Desmond at 1B? Interesting... I would have thought they would look at him as an OF. I wish him the best though. Seemed like a good dude and a great teammate. Getting the 11th overall pick is nice too.
*****Official Texas Rangers 2017 Off-Season Thread*****
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Last: 7 yr ago by Mr Gigem
Saw that this may open the door for them dealing Blackmon to the Cards. Blackmon is a player I would have loved to have in CF.
Getting the year we did out of Desmond and the 11th pick in the draft - all for $8 million, is not just a home run. That's a friggin grand slam.
Saw a correction on twitter. Rangers don't get the #11 pick. They get the top compensatory pick immediately following the first round. Given that they were already drafting at the bottom of the round anyways, losing that original pick for someone like Encarnacion will only cost us a few spots in the draft.DannyDuberstein said:
Getting the year we did out of Desmond and the 11th pick in the draft - all for $8 million, is not just a home run. That's a friggin grand slam.
Yep. We'll probably get the 1st compensatory pick.RetiredAg said:Saw a correction on twitter. Rangers don't get the #11 pick. They get the top compensatory pick immediately following the first round. Given that they were already drafting at the bottom of the round anyways, losing that original pick for someone like Encarnacion will only cost us a few spots in the draft.DannyDuberstein said:
Getting the year we did out of Desmond and the 11th pick in the draft - all for $8 million, is not just a home run. That's a friggin grand slam.
One thing that made me laugh and brought me joy: the O's won't sign Bautista because their fans don't like him.
http://deadspin.com/report-orioles-tell-free-agent-jose-bautista-their-fan-1789774395
http://deadspin.com/report-orioles-tell-free-agent-jose-bautista-their-fan-1789774395
jtstanley4621 said:
One thing that made me laugh and brought me joy: the O's won't sign Bautista because their fans don't like him.
http://deadspin.com/report-orioles-tell-free-agent-jose-bautista-their-fan-1789774395
I saw that. The best part to me though was that they just flat told them that.
I'm in Toronto right now and that is definitely getting play on the news. He is such a *****. Everyone here agrees he is a *****. He is just their *****.
That's one of the reasons why I think there wasn't too much blowback from inside the MLB (as in other players) about Odor punching him. I bet you a lot of them thought he had it coming. He is truly the worst. I bet he's real glad he burned all those bridges by being a huge ***** for most of his career.
Bautista also picked a bad time (heading into free agency) to have a crappy year at the plate. Bad attitude + declining production means nobody is gushing to fork over millions of dollars to you. He may end up having to go the Ian Desmond route and take a one year deal hoping to prove himself again rather the sign a mulit-year deal at a reduced rate.
And no ****s we give by the fans across the country.,...
And no ****s we give by the fans across the country.,...
I think you missed a certain punch during the season...TXAggie2011 said:
I guess if you can't beat Bautista, whine about him.
TXAggie2011 said:
I guess if you can't beat Bautista, whine about him.
Seriously? It's becoming quite clear numerous fan bases and teams dislike the guy for being a massive ass hat, but you want to act like this is sour grapes? Come on man.
Who on earth is whining about him?TXAggie2011 said:
I guess if you can't beat Bautista, whine about him.
Laughing at someone reaping what they sowed isn't whining.
I don't see what he gains by lying about this. Gomez made it clear from the second the season ended that he wanted to come back to Arlington. He raved about the changes the staff made in his approach and swing. He apparently has a fantastic relationship w/ Banny. I don't find it horribly surprising that he took a 1 year deal to stay vs a multi-year deal elsewhere.
Also, while possibly overpaying for 1 season, it's also a deal that could end up being a bargain by the end of next season.
Also, while possibly overpaying for 1 season, it's also a deal that could end up being a bargain by the end of next season.
Apparently saying we don't have the money for a FA like EE (despite the fact that the market has cratered around him).
Complete roster mismanagement really. Far too much money tied up in minimal assets. Not enough coming through the pipeline because we keep trading away prospects.
Obviously you have to go for it when you have the chance but this team may well have missed its window.
Depending on where we sit at the deadline, I wouldn't be opposed to blowing it up. Just can't see this team getting over the hump. At this point, while division titles are nice, it's really WS or bust.
