Sullivan’s Latest Rangers Mailbag; Loe Ready For Spring Training
Is a permanent move to center field in the cards for Texas Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler? - kendrick/Flickr.com
I’ve got nothing.
Well, except for one semi-hot sports opinion: Cowboys safety Roy Williams should have been suspended longer than just one game for his cheap “horse collar” tackle on Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb during Sunday afternoon’s affair at Texas Stadium.
What a joke of a player he is.
T.R. Sullivan released the latest edition of his MLB.com mailbag on Monday morning, and shockingly enough, there’s only one absurd fan-engineered trade proposal included this time!
What are the chances of the Rangers going after the likes of Andrew Miller, who was recently traded to Florida? What if we traded Padilla to the Marlins for Miller and Carlos Martinez or Hanley Ramirez? I really think we need to dump Padilla and this seems like a good trade.
– Chris J., Norman, Okla.If general manager Jon Daniels can swing that trade, then he’ll be Executive of the Year and the Marlins will be contracted.
Sullivan addressed several other trade and free agent possibilities drummed up by his readers, including Mark Prior, Eric Bedard, Johan Santana, Shannon Stewart, Preston Wilson (?!), Kris Benson, Carlos Silva, Josh Hamilton, and Lance Berkman. Needless to say, all of those ideas are major long shots to actually happen for the Rangers at best.
T.R. also mentioned that outfielders Jason Botts and Nelson Cruz will be required to win a spot in spring training if they are to make the Rangers’ 25-man roster, which Lone Star Ball’s Adam Morris issued an excellent retort to:
I can’t figure out what 30-40 plate appearances in exhibition games in March is going to tell the Rangers that they don’t already know about these guys. Botts has been in the system since Doug Melvin was here, Cruz has been here since August of 2006, and they have extensive track records in the minors, along with some major league ABs. I don’t see how anything this spring should carry that much weight.
That’s a pretty accurate assessment of the situation; furthermore, given that spring training statistics are so rarely indicative of regular season performance, it seems rather silly to allow such a crucial roster dilemma to be resolved on the basis of a trivial sample size of March at-bats in Surprise.
Going back momentarily to yesterday’s piece on the Texas 40-man roster conundrum, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News appears to be echoing the increasingly popular sentiment that Nelson Cruz is likely the odd man out. Grant also hypothesizes that a roster move could be consummated this afternoon - stay tuned.
There’s one more item in Sullivan’s mailbag which deserves further attention:
Why don’t the Rangers try to put Kinsler in center field? I think he would be a great center fielder with his speed, range and arm.
– Fernando R., DallasThat might be a thought in a year or two, depending how fast German Duran comes in the Minor Leagues. But you don’t switch guys like Kinsler or Michael Young unless it’s a pressing need and there is a better alternative at their current position.
Ian Kinsler, for the record, has never played a single professional baseball game in the outfield. Although he may well have the speed and range necessary to cover Rangers Ballpark in Arlington’s vast center field expanse, it strikes me as dangerous to begin considering a permanent move for Kinsler - especially when he’s just now on the verge of defensively mastering his current position on the baseball diamond.
Baseball Prospectus’s Christina Kahrl touched on the Rangers’ recent flurry of roster moves in her latest “Transaction Analysis” column on Monday:
By signing Bradley, they found a better outfielder than Brad Wilkerson to give them some lefty sock, although they’re still running the risk of employing a particularly fragile player in a key offensive role. Bradley’s their instant headliner in a group that has Nelson Cruz, Frank Catalanotto, Jason Botts, Marlon Byrd, and David Murphy all wrestling for playing time in the outfield and at DH.
[…]
Then there’s the solution at first base, as Jon Daniels effectively slapped together the equivalent of a Quonset hut on the spot by picking up both Shelton and Broussard. Maybe that winds up as a platoon, and maybe one of them nicks some playing time at DH from Botts. It isn’t hard to envision either of them slugging .450 or better in regular playing time.
[…]
Finally, there’s essentially exchanging Otsuka and Fukumori. This might strike some people as strange, because it might seem like Otsuka only just got here, but his arm’s enough of a risk that it deterred potential trading partners, and he’s going to be going into his age-36 season next spring. Fukumori arrives with questions about his elbow, but at 31, he’s younger, and he arrives with some closing experience after rattling around the rosters of Yokohama, Kintetsu, and most recently Rakuten.
