Texas Rangers 2019 Thread

Gallo with two home runs this afternoon as Rangers finish a sweep of Tigers and are a season best nine games over .500 at the midway point of the season. 45-36 over first 81 is so far beyond expectations it’s hard to even put that record into perspective. When the season began I wasn’t sure the Rangers would be over .500 a single day all year yet here we are almost to July and they have been over .500 more than at or under that mark for most of first three months of the season. Woody is by far the run away manager of the year through the first half of season and if these collective playing above themselves/career years for several players continues then everything is on the table for the second half. :texasflag:
 
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9 over after 81 is very surprising. It definitely feels manager/culture as opposed to outright talent.
 
A new week brings the Rangers home with a two-game losing streak, but with 4 games with the Angels to try to steady the ship before 3 at the Twins and the All-Star Break.

After spending one-day tied for the first AL Wildcard, the Rangers are still leading the race for the second AL Wildcard followed by (in order) Indians, A's and Red Sox.

Pence is on rehab at Frisco for a couple of days. If you watched Sunday's game you saw why Galo needs to be a permanent fixture in CF. DeShields just cannot make the throw to Home or Third from CF; Galo can.
 
Even with the two losses at end the Rangers had winning road trip at 4-2. If they can find way to go 4-3 in these next 7 before all star break they will be in great shape for second half run.
 
Well, in last seven games on schedule before the all star break, the Rangers go 2-4 with one game cancelled because of the Skaggs tragedy to head into the all star break at 48-42. They are 3 games behind Cleveland for the second wild card and would have to leapfrog both Boston and Oakland before even getting to the Indians. This team has a great shot at finishing the year over .500 but its hard to see them getting to the 90-92 wins it will likely take to be in the wild card. That means we will probably see some moves as July winds down as sellers rather than buyers but we shall see. I am headed out Friday with some Chicago family who are in town to see the Rangers take on the Astros. Once we are past this all star break, the dog days of summer get going and the looking forward to an air-conditioned stadium with a retractable roof really kicks in.:texasflag:
 
^FWHORN, I agree with your assessment - getting into the wild card slot is a reach, not impossible, but definitely a reach. However, at the start of the season, if someone had offered us 6 games over .500 at the All-star break, we would have jumped all over it. The team has assuredly exceeded all reasonable expectations to this point. I'd like to see JD stand pat at the trade deadline - I'd hate to see Minor or Lynn traded for prospects, which would signal writing off this season.

At the same time, we have to realize that the best prospects currently in the Rangers' farm system are at Class A - thus, not ready to help next year. They may be two or three years away for seeing home-grown talent produce for the big club. If they stand pat at the deadline, maybe they can sign a free agent or two in the off-season to bolster the club for a year or two until the prospects move up through the system.

Thoughts?
 
We all knew JD's big decision wasn't going to be easy, but the current situation has deteriorated into a no win for JD. Trade for the future or hold tight and hope for a .500 plus year and for miracles in 2020 and 2021. A lot will depend on Minor's next start. If he is hurt all trade leverage will be lost and in some ways that might help JD.

So at the break:

AL
East: NYY (.648), TB (.571), Boston (.544) - NYY and TB continue to appear to have playoff slots (although TB's lead for the first wild card is tenuous) and Boston is hanging in for the second wild card
Central: Twins (.629), Cleveland (.568) - Watch Minnesota closely as they are a good young team. Cleveland is still 5.5 games behind the Twins but has gained the upper hand for a wild card
West: Astros (.633), A's (.549), Rangers (.533) - A small chance the A's can catch the Astro's but for now they need to solidify the second wild card. Rangers are slipping and showing signs of mental fatigue (see below)

NL
East: Atlanta (.593), Washington (.528), Philadelphia (.522) - As it stands now Washington and Philadelphia hold both wild card slots.
Central: Cubs (.522), Brewers (.516), St. Louis (.500) - Appears that either the Cubs or the Brewers will the division and the loser will miss a wild card slot (a change from the last review).
West: Dodgers (.652), Arizona (.505), San Diego (.500) - Going to take more than a season-ending injury to Kershaw for the Dodgers to lose this division. The second wild card appears to be out of the reach of either Arizona or SD.