I guess what I'm afraid of is falling into the trap that the Mavs have where you're never really contending but you're never committing to the rebuild either because you're just a "few pieces away".
c - lucroy (rental)
1b - ???
2b - odor
3b - beltre (old old)
ss - andrus (meh)
of - choo (overpaid, health liability)
of - mazara (piece to build around)
of - gomez (rental)
It's not just this year, but the years beyond that worry me. I'd be inclined to trade guys like Beltre, Lucroy, and Gomez down the stretch and let them have a chance to win a WS and help us retool than get stuck in a limbo.
A core of Profar, Odor, and Mazara doesn't seem to bad to build around. More of a problem of in terms of the future rotation (as always).
And all of that doesn't mention Darvish's looming free agency.
Complete roster mismanagement really. Far too much money tied up in minimal assets. Not enough coming through the pipeline because we keep trading away prospects.
Obviously you have to go for it when you have the chance but this team may well have missed its window.
Depending on where we sit at the deadline, I wouldn't be opposed to blowing it up. Just can't see this team getting over the hump. At this point, while division titles are nice, it's really WS or bust.
I guess what I'm afraid of is falling into the trap that the Mavs have where you're never really contending but you're never committing to the rebuild either because you're just a "few pieces away".
c - lucroy (rental)
1b - ???
2b - odor
3b - beltre (old old)
ss - andrus (meh)
of - choo (overpaid, health liability)
of - mazara (piece to build around)
of - gomez (rental)
It's not just this year, but the years beyond that worry me. I'd be inclined to trade guys like Beltre, Lucroy, and Gomez down the stretch and let them have a chance to win a WS and help us retool than get stuck in a limbo.
A core of Profar, Odor, and Mazara doesn't seem to bad to build around. More of a problem of in terms of the future rotation (as always).
And all of that doesn't mention Darvish's looming free agency.
Personally, I think that "prove it" kinds of deals can be pretty awesome for a player and a team. Gomez is betting on himself, and he clearly enjoyed his time here, and his performance improved greatly. Maybe we get the best version of him this season. So he can earn his long term contract and redeem himself. Hell, happened for Desmond. But I guess you never know.
Tough to say your overpaying without knowing the market. The guys is not far removed from being an MVP caliber guy. The Rangers needed another OFer.
Overpaying on one year deals is the minorest of sins to begin with. It's not so much that it hampers any sort of budget flexibility.
Overpaying on one year deals is the minorest of sins to begin with. It's not so much that it hampers any sort of budget flexibility.
Yeah, 1-year deals are nothing to get upset about in the big leagues. Very little chance Texas will regret 1 year of Gomez -- Colorado may really be regretting 5 years of Desmond, especially if/when his speed declines with age.
Kampfers said:
Apparently saying we don't have the money for a FA like EE (despite the fact that the market has cratered around him).
Complete roster mismanagement really. Far too much money tied up in minimal assets. Not enough coming through the pipeline because we keep trading away prospects.
Obviously you have to go for it when you have the chance but this team may well have missed its window.
Depending on where we sit at the deadline, I wouldn't be opposed to blowing it up. Just can't see this team getting over the hump. At this point, while division titles are nice, it's really WS or bust.
I guess what I'm afraid of is falling into the trap that the Mavs have where you're never really contending but you're never committing to the rebuild either because you're just a "few pieces away".
c - lucroy (rental)
1b - ???
2b - odor
3b - beltre (old old)
ss - andrus (meh)
of - choo (overpaid, health liability)
of - mazara (piece to build around)
of - gomez (rental)
It's not just this year, but the years beyond that worry me. I'd be inclined to trade guys like Beltre, Lucroy, and Gomez down the stretch and let them have a chance to win a WS and help us retool than get stuck in a limbo.
A core of Profar, Odor, and Mazara doesn't seem to bad to build around. More of a problem of in terms of the future rotation (as always).
And all of that doesn't mention Darvish's looming free agency.
Complete roster mismanagement? The team has made the playoffs 5 out of the last 7 years...
The Cubs are a fun story, but I'll pass on being really bad for a long time just to maybe have a WS caliber team.
And your comparison to the Mavs is interesting -- you do remember the Mavs going out early in the playoffs 4 years straight and then winning the NBA Title.