Anthony Andro of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that right-hander Kameron Loe, who was shut down through the final month of the 2007 season with right elbow soreness and had arthroscopic surgery performed on said elbow on October 4th, has pronounced himself ready to go for 2008:
“It feels great,” Loe said. “After any injury or surgery, you’re a little nervous to see how it feels. But it’s real strong and feels good. This is the best shape I’ve been in.”
Loe, who has just resumed throwing within the last two weeks, hopes to snag a rotation spot coming out of spring training. That doesn’t seem particularly likely, given that the organization is more or less dead set on their starting five going into spring training.
But if there’s one thing that we’ve learned to be a certainty about the Texas Rangers over the years, it’s that five is never enough. As such, don’t be surprised if the “Snake,” who compiled a 5.36 ERA and 1.60 WHIP in 136 IP last season, ends up making at least 10 starts for the Rangers in 2008.
Speaking of that, Kameron joined third baseman Travis Metcalf and right-hander Kevin Millwood, as well as a trio of assorted Rangers broadcasters (Tom Grieve, Victor Rojas and Eleno Ornelas), in helping to serve a Spring Creek Barbeque dinner to approximately 75 men, women and children at the Arlington Life Shelter on Monday night. Very cool gesture on their parts.
And finally, if you’re looking for a last minute gift for a Metroplex sports fan on your Christmas shopping list, make sure to check out “The Best Dallas-Fort Worth Sports Arguments: The 100 Most Controversial, Debatable Questions for Die-Hard Fans.” You can learn more about the book from the publisher’s official website, or order direct from Amazon.com.
Authored by veteran Dallas sportswriter Jaime Aron, this latest 288-page installment to the popular Sports Argument book series focuses on the 100 most debatable controversies in local sports, including 15 that prominently spotlight the Rangers. It’s a book that receives my highest recommendation - there really is something here for everybody.
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10 Responses to “Sullivan’s Latest Rangers Mailbag; Loe Ready For Spring Training”
December 18th, 2007 at 1:38 pm
Chris J. from Norman is not helping the stereotype that says all Oklahomans are in-bred semi-morons with his trade scenario of Vincente Padilla for Hanley Ramirez AND Andrew Miller. Either that, or he’s drunk on crystal meth and has an altered view of reality.
I’m starting to think that readers are just coming up with the stupidest crap, knowing that they can laugh with their friends over the fact that they got “published” in the mailbag.
I feel bad for Nelson Cruz, so I wrote him a little poem below. It’s in free verse, but I thought that would be apropos for a guy who never seemed to “fit” into the “rhyme” of the great Texas Rangers juggernaut.
We hardly knew you, Nelson Cruz
You came over in a swap for Coco
when Doug Melvin had his way with JD
and didn’t even call him afterwards
Your skills came highly touted,
but all we saw was that great big swing
and miss, swing and miss, swing and miss
and the occasional GIDP
We couldn’t even trade you for a
player to be named later,
even a player named Laynce Nix
or Kevin Mench,
and now you’re on the cusp of being
dropped from the roster
so ignominiously
so farewell, Nelson Cruz
don’t be hatin’
just take your place on a AAA roster
somewhere in middle America,
and make your 50 grand a year,
which is still more than I make.
December 18th, 2007 at 5:53 pm
Very nice, JDolla. Perhaps there’s a future for you on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam.
December 18th, 2007 at 5:58 pm
Jdolla$, you have WAY too much tiome on your hands, you know that? :)
Just a thought about TR Sullivan’s mailbag: if what he publishes are the best suggestions he gets… imagine what the ones he doesn’t publish are like!
Actually, I was kind of suprised at TR’s reponse to the blockhead who suggested making Kinsler the CF - it almost sounded like TR thought that was decent idea.
Actually, it seems to me that TR is running low on things to write about these days: did anybody see his latest weekly trade proposal over at Elysian Fields: would you trade Edinson Volquez, Laird and Chris Davis to the A’s for Joe Blanton. Huh? I’m starting to think it’s a really good thing TR doesn’t manage this team.
