TheAngelFlight said:

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Nothing could make me trade a future top-3 all time shortstop Hall of Famer signed for $15 million a year.

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It would almost be worth renewing my subscription to get the heart.

It all begins tonight when voting for the ASG ends and Andrus is named to the ASG!

17 BS. MLB leading.

A few games go our way and we're a 50 win team by this point. We should have gone to a committee much sooner.

Also, Dyson with 3 saves with SF.

TXAggie2011 said:

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Farm isn't healthy enough that I think I can be convinced the Rangers need to be buyers for the sake of consolidating a spot in a single wild card game.

That doesn't mean that I think they should be sellers.

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Agreed. If this team looked like a juggernaut but was behind Houston by a handful of games then maybe. But even if the bullpen does suddenly turn it around and we come out in the 2nd half like gangbusters and win every series -- we'd still likely be 10 or more games behind Houston by the trade deadline.

If we're hovering near 0.500, you soft sell. Expendable pieces that doesn't keep you from competing the rest of the way -- Lucroy, Cashner, Napoli,etc...

Otherwise, it just depends on what the conversation has been with Darvish and what our feelings are on Otani.

If we do fall out of the race, I'd love to see our trading of expendable pieces be topped off with a Darvish extension announcement.

AccidentProne: any idea on why they don't have advance parking available for this Saturday nights game (July 8th):
http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/MLBEventInfo?orgid=22248&agency=MLB&pid=8392683&tfl=Texas_Rangers-Tickets-Tickets_Parking_Index-na-x0

They are available for other games beyond the all-star break.

And thanks for the discount code you make available on this thread. We used it to get our six tickets for Saturday nights game.

AccidentProne, I'm passing this on to you to pass on to the team.

My wife said they ALL need to shave off those scraggly-ass beards, like Hamels did, in order to change the mojo and turn this thing around. Baseball guys are superstitious like that, ya know.

KT 90 said:

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AccidentProne: any idea on why they don't have advance parking available for this Saturday nights game (July 8th):
http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/MLBEventInfo?orgid=22248&agency=MLB&pid=8392683&tfl=Texas_Rangers-Tickets-Tickets_Parking_Index-na-x0

They are available for other games beyond the all-star break.

And thanks for the discount code you make available on this thread. We used it to get our six tickets for Saturday nights game.

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Shoot me an email. I'll help you out.

jchance at texasrangers.com

What do we do about CF for 2018 and beyond?

It is noted that the Rangers could be a fit for Andrew McCutchen (30), and we have the prospects to get him. While I'd rather have him in LF than Deshields\Profar or in RF instead of Choo, I don't want us trading for him. It is an interesting thought. .283, 16 HR, 6 SB in 2017 for McC. That would add a big RHB, replacing Napoli's lack of production.

McC has a team option for 2018 ($14.75M), and then FA. They suggest either Leody Taveras (our #1 prospect, OF eta 2020) OR YoMen (our #2, SP, eta 2017). IMO, not at the cost of either player mentioned. If we could package Profar, et al... maybe.

If we decide to lock-up Carlos Gomez (31)... Maybe a 3-4 year $15M per?! He seems to like how he fits here. I think he'd sign. Just a matter of the Rangers' wanting to allocate the money.

I'd like the idea of:
Gomez (31: .256, 12HR, 7SB, MLB)
Mazara (22: .254, 11HR, 2SB, MLB) is locked up through 2021
Taveras (18: .265, 5HR, 12SB, A)

Or even go after McCutchen as a FA for 2019?

Quality OF is going to be a need, having traded Nick Williams and Lewis Brinson.

If the Rangers sign Yu Darvish at some point, they're going to run up against budget issues real quick this off-season, which would make me pretty critical of anyone making $15 million next season as McCutchen would.

There is around $88 million in Hamels, Choo, Beltre, Andrus, Chirinos, Odor, and Prince Fielder. They have another ~ $5 in buyouts for Napoli ($2.5 million), Perez ($2.45 million) and Barnette ($0.25 million).

Napoli would be $11 million, Perez $6 million, and Barnette $4 million to have back.


I like McCutchen but also can't figure him out. The raw production numbers were bad last year, have recovered this season, but sabermetric stats are still well below what he once produced.

All depends on how the contract is structured/backloaded. Texas will likely have close to $185m+ to play with for 2019 and beyond, so if there's a fit I don't imagine $$$ will be the issue.

Perez will be back. At $6M, we signed Tyson Ross, whom we knew would not be available for quite some time.