But if you're looking for something to make you feel better about potentially going "all in" -- Texas is going to start selling season tickets for their brand new stadium probably in early 2019. I can't say for certain, but I would be surprised if Daniels isn't given a chunk of extra payroll to work with leading up to that to make sure they aren't trying to pricey tickets for an underwhelming product.
Kampfers said:
Depending on where we sit at the deadline, I wouldn't be opposed to blowing it up. Just can't see this team getting over the hump. At this point, while division titles are nice, it's really WS or bust.
I have heard the scenario of trading Yu floated around some this off-season if the season goes south. It's certainly something that has to be considered if the first half doesn't go well.
But, even if they did "blow it up", really all that means is trading away Yu and Hamels. Those two right there would net a very significant return. You focus on getting pitching prospects primarily, because they do have some young position talent already on the roster. It wouldn't need to be a complete tear down, as having two aces could quickly restock the system.
I don't see Lucroy as a "rental". I hope he is somebody we keep around. Definitely had a positive impact on the team and in particular the pitching staff.
Who said anything about being bad for a really long time?free_mhayden said:Kampfers said:
Apparently saying we don't have the money for a FA like EE (despite the fact that the market has cratered around him).
Complete roster mismanagement really. Far too much money tied up in minimal assets. Not enough coming through the pipeline because we keep trading away prospects.
Obviously you have to go for it when you have the chance but this team may well have missed its window.
Depending on where we sit at the deadline, I wouldn't be opposed to blowing it up. Just can't see this team getting over the hump. At this point, while division titles are nice, it's really WS or bust.
I guess what I'm afraid of is falling into the trap that the Mavs have where you're never really contending but you're never committing to the rebuild either because you're just a "few pieces away".
c - lucroy (rental)
1b - ???
2b - odor
3b - beltre (old old)
ss - andrus (meh)
of - choo (overpaid, health liability)
of - mazara (piece to build around)
of - gomez (rental)
It's not just this year, but the years beyond that worry me. I'd be inclined to trade guys like Beltre, Lucroy, and Gomez down the stretch and let them have a chance to win a WS and help us retool than get stuck in a limbo.
A core of Profar, Odor, and Mazara doesn't seem to bad to build around. More of a problem of in terms of the future rotation (as always).
And all of that doesn't mention Darvish's looming free agency.
Complete roster mismanagement? The team has made the playoffs 5 out of the last 7 years...
The Cubs are a fun story, but I'll pass on being really bad for a long time just to maybe have a WS caliber team.
And your comparison to the Mavs is interesting -- you do remember the Mavs going out early in the playoffs 4 years straight and then winning the NBA Title.
But if you're looking for something to make you feel better about potentially going "all in" -- Texas is going to start selling season tickets for their brand new stadium probably in early 2019. I can't say for certain, but I would be surprised if Daniels isn't given a chunk of extra payroll to work with leading up to that to make sure they aren't trying to pricey tickets for an underwhelming product.
The hardest thing in sports management is to recognize and take advantage of your window, and then to recognize when that window has come to a close.
The rangers window has virtually closed. We've traded away a lot of top prospects in recent years, lost others in the rule 5 draft, and have made poor decisions in both the trade market and free agency.
The success of the Fielder-Kinsler trade was certainly derailed by the injuries to Profar, which was out of JD's control, but opinions were never really solid that this was a good deal for the Rangers from day 1, given that it was a ton of money committed to a guy with questionable durability. Turns out that it played out just as the doubters said (and perhaps even worse).
We committed a ton of money to Choo in FA and he's been a pretty solid flop.
Hamels has pitched ok but hardly like an "ace" since his acquisition. His advanced stats are garbage and point towards regression in the coming years.
I remember the mavs winning the title - I also remember them trying to cling to relevance the past few years when it was clear the league passed them by (the fate of which was cemented by the Deandre Jordan snub). The rangers chance to win the title was our back to back WS trips. Last year we were lucky to make the playoffs. If houston plays .500 ball against us, we don't. We had an absurd record in 1 run games.
In reality, we were only a "good" team. The gulf in class between us and the Red Sox/Cubs/Nats is pretty monumental.
Could we get on a run and win, sure. But the league is getting more and more competitive. Everyone around us is adding pieces and we've only lost them, and are set to lose out on several FAs who could instantly boost our competitiveness at what would seemingly be reasonable prices given the collapse of the market.