December 18th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
I was looking over the list of FA’s left, and thinking about who would help this team the most. You know what name I came up with? Octavio Dotel. He’s dominant, can set up or close, and is relatively young. Considering how bad our rotation is, it wouldn’t hurt to get another bullpen arm, and he would be a vast improvement over some of the other back-end guys we have out there. He’d be worth a 2/$8m deal, and since Hicks got that Arod refund, it wouldn’t cost him anything. Do it!
Another possibility is to bring back Mahay. He’s such a consistent, stable pitcher. He’s been here, though - I guess he probably wouldn’t want to come back.
So JD - go get Dotel!
December 18th, 2007 at 9:52 pm
I saw that proposal over at T.R.’s blog as well, Jon - all things being equal, there’s no way I’d pull the trigger on that.
Dotel’s interesting, and I wouldn’t be particularly opposed to taking a flier on him if the price was right. However, he’s pretty fragile, hasn’t pitched more than 30.2 IP in the majors since ‘04, and is also 34 to boot. If there’s the basis for a one-year deal there somewhere, I’m intrigued - but I’d be sorta wary about a two-year deal.
Mahay’s supposedly looking for a three-year deal, so I’ll pass there. Bleh.
December 19th, 2007 at 6:13 am
Well, you’re probably right, Joey. I guess Dotel’s in the bag with Prior, Colon, Garcia, and Benson as a big injury risk.
I just remember how great he was setting up Billy Wagner about 5 years ago, and he was good last season after he came back from his big injury. He might have a full year in front of him.
Here’s my point. It’s not like Hicks is saving up now to go crazy with big contracts later. He has the money both now and later to do whatever needs to be done. He’s just chosen to play it frugally right now. But as a sign of good faith to his fans, I’d like to see him at least make an effort to bring someone in here - even if it means a gamble. Someone who if healthy could be a difference maker - like Prior or Colon or Garcia - or Dotel.
It doesn’t seem right that Hicks can pocket that Arod money and put a crappy product out there - all the while expecting fans to keep paying the big bucks to go to the Ballpark.
December 19th, 2007 at 11:05 am
FWIW, Rosenrumor is reporting that the Astros and rangers have made the biggest push for Prior.
December 19th, 2007 at 11:17 am
Best free agent left: Bonds!
I say this half-joking to be honest. If he would sign a reasonable one-year, incentive-laden contract, he would really help the offense out immensely. He could DH which would keep him healthy, and he’d still likely put up a .400 OBP with a decent slugging percentage.
Of course, you have to be willing to take the baggage obviously.
There are other ways the Rangers could invest the saved money though. One way would be to take on a contract of a good player that another team doesn’t want which might be a better option than one of the free agents left. They could also draft a player next year with signability issues in one of the later rounds and offer him over slot money to forgo a scholarship.
December 19th, 2007 at 6:20 pm
Actually, I think Dotel would be a good signing just from the standpoint of depth. With Fukumori, Benoit and Wilson, it’s not like we’re going to be relying on him as set-up man - and if our rotation can’t deliver more innings than it did last year, we are going to need all the bullpen depth we can get.
Is Jeremy Affeldt still a free agent? I’ll have to check on that, but I’d much rather go after him than Ron Mahay.
Mike makes a pretty good point about Bonds, but I don’t think there’s much of anybody who wants to put up with all that baggage. Bonds doesn’t just have a suitcase or two - he has an entire turntable’s worth. Besides, who wants to sign a guy who’s gonna spend half his contract in the federal ‘pen?
December 19th, 2007 at 6:36 pm
JDolla, I can certainly understand where you’re coming from - while it’s all well and good that the Rangers are building for the future, it’s still important to at least attempt to put a competitive product on the field.
Thanks for the update, Mike, I hadn’t heard that until you brought it up. Hicks already closed the door on the Bonds idea, though - he would provide a major offensive jolt, but I’m not sure how much good that would do for the Rangers’ already struggling public image. I believe I heard that the Bonds’ trial wouldn’t go into proceedings until sometime after the 2008 season, but I may be mistaken on that.
Affeldt’s still on the market, Mahay is not - he just signed a two year, $8 million contract with the Royals tonight.
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