$96.55M committed in 2018 gets you Hamels ($23.5M), Choo ($20M), Beltre ($18M), Elvis ($15.25), No Napoli, Perez ($6M), Chirinos, No Barnette, and Odor ($3.33M).

Arbs: Diekman (A3), Jeffress (A2), AJG (A3), Profar (A2) and ancillary players.
Serfs: Bush, Alvarez, Claudio, LeClerc ($540K each) ~ $2M

You don't have: Carlos Gomez (OF), Darvish (SP), Cashner (SP), Ross (SP), Lucroy (C), Grilli.

Rangers have signaled Lucroy won't get a QO. Open to trading him... he aint coming back. Enter Brett Nicholas. Ross is no loss (as of now).

You need an OF and 2 SPs. We'll know soon enough if the Rangers trade for Int'l slot money, if Ohtani is in play. Sign Darvish to $30M and Ohtani to $5M and you are in business for a roster of $132M (plus Arbs and $2M in serfs).
Rotation: Darvish, Hamels, Perez, Ohtani, <Yo Men>
IF: Gallo, Odor, Andrus, Beltre
C: Chirinos & Nicholas
OF: Mazara, Choo, <Insert player>
RP: Bush, Alvarez, Claudio, LeClerc, Diekman, Jeffress

Unknown how a $20 million posting fee for Otani would factor into things, and besides, I would wait for some indication he's going to be posted before planning the budget and roster around him. My totally own personal guess is a team with a better ability to up their international salary pool will buck up the $20 million and land him, if he were to be posted.

A decision will need to be made as to Delino Deshields role moving forward, and that will directly effect if the Rangers can finally achieve (my) goal of Shin-Soo Choo being able to sell every outfielder's glove he owns and just go live in the batting cage.

And on that note, an outfield of Choo, Mazara, and McCutchen would be one stupendously bad defensive outfield.

You can't give up Mendez for one+ year of McCutchen. Young pitching is too hard to come by, and even through McCutchen has rebounded somewhat this year, I still see him as on the decline overall from his previous numbers he was putting up. If he was available for a lower price then maybe, but Mendez can't be part of the deal.

In my opinion, nothing inherently wrong with adding a 30-31 year old on a one year plus change contract.

He's not going to win the MVP but he's posting close to a .900 OPS and oWAR of 2.3 so far this season. He'd be leading or near the top in just about every offensive category.

But the defense is poor which is part of my conundrum---setting aside trading prospects aside for a minute. He'd probably make a nice DH for a year. But that's where I think Choo needs to be.

The posting fee is not going to be the factor with Otani -- any team is more than willing to pay that for his talents.

The question will be whether or not there will be exceptions, loopholes, or flat out underhanded dealings when it comes to his posting that allows a team to circumvent the the cap and money-whip him (eg. offer a 1-day minor league deal with a behind the scenes agreement to then sign him to a mega-contract).

TheAngelFlight said:

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You forgot Prince Fielder and however the $20 million posting fee for Ohtani would factor into things, and besides, I would wait for some indication he's going to be posted before planning the budget and roster around him. My totally own personal guess is a team with a better ability to up their international salary pool will buck up the $20 million and land him, if he were to be posted.

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Fielder's cost is built-in. Taken from COTS.

Thoughts are there are only a handful of teams that can get Ohtani. And I haven't called AccidentProne to get my Season Tickets, just yet.

Ohtani will be looking for an opportunity to pitch and hit, which means DH for an AL team.

So, we're down to 15 teams right out of the gate.

If joining Darvish has influence, along with the $20M posting fee and accommodating him at DH, that has it down to about 5 teams max, from what has been rumored. NYYankees, Seattle Mariners and Texas for sure. Who else? I don't see Seattle going for Darvish.

Here is a list of the top prospects I could find that have signed... Teams are only allowed to acquire upto 75% of their pool money, via trades.