I'm not writing the season off, the team is still decent. But I do think we're a fringe playoff team this year with incredibly limited prospects of a deep postseason run. We've traded away so many prospects in recent years I'd be very surprised if we were an active shopper at the deadline this year. If we're in it, great, keep chasing, but if we're set to miss the playoffs my argument would be to get as much value out of the pieces as you can, and retool so that rather than 100 years of misery it's more like 2-3 years where you retool and then hop back into the playoffs with a new, young core surrounding Mazara, Odor, Profar et al.
Really the only areas I'd considered "mismanaged" would be 1B and SP. If Choo can't go in the field, I'm fine w/ Profar in LF w/ Mazara in RF. But, it's hard to say 1B has be mismanaged given they haven't addressed it yet. Let's see what they do first, then judge the decision. SP is a problem, but the prices for SP are insane. Their approach seems to go for guys like Cashner and Tyson Ross and hope they have rebound seasons. But, we're talking about the 4th and 5th spots in the rotation though. We had a glaring hole in the 5th spot last season and still won 95. Colby may be brought back which would leave us with a similar situation, rotation-wise, as last year, but slightly better.Quote:
c - lucroy (rental) - Not a rental. Rentals really are guys that you trade for and they become FA @ end of season. I am huge Lucroy fan and think this was a great trade.
1b - ???
2b - odor
3b - beltre (old old) - Old, but he's still Adrian Beltre. He's still a 1st ballot HOFer. The guy hit .300, 32 HR and drove in 104 last season. He also won a GG. Not to mention, he's the heart and soul of this team.
ss - andrus (meh) - He just had the best season of his career. Hit .302 and had an OPS of .800. Plus, he's about the only one that hit the ball in the playoffs last year.
of - choo (overpaid, health liability) - No argument here. This signing has not worked as hoped.
of - mazara (piece to build around)
of - gomez (rental) - We just got a plus defensive CF on a one-year deal that isn't going to hamstring future moves. He loves it in Arlington and is a positive clubhouse guy from what I hear. If we get Rangers Gomez and not Astros Gomez, then this is a steal.
I know there's somewhat of a book on hefty powerhitters seeing their production fall off at a younger age than other players, but at the time of the trade, he was a guy that had played in at least 157 games for 8 consecutive seasons (all full seasons he was at the MLB level) - including playing 161 or 162 in the 5 previous seasons. There absolutely were questions as to what value he'd provide in the last few years of the deal just based on an expected production curve, but what happened with him durability-wise was completely out of nowhere.Quote:
given that it was a ton of money committed to a guy with questionable durability.
Exactly. People also tend to forget that his 2nd season here, he led the team in HR, Avg, OPS and RBI. The fact that it was sandwiched by 2 spinal surgeries could have never been predicted.Quote:
but what happened with him durability-wise was completely out of nowhere.
Wanting to rebuild a team that lost the centerpiece of their offense to a career-ending injury and was missing their #1 starter for the first 2 months of the season and still went out and won the most games in the league is silly.
Yes the team has holes, but so does every other team. Yet not every other team is consistently making the playoffs.
Yes the team has holes, but so does every other team. Yet not every other team is consistently making the playoffs.
I wonder if this season is kind of a breaking point for Gallo and the Rangers. Personally, I like Gallo. I hope he can fix his swing and become a productive MLB player with off the charts power. But... He has looked pathetic at the plate in the stints we've had him up. In terms of potential, he's a big time boom or bust player. I wonder if we would entertain packaging him for a player during the trade deadline if we really are lacking at a position.
This is ridiculous because you (and others) have completely sidestepped the point. The window is closed or closing, and we don't have the flexibility or willingness to capitalize.RetiredAg said:Really the only areas I'd considered "mismanaged" would be 1B and SP. If Choo can't go in the field, I'm fine w/ Profar in LF w/ Mazara in RF. But, it's hard to say 1B has be mismanaged given they haven't addressed it yet. Let's see what they do first, then judge the decision. SP is a problem, but the prices for SP are insane. Their approach seems to go for guys like Cashner and Tyson Ross and hope they have rebound seasons. But, we're talking about the 4th and 5th spots in the rotation though. We had a glaring hole in the 5th spot last season and still won 95. Colby may be brought back which would leave us with a similar situation, rotation-wise, as last year, but slightly better.Quote:
c - lucroy (rental) - Not a rental. Rentals really are guys that you trade for and they become FA @ end of season. I am huge Lucroy fan and think this was a great trade.