Back to the Rangers. First, the new stadium is 60% complete. They miss Pense's leadership in the clubhouse. While he was with the team, not playing pushes him into the background. Friday night Gallo shows his arm off from mid-depth in CF, unfortunately, one throw went wide over the third base line and the other was perfect in line, just overthrown to the backstop. He did atone for this by throwing out a runner at third in a critical situation on Sunday. He is your centerfielder. However, the real show of mental fatigue was on Saturday when the Rangers struck-out 15 times with the 4, 5 and 6 hitters recording 8 of those K's (Gallo 3, Marza 3 and Odor 2). Losing patience at the plate and stupid fielding are the two best signs of loss of mental sharpness. Still, a lot of baseball to be played, but each loss stings more at this time of the year.

Time for Woodward and Ortiz to earn their money.
 
^Great summary, Viper. The best course for JD, as I have stated earlier in the thread, may be to sit tight at the trading deadline and move in Free Agency during the off-season. The farm system is well-stocked, but only at the lower levels - and those future players are a couple of years away from the big club. Selling at the deadline would signal giving up - and trying to trade for help for this year and next will be difficult, with the lack of nearly-ready prospects at AAA and AA.
 
Rangers come out of the All Star Break with a national spotlight game and beat the Astros 5-0. Lynn is now an astounding 12-4 and has most wins of an MLB starter this year. I am headed to ballpark tonight to see if Chavez can keep the Rangers in the game against Cole and maybe even eat a little further into that 8 game lead the Astros have in the west.:texasflag:
 
^Good game last night. If the Rangers are serious about competing, Lance Lynn has to be a keeper. Would be very nice to win three of the four against the Astros.
 
^I'd really like to see JD keep both of them - they're on contract at reasonable prices and they're both performing. They can form the core of the rotation for next season. Insofar as the trade deadline coming, I don't see any potential trade the Rangers can make that would be a significant upgrade to the rotation - they simply don't have the right top prospects to offer. Personally, I won't be disappointed if JD simply plays the current hand he's been dealt and looks to sign Free Agents in the off-season.
 
Below are the top 15 Free Agents after this season:
  • Gerrit Cole, RHP, Astros (age 29)
  • Anthony Rendon, 3B, Nationals (29)
  • J.D. Martinez, DH, Red Sox (32)
  • Marcell Ozuna, OF, Cardinals (29)
  • Madison Bumgarner, LHP, Giants (30)
  • Josh Donaldson, 3B, Braves (34) ...
  • Zack Wheeler, RHP, Mets (30)
  • Yasmani Grandal, C, Brewers (31)
  • Didi Gregorius, SS, Yankees (30)
  • Cole Hamels, LHP, Cubs (36)
  • Yasiel Puig, OF, Reds (29)
  • Dellin Betances, RHP, Yankees (32)
  • Jose Abreu, 1B, White Sox (33)
  • Nicholas Castellanos, OF, Tigers (28)
  • Rick Porcello, RHP, Red Sox (31)
  • Others of note: Scooter Gennett, Francisco Cervelli, Jonathan Schoop, Corey Dickerson, Jhoulys Chacin, Jake Odorizzi, Alex Wood, Michael Wacha, Arodys Vizcaino (though he just had shoulder surgery).
Grandal would be the logical choice, but he thinks a lot of his ability (he turned down 4 years/$60 million last offseason). Rendon or Donaldson would plug the hole at 3B. Bumgarner was a good pitcher but is stinking it up this season. Been there done that with Hamels. Puig is a cancer.
 
Porcello would be interesting - a Cy Young winner, and only 31 years old. But other teams would also be pursuing him in free agency, and the price might be too high.
 