Rays ($5.25M Pool money): $1.425 remains
#1 Franco ($3.825M)

Red Socks ($4.75M Pool money): $7.26M signed, required $2.51 needed and got from Reds and Cards.
#2 Flores ($3.1M)
#13 Diaz ($1.6M)
#20 Flores ($1.4M)
Abreu ($450K)

Twins ($5.25M Pool money): $1.95M remains
#3 Marte ($3.0M)
Baez ($300K)

NYYankees ($4.75M Pool money): $1.25 remains, plus what they got from Balt via trade.
#4 Pereira ($1.5M)
#16 Chirinos ($900K)
Garcia ($500K)
Rosario ($300K)
Marte ($200K)
Vega ($100K)
5 additional players listed

BlueJays ($4.75M Pool money): $1.275 remains
#5 Pardinho ($1.4M)
#17 Hiraldo ($750K)
Melean
Jimenez ($825K)
Rodriguez ($500K)

Mariners ($4.75M Pool money): $1.775 remains
#9 Rodriguez ($1.75M)
#26 Querecuto ($1.225M)

Rangers ($4.75M Pool money): $1.45 remains
#19 Rodriguez ($1M)
#25 Patino ($1.3M)
#27 Mendoza ($1M)
7 additional players listed

$5.75M Pool money: Balt, Cle, KC
$5.25M Pool money: Oak
$4.75M Pool money: CWS, LAA, Houston, Detroit:

The following AL teams cannot sign players for more than $300K, due to penalties: A's, Astros and Royals. They are out.

free_mhayden said:

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The posting fee is not going to be the factor with Otani -- any team is more than willing to pay that for his talents.

The question will be whether or not there will be exceptions, loopholes, or flat out underhanded dealings when it comes to his posting that allows a team to circumvent the the cap and money-whip him (eg. offer a 1-day minor league deal with a behind the scenes agreement to then sign him to a mega-contract).

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You've perhaps misunderstood. I'm speaking to the effect of the posting fee on the team's budget. Everyone will pay; unknown if everyone will then go spend as usual or they'll be constrained some amount due to the posting fee.

I'm sure this has been addressed before, but I'll read that post when 85% of it appears to not be irrelevant lists of names.

free_mhayden said:

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The posting fee is not going to be the factor with Otani -- any team is more than willing to pay that for his talents.

The question will be whether or not there will be exceptions, loopholes, or flat out underhanded dealings when it comes to his posting that allows a team to circumvent the the cap and money-whip him (eg. offer a 1-day minor league deal with a behind the scenes agreement to then sign him to a mega-contract).

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I know there is talk about finding a loophole. MLB has been cracking down on some of these things. It will be interesting to see how it all goes down.

The only thing I can see, is if they look at a long-term deal. Once he signs, he'll be a serf for 3 years, and then have 3 Arb years, right?

Sign him to a 6+ year deal, salaries of $550K for 3 years, then build his Arb commits. Say, $15M for each Arb.

Go 6 yr/$47M deal? It'd still be cheaper than the old posting format.

TheAngelFlight said:

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I'm sure this has been addressed before, but I'll read that post when 85% of it appears to not be irrelevant lists of names.

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I only listed the names for reference. Too many Rodriguez.

I think a lot of clubs would try to just eat the $20 million but might be some out there that would have to commit a little less to the rest of the roster.

Its mostly all speculation right now whether he'll get posted or not. I'm with the thought its not worth too much attention right now.

TheAngelFlight said:

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free_mhayden said:

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The posting fee is not going to be the factor with Otani -- any team is more than willing to pay that for his talents.

The question will be whether or not there will be exceptions, loopholes, or flat out underhanded dealings when it comes to his posting that allows a team to circumvent the the cap and money-whip him (eg. offer a 1-day minor league deal with a behind the scenes agreement to then sign him to a mega-contract).

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You've perhaps misunderstood. I'm speaking to the effect of the posting fee on the team's budget. Everyone will pay; unknown if everyone will then go spend as usual or they'll be constrained some amount due to the posting fee.

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The time between the committal of the posting fee and the announcement of the acceptance is a very short time. Teams aren't going to be waiting around with a $20m offer extended waiting to make their next move... and the teams that have similar/better options in their price range aren't going to be impacted significantly if they hit the lotto and land him.

Moustakas gets final all star vote over Elvis.

gigem1223 said:

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Moustakas gets final all star vote over Elvis.

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Figures. Remember when the Royals almost had the entire starting lineup for the ASG a couple seasons ago? Elvis was definitely on the most "small market" team of the guys going for that final vote. Sucks because he is actually having a better year than Boegarts is all things considered.

free_mhayden said:

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TheAngelFlight said:

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free_mhayden said:

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The posting fee is not going to be the factor with Otani -- any team is more than willing to pay that for his talents.

The question will be whether or not there will be exceptions, loopholes, or flat out underhanded dealings when it comes to his posting that allows a team to circumvent the the cap and money-whip him (eg. offer a 1-day minor league deal with a behind the scenes agreement to then sign him to a mega-contract).