1b - ???
2b - odor
3b - beltre (old old) - Old, but he's still Adrian Beltre. He's still a 1st ballot HOFer. The guy hit .300, 32 HR and drove in 104 last season. He also won a GG. Not to mention, he's the heart and soul of this team.
ss - andrus (meh) - He just had the best season of his career. Hit .302 and had an OPS of .800. Plus, he's about the only one that hit the ball in the playoffs last year.
of - choo (overpaid, health liability) - No argument here. This signing has not worked as hoped.
of - mazara (piece to build around)
of - gomez (rental) - We just got a plus defensive CF on a one-year deal that isn't going to hamstring future moves. He loves it in Arlington and is a positive clubhouse guy from what I hear. If we get Rangers Gomez and not Astros Gomez, then this is a steal.
It doesn't matter that Beltre is a 1st ballot HOFer. He's not going to be around much longer. Period. That puts a pretty definitive end date on the presumptive "window" this current roster has going forward. Lucroy may not be a "rental" in terms of being around for a second year, but he's going to get PAID in the offseason. With Darvish also hitting FA, this year is really the year in terms of maximizing our opportunities with our current roster and we've completely laid an egg so far at the winter meetings.
I'm not mad about giving Gomez a 1 year deal, as has been mentioned 1 year deals are the least of sins and don't hamstring you for the future. I'm mad that we've pigeonholed ourselves into a situation where we lose two premium players (Desmond, Moreland - at least defensively) and are replacing them with question marks (who were on the roster last year and clearly didn't solve all the problems we had).
And 1B isn't a new issue, our inability to develop a solid 1B despite numerous solid to excellent prospects is a real black eye on the organization's developmental structure. Actually I have numerous questions about our development pipeline but 1B is certainly the glaring one there (along with SP).
I do think Andrus had a solid year last year, I'm being a bit too harsh on him as I've never particularly been a big fan of his.
But again it comes down to how you feel we did last year. I feel our regular season record was a bit flukey and we got exposed in the postseason. I think our primary competitors are all better than they were last year and will pose a more significant challenge this year. And I think that we're overall a worse team than the one that closed the season last year.
I know this board's second favorite sport is picking on DallasAg94, but he nailed this...RetiredAg said:Exactly. People also tend to forget that his 2nd season here, he led the team in HR, Avg, OPS and RBI. The fact that it was sandwiched by 2 spinal surgeries could have never been predicted.Quote:
but what happened with him durability-wise was completely out of nowhere.
https://texags.com/forums/53/topics/2408600
Others were mixed, many in favor, some against.Quote:
The last 3 years... age 34, 35 and 36... 5'11"/275 BEFORE his metabolism goes to hell... I want NO part of Fielder after 2-3 years. NONE!
A lot of people simply dismissing valid concerns about his weight.
And while the weight he carried isn't definitively linked to the injuries he sustained, it certainly didn't help.
You are a hoot. On the one-hand you complain we have contracts about to expire and then complain that we have players under contract.
Almost everything you've said sounds devoid of reality. You sound like someone who just likes to complain.
Quote:
** Not enough coming through the pipeline because we keep trading away prospects.**
I've been as vocal as anyone about the talent we have traded and lost to Rule V. You could be the only person I've heard that believes JD has done a poor job with the roster through the draft and bringing in prospects.
Quote:
** It's not just this year, but the years beyond that worry me. I'd be inclined to trade guys like Beltre, Lucroy, and Gomez down the stretch and let them have a chance to win a WS and help us retool than get stuck in a limbo. **
Let's tap the breaks. You realize we are the team to beat in the AL West, right?! No other team in the AL West is positioned to beat us.