This morning finds the Rangers coming off a split with the Astros over the weekend. It is very clear that if anyone not named Minor or Lynn is pitching for the Rangers things go south. The next 7 days feature a rare two off days and find the D'Backs in for 2 games starting tomorrow and then the Rangers travel to Houston for 3 games.

The league standings are starting to show some clarity (teams with .500 records):

AL
East: NYY .648; TB .579; Boston .538
Central: Twins .630; Cleveland .560
West: Astros .628; A's .564; Rangers .532; Angels .511
Wild Card (in order): TB, A's, Clev, Bos, Rangers, Angels

NL
East: Atlanta .606; Wash .533; Phillies .516
Central: Cubs .538; Brewers .511; Cards .505
West: LAD .653 (and +14.5 games); Rock .500; D'Backs .500
Wild Card (in order): Wash, Phil, Mil, St. Louis, Colorado, Ar
 
Rangers down 17-3 in the 6th inning. Reality is catching up with the Rangers - they have a chance to win with Lynn and Minor on the mound, little chance otherwise. Falling out of the wildcard race quickly, and the trading deadline is two weeks away. JD is in a quandary - if he sells, he signals the team that they're giving up on this season; if he tries to buy, the farm system is short on valuable trade assets. Bottom line reality - this team has some pieces in place for the future, but next year is not the year to compete for a title, maybe not even 2021. The big issue - for 2022 and beyond, where is the starting rotation going to come from?
 
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HHD, nothing has really changed from what we were discussing during training camp. I believe we are at or near the point where it doesn't matter what JD does it will be the wrong move. That being the case, make a move that will still be good in 2021 or 22 - get either the 3rd baseman or the catcher on the list. That will show commitment to the future which is about all you can hope for after this season.

Also, Woodward has shown enough to keep, but I do not trust Ownership to be that baseball smart.
 
The Ticket in DFW reported yesterday that the Phillies and Brewers are interested in Minor and Rangers are more likely to keep Lynn than Minor. This 4 game losing streak is probably well timed as any doubts the Rangers had about being sellers are being put to rest. Another interesting rumor discussed on Ticket yesterday, the Cubs may be willing to eat a ton of Darvish's salary and a possible landing spot for him is back in Arlington. A lot of talk too about why Calhoun got sent down and not Mazara or Guzman, Calhoun was apparently not happy he got optioned to Nashville when Pence was reactivated.
 
If a 9-2 loss to a .500 NL club didn't convince the Rangers what direction they should take then 19-4 should.
FWHORN said:
The Ticket in DFW reported yesterday that the Phillies and Brewers are interested in Minor and Rangers are more likely to keep Lynn than Minor.
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Yup
FWHORN said:
Another interesting rumor discussed on Ticket yesterday, the Cubs may be willing to eat a ton of Darvish's salary and a possible landing spot for him is back in Arlington.
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Let's hope that one stays a rumor. As the Rangers now all too well - he is a head case and a .500 pitcher at best. Yesterday he won his first game a Wigley since signing with the Cubs.
FWHORN said:
A lot of talk too about why Calhoun got sent down and not Mazara or Guzman, Calhoun was apparently not happy he got optioned to Nashville when Pence was reactivated.
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That was tough, but the system dictated that he was the one to go down since he is still on this year's option. I believe Mazara for sure and probably Guzman could not be optioned and would have had to be DFA.
 
There has also been some talk about shopping Mazara before the trade deadline. He does have some trade value, and the club is overloaded with left-handed-hitting outfielders. I guess i could see some sense of logic in that one. Choo has no trade value, and you certainly don't want to trade Gallo. Calhoun wouldn't bring a lot in return.

I think the Rangers are looking at Kiner-Falefa as the catcher of the short-term future. He should be back from the DL sometime soon. Cabrera is obviously a bandaid at 3B. Would Mazara bring a good 3B in return? And maybe also get a nearly-ready starting pitching prospect?
 
