mostly just underperformed. Nine different pitchers have started games for us this year. That's not good. I also wish our starters struck more guys out. Other than Darvish, the rotation basically gets kicked around and gets itself in and out of trouble.

And our bullpen was decimated. Dyson, Diekman, Barnette, and Scheppers all should have been impact arms in our bullpen. We got crap (or less) from all four.
 
Gallo hit number 28 last night, another gargantuan shot, and has a hitters chance of getting 40 home runs this season needing just 12 more in the last 55 games. At his current pace of 1 every four or so games he can get there. He sits right at the Mendoza line in average and needs to get that number up but his home run capability makes every at bat exciting and provides at least something to watch for in an otherwise dreary end of this year.
 
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FWHORN said:
Gallo hit number 28 last night, another gargantuan shot, and has a hitters chance of getting 40 home runs this season needing just 12 more in the last 55 games. At his current pace of 1 every four or so games he can get there. He sits right at the Mendoza line in average and needs to get that number up but his home run capability makes every at bat exciting and provides at least something to watch for in an otherwise dreary end of this year.
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I'm negative about a lot, but Gallo is an exception. He's gotta cut the strike outs down, but after being rushed the previous two years, he is getting better as a hitter. And the power? It's like nothing I've ever seen from a hitter who wasn't on roids. Even when he doesn't make the best contact, he can still hit it out, and when he does make solid contact, he can hit it to Greenland.
 
^Totally agree, Mr. Deez. We have seen some maturity at the plate from Gallo this year - he has learned the zone a lot better and can take a walk. He is now apparently learning that he can still hit with tremendous power when he takes the pitch back up the middle. And when he does get a fat one he can pull, he is capable of hitting some 480+ foot moon shots. In BP this week, he put one on the roof of the HR Porch at The Ballpark - and that is quite a feat. IMO, we can have a realistic expectation of Gallo - he is not going to become a .300 hitter, but if he can cut down the swing on a 2-strike count and put the ball in play, he is potentially capable of hitting .260-.270. Add to that 40+ homers and 110+ RBI and we'd have to call that a great success. The Rangers need to settle one more issue with Gallo - what defensive position is he going to play long-term. If Beltre sticks around a couple or three more years, it may be better to make Joey the full-time 1B.

Thoughts?
 
He hit number 29 last night and it was another moon shot. My take is that Gallo needs to be slotted at first for at least next two season because Beltre isn't going anywhere. Maybe some left field but get the man a first base glove and keep him there to solidify that position. If he can hit .250 and have 40/100 no one will complain about the K's.
 
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^Agree, FWHORN. 100-110 RBI would be great for Gallo - of course, that means that the guys hitting ahead of him in the order need to get on base so he can drive them in. It would be hard to get a lot of RBI when many of the homers are solo shots - need some three-run homers and the occasional grand slam to run up the RBI total.

Years ago a lot was made of the Earl Weaver philosophy with the Orioles - "pitching, defense, and the three-run homer" - and in order to get a three-run homer, you have to get two men on base ahead of the homer. Getting singles and taking walks are not bad practices.
 
Beltre is on record saying he does not wan to be around on a rebuilding team so third for Gallo is still on the table. Either first or third, FW is correct - put him somewhere and leave him there. I would be shocked if he ever hits above .240-.250, but rbi's are what counts.
 
Gallo started at first last night in NY and hit number 31. Beltre has said he doesnt want to be on a rebuilding team but frankly the Rangers could still be good next year with a young line up that has power if they can firm up their pitching, which I readily admit is far easier said then done. Add to that, how many takers will there really be for a man Beltre's age and I dont see him going anywhere.
 
While I agree with FW on Beltre, you never know in today's game. In all likelihood there will be at least one team who would take him and give him very crazy money at the next contract renewal.
 
Gallo hit number 32 today making it 7 home runs in his last 8 games (he has hit in all 8 games). His average is up to .212 (.286 since All Star Break) and he has 61 RBI. He was at first base again and frankly he just needs to stay there the rest of the year letting Napoli DH. A Ranger infield of Gallo, Odor, Andrus and Beltre is solid defensively and strong power hitting making a great foundation for next year.

I admit that I am looking for things to be optimistic about in this other wise crappy year but I don't think it is rose colored glasses making that infield give me hope for next year. Now the pitching and outfield........
 
I've been a Rangers fans since they moved to Arlington. If I couldn't wait 'til next year, I'd have given up a long time ago and be rooting for the Red Sox and/or Cardinals.
 
Outside of pitching, the Rangers should bounce back in 2018 if they can keep everyone healthy for the better part of the season. Pitching is a totally different issue. The way this season has gone I have lost any faith that I had in the staff and management as far as pitcher management. Brocail should be gone as soon as the season is over. Another season of failed pitching should cost Bannister and Daniels their jobs.
 
Nice job by Cashner yesterday - I'll take a seven-inning outing with only two runs allowed. Unfortunately the Rangers put a lot of men on base and couldn't bring them in and it resulted in a 2-1 loss. Still they won 2 of 3 from Houston. They really need to take advantage of the upcoming seven-game stretch against Detroit and Chicago (two bad teams) - anything less than 5-2 is a waste.
 
Agree with HHD. Astro's leave town only losing one game in the standings instead of the three that were there for the taking.
 
Saw a story this morning the Elvis Andrus may want to opt out of his long-term deal. How long ago was it that the boy genius was being excoriated for offering that a deal and hamstringing the organization going forward.
 
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