Quote:
** A core of Profar, Odor, and Mazara doesn't seem to bad to build around. More of a problem of in terms of the future rotation (as always). **
I have as much a grasp of the Rangers future rotation, as most. Which teams don't always have future rotation concerns? All of them do. Our future:
Hamels - through 2019 (3 more years)
Darvish - through 2017 (1 more year)
Perez (25-L) - through 2020 (4 more years)
Cashner (30-R) - through 2017 (1 more year)
AJ Griffin (28-R): Arb through 2018 (2 more years)
After that:
Nick Martinez (26) and Chi Chi Gonzalez (24) are on the bubble between getting cut and making the roster.
And after that:
Connor Sadzeck (25-R)
V Payano (24-L)
Yohander Mendez (21-L)
Ariel Jurado (20-R)
JD is still searching for another rotation piece (if we are to believe reports). We have all of 2017 for someone to emerge for 2018,and we have a huge group to pull from. We could still extend or resign Darvish. We could trade for a SP like Quintana (who is under contract through 2020).
Quote:
** And all of that doesn't mention Darvish's looming free agency. **
Good for him. He is going to get paid.
Quote:
** The rangers window has virtually closed. **
How so? After 2017, the Rangers have the following FAs: Gomez, Darvish, Cashner, Lucroy. Payroll commit for 2017 is $85M. By all accounts Darvish and Lucroy like the Rangers and could sign here, and we'll have the money to do so. Gomez and Cashner are both 1 year deals and are team friendly additions.
So the doubters knew that Fielder and Profar would both be injured?Quote:
** re: Fielder - Turns out that it played out just as the doubters said (and perhaps even worse). **
Quote:
** I'm not writing the season off, the team is still decent. But I do think we're a fringe playoff team this year with incredibly limited prospects of a deep postseason run. We've traded away so many prospects in recent years I'd be very surprised if we were an active shopper at the deadline this year. If we're in it, great, keep chasing, but if we're set to miss the playoffs my argument would be to get as much value out of the pieces as you can, and retool so that rather than 100 years of misery it's more like 2-3 years where you retool and then hop back into the playoffs with a new, young core surrounding Mazara, Odor, Profar et al. **
Unless I'm missing something, the Rangers are favored in the AL West. We still have moves to make and have until April to fill the roster. Might we wait until we fill the additional 5 spots on the 40, before hitting the panic button?!
I think you bring up a new strategy... might want to get JD on the line. So, you suggest that if the Rangers are going to miss the playoffs, they ought to sell the pieces that will be FAs after the season? I like that idea. Maybe we should target the trade deadline?!
Look, I'm not sure why all the pessimism about the 2017 season. There are many reasons to be excited about the season. JD has put a good product on the field. He has traded talent and gotten talent in return. There are lots of rumors flying, and I'm very positive about the season. I'm especially curious about the SP options. Do we get someone via trade (Q, Greinke, Archer, other?), via FA (Colby), or internally?! With the new season, players coming back from major injuries had a physically stable 2016 - Darivsh (TJ), Perez (TJ), AJG (everything).
Oh, I don't think we're sidestepping anything. I think most would say that this current window is closing, but I don't think it's going to take much to reopen that window. This team is still capable of winning the division and, once in the playoffs, anything can happen especially with two TOTR guys.Quote:
This is ridiculous because you (and others) have completely sidestepped the point. The window is closed or closing, and we don't have the flexibility or willingness to capitalize.
I wouldn't say we've laid an egg. We upgraded at CF, at least defensively. We've upgraded the #5 spot in the rotation w/ Cashner. This was a very weak FA class and the trade market is ridiculously expensive. Given past moves, the Rangers just don't have to prospects to go and get a Sale or possibly even Quintana.Quote:
It doesn't matter that Beltre is a 1st ballot HOFer. He's not going to be around much longer. Period. That puts a pretty definitive end date on the presumptive "window" this current roster has going forward. Lucroy may not be a "rental" in terms of being around for a second year, but he's going to get PAID in the offseason. With Darvish also hitting FA, this year is really the year in terms of maximizing our opportunities with our current roster and we've completely laid an egg so far at the winter meetings.
Gomez is an upgrade defensively, and I'd hardly call Desmond a "premium" defensive CF. If I'm not mistaken, he led the league in errors for a CF. 1B is an issue, but the Gomez signing was a good one last year. He performed, but he's also not the kind of player that's going to carry an entire team.Quote:
I'm mad that we've pigeonholed ourselves into a situation where we lose two premium players (Desmond, Moreland - at least defensively) and are replacing them with question marks (who were on the roster last year and clearly didn't solve all the problems we had).