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HornHuskerDad said:
Kiner-Falefa as the catcher of the short-term future
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K-F is an interesting study. Batting wise he belongs in the Majors; however, catching wise he is still a babe in the woods. Before he was injured he was showing signs of being in over his head at times behind the plate. He just needs to work daily in game situations, but the Rangers cannot afford to have him out there that often.
HornHuskerDad said:
Would Mazara bring a good 3B in return?
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You would probably get someone on par with Forsythe, so that isn't going to work.

Choo's issue is the contract; not his play. He signed for 7 years in December 2013 so he has two more seasons at $18.5 million per year. Someone would probably take him and $35 million from the Rangers, but what would they get in return? The Rangers need MLB level talent, not Low A talent at this point.
 
^Agree, Viper. And the Rangers need Major-league starting pitching - but they don't have much to offer in trade. I still think it would be better to hold 'em at the trade deadline and sign Free Agents in the off-season. It's money they have and major-league-ready prospects they lack.
 
Interesting take on Pence FW. No one seemingly wanted him in the off-season, but what a difference an all-star first half will make. If Pence isn't in the plans for 2020/2021 why not get something for him now?

Everyone on the 40-man should be expendable at the right price. If someone would be foolish enough to offer a true young number 1 SP under contract for at least 2 seasons for Gallo I would make that trade in a heartbeat.

On a championship-level team like the Dodgers or Yankees, for example, Minor and Lynn probably would be long relief (if on the staff at all). The Astro's need a 4/5 SP as their pitching staff is built for the postseason, not the regular season (which is good if you make it to the postseason). The way Oakland is playing and gaining on the Astro's (thy have gained 2 games just this week), Houston needs to address the back end of their SP staff so
JD might want to swallow his pride and deal Minor to them for the best 3B in the organization other than Bregman. That would plug a hole and enable Lynn to be retained as he is controllable for a year longer than Minor.​
 
Another "bad" week for the Rangers. While this past week we saw the team we thought we would see all season, we can thank the baseball gods for what can only be described as an unbelievable first half of the season. As the trade deadline approaches we should start to see hints of what JD is going to do. One more start for Minor and Lynn and then the wheels should start moving. I wish I had more faith in JD's decision-making ability.

The only stat that counts - winning. The league standings are starting to show some clarity (teams with .500 records):

AL
East: NYY .653; TB .559; Boston .540 (NYY increases its winning percentage by .05)
Central: Twins .612; Cleveland .582 (Twins had a rough week down .018)
West: Astros .634; A's .570; Angels .515; Rangers .515 (Houston has shaken everyone but Oakland)
Division looks to be shaping up as a NYY-Houston fight. Houston needs to gain the upper hand as I don't see NYY losing if they have home field advantage and Houston only having 3 pitchers that can be counted on.
Wild Card (in order): Clev, A's, TB; Bos, Angels, Rangers

NL
East: Atlanta .594; Wash .531; Phillies .520 (Phillies only team to increase it's pct.)
Central: Cubs .545; Brewers .525; Cards .520 (No real Division change)
West: LAD .657 (and +16.0 games); D'Backs .500; SF .500 (SF makes a move while Col takes a plunge in New York)
LAD should have the home-field advantage sewn-up. Who they will play is a toss-up.
Wild Card (in order): Wash, Mil, Phil, St. Louis, Ar, SF

Rangers are in Seattle for 3 and then move to Oakland for 4 - looks like 3-4 will be about all the Rangers can do at this point.
 
Reality has set in, probably for good. You other zealots will have to root for the Rangers and keep tabs on the trade deadline for a week - I'll be away and won't have access to my computer.

I still think the best move is to hold 'em - but I won't be surprised if JD deals Minor, since he seems to be the player with the best trade value.
 
This seven game losing streak while painful, was well timed. The Rangers and JD have no excuse for not moving as sellers and moving now.
 
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