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You've perhaps misunderstood. I'm speaking to the effect of the posting fee on the team's budget. Everyone will pay; unknown if everyone will then go spend as usual or they'll be constrained some amount due to the posting fee.

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The time between the committal of the posting fee and the announcement of the acceptance is a very short time. Teams aren't going to be waiting around with a $20m offer extended waiting to make their next move... and the teams that have similar/better options in their price range aren't going to be impacted significantly if they hit the lotto and land him.

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The bolded part is getting to addressing what I was saying but I'm not what the limiting language of "similar/better" is for.

What's being pondered here is more this: does the team that wins the negotiating rights, when that GM turns around and asks owners if he can go sign some middling veteran to a $10 million deal for the season, does the owner say "eh, I just wrote you a $20 million check; you got a youngster that can fill that spot?"

It's not limited to pondering the affect of the posting fee on signing a $20 million free agent but a more general affect on the yearly budget. And yes, most franchises have a yearly budget. Pondering how flexible that will be for the winning team.

If you want season tickets for the new stadium, you better get on board now. The reseating process is going to be a pain in the ass, and people who wait until 2020 to buy will likely get shafted because there won't be any inventory available in the infield

I've already got a long list of people ready to buy, but if you get in this year you'll have priority moving forward.

AccidentProne said:

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If you want season tickets for the new stadium, you better get on board now. The reseating process is going to be a pain in the ass, and people who wait until 2020 to buy will likely get shafted because there won't be any inventory available in the infield

I've already got a long list of people ready to buy, but if you get in this year you'll have priority moving forward.

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I'll keep that in mind. Thanks. It just never seems feasible. Every time I get a raise at work, the private schools my kids go to... seem to have an inside track on what that number is and they say, "He is getting $X, so we'll raise our prices to consume all of that." If I get a $5K raise, school tuition goes up $6K. If I get a $10K raise, tuition goes up $12K.

Too many games to boot. I had. Diamondback season tix for 8 years. 1st with another couple. That was 41 games, eventually we had 2 other couples to make it more manageable. We still wasted many tickets. I now go to just a handful of games and buy much better seats.

It's definitely true not every franchise will be able to blink at a $20 million check and go on with the rest of the off-season unaffected.

Rangers may not be one of those franchises but Daniels has come up against yearly constraints before.

I'll wait until Ohani is posted and then worry about it. Not sure he'll be coming for another 2 years.

I've always thought one of the better ways to be a season ticket is with a group. If you can manage the tickets well enough, then it's a no brainer. One of my current clients has 4 seats about 6 rows behind the Rangers dugout, and he splits it probably 8 different ways. That way you still get best available seats, lowest price per game, best postseason options, etc.

We still have prorated plans and premium inventory available if anyone is interested. Like I said before, if you're thinking about being a season ticket holder in the new stadium and you don't currently have a plan, I highly recommend getting on board now and start building tenure with at least a half season plan.

Huell Babineaux said:

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DallasAg 94 said:

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AccidentProne said:

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If you want season tickets for the new stadium, you better get on board now. The reseating process is going to be a pain in the ass, and people who wait until 2020 to buy will likely get shafted because there won't be any inventory available in the infield

I've already got a long list of people ready to buy, but if you get in this year you'll have priority moving forward.

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I'll keep that in mind. Thanks. It just never seems feasible. Every time I get a raise at work, the private schools my kids go to... seem to have an inside track on what that number is and they say, "He is getting $X, so we'll raise our prices to consume all of that." If I get a $5K raise, school tuition goes up $6K. If I get a $10K raise, tuition goes up $12K.

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Then get your kids out of private school and stop wasting your money

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This x100000000000000000000000

Huell Babineaux said:

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DallasAg 94 said:

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I'll keep that in mind. Thanks. It just never seems feasible. Every time I get a raise at work, the private schools my kids go to... seem to have an inside track on what that number is and they say, "He is getting $X, so we'll raise our prices to consume all of that." If I get a $5K raise, school tuition goes up $6K. If I get a $10K raise, tuition goes up $12K.

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Then get your kids out of private school and stop wasting your money

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You really have no idea how attractive that is. I just don't think I will ever be done paying for school.

A few years ago, I tried to convince my wife and kids to go home-school for a couple years. There is this "Residence at Sea." Check it out. I home office, so we could tour the world. For about what I'm paying, I could own a place there and it circumnavigates the Earth every 2-3 years. Prices were like $300K plus $10K in annual maintenance (aka Taxes).

I figure I could save on Income Tax and travel the world.

OR... I could get Rangers Season Tickets.