This is a fair criticism. The problem is that 1B prospects tend to be sluggers. You never know how they will translate into the bigs. Smoak and Davis were highly regarded, but did nothing of note when up w/ the Rangers. Davis found a perfect spot for him in Baltimore, but Smoak continues to struggle. Gallo, while not a 1B, is in that same category. The SP issue is one created, primarily, from trade deadline moves. A lot of talent has been traded away to bring in players for a pennant chase. It's the age old question of win now vs later. Given they've made the playoffs 5 of 7 years and have 2 AL pennants, it's hard to complain too much. Naturally the pipeline would start running a little dry.Quote:
And 1B isn't a new issue, our inability to develop a solid 1B despite numerous solid to excellent prospects is a real black eye on the organization's developmental structure. Actually I have numerous questions about our development pipeline but 1B is certainly the glaring one there (along with SP).
Last year was flukey. We dominated against teams with a winning record, and struggled against teams with a losing record. We set a new MLB mark in 1-run games, but it's hard to point to a short series as evidence of being exposed. Sometimes teams just don't match up well. Sometimes teams go cold. Beltre vanished in that series.Quote:
But again it comes down to how you feel we did last year. I feel our regular season record was a bit flukey and we got exposed in the postseason. I think our primary competitors are all better than they were last year and will pose a more significant challenge this year. And I think that we're overall a worse team than the one that closed the season last year.
But, I go back to my earlier comment. "Blowing this up" won't actually require a complete tear down and rebuilding. If they are out of it, you trade Hamels and Yu at the deadline. Those arms will net you a significant return. There's already a good young core here. It's more a transition than a rebuilding.
Yeah, I'm a bit confused -- on one hand you say we have these albatross contracts that hamstring our payroll (Choo, who will be tried at DH? who else?), but then say we have a bunch of expiring contracts after this year.
Do we have a bunch of young, major-league ready studs locked up long-term? No... But aside from the Cubs (2010-2014 averaged 93 losses) and Astros (2010-2014 averaged 100 losses), who does? The only way you get that is if you are really bad for a number of years and draft/trade talent for your "window".
It worked out for the Cubs (at least thus far, and even that took 7 games in the WS)... Verdict still out on the Astros.
Almost every other team is either dealing with a similar issue that we are, or are the big $$$ teams that don't ever truly rebuild (Boston, New York, Los Angeles, San Fran).
I guess look at it this way -- had Nelson Cruz not misplayed that ball and Texas won a 2011 title, is there a team in baseball that you would have been happy to trade places with the last 7 years? The Giants... that's it... And that's potentially looking like one of the greatest baseball dynasties of the last few decades.
Here are your teams that have made the World Series the last 7 years. In parenthesis are the number of seasons they played 0.500 ball or worse that span.
San Fran (1)
Texas (1)
St. Louis (0)
Detroit (2)
Boston (3)
Kansas City (4)
New York Mets (5)
Chicago Cubs (5)
Cleveland Indians (3)
Do we have a bunch of young, major-league ready studs locked up long-term? No... But aside from the Cubs (2010-2014 averaged 93 losses) and Astros (2010-2014 averaged 100 losses), who does? The only way you get that is if you are really bad for a number of years and draft/trade talent for your "window".
It worked out for the Cubs (at least thus far, and even that took 7 games in the WS)... Verdict still out on the Astros.
Almost every other team is either dealing with a similar issue that we are, or are the big $$$ teams that don't ever truly rebuild (Boston, New York, Los Angeles, San Fran).
I guess look at it this way -- had Nelson Cruz not misplayed that ball and Texas won a 2011 title, is there a team in baseball that you would have been happy to trade places with the last 7 years? The Giants... that's it... And that's potentially looking like one of the greatest baseball dynasties of the last few decades.
Here are your teams that have made the World Series the last 7 years. In parenthesis are the number of seasons they played 0.500 ball or worse that span.
San Fran (1)
Texas (1)
St. Louis (0)
Detroit (2)
Boston (3)
Kansas City (4)
New York Mets (5)
Chicago Cubs (5)
Cleveland Indians (3)
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