Very weird that we get an immediate off day. But honestly maybe the bullpen needed that after having to use 7 guys yesterday.....

While odd, I don't think this day off after opening day is all that uncommon. They do it because it provides a weather buffer in case of a rainout or extreme cold on opening day - the ticketholders who forked out bucks to attend opening day would get a crack the next day. About half the league is off today.

Why in the world did we spend money on Lance Lynn & Mike Minor?

Ryno01 said:

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Why in the world did we spend money on Lance Lynn & Mike Minor?

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Minor isn't a bad pitcher.... He's just nowhere near a number one starter. Therein lies the issues with the entire rotation. If Minor is the best you're rolling out there, you're in trouble.

jtstanley4621 said:

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Ryno01 said:

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Why in the world did we spend money on Lance Lynn & Mike Minor?

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Minor isn't a bad pitcher.... He's just nowhere near a number one starter. Therein lies the issues with the entire rotation. If Minor is the best you're rolling out there, you're in trouble.

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Im okay him being our #1....but I guess that's my problem....why are we paying so much for both?!?!
I get it we are in suck mode.....but we have to pay that much to suck?!?!?

Just pray the Dodgers and Yankees will want them at deadline?!?!? Pray for injuries to their SPs?!?!

Im not okay us paying:
Lance Lynn: $11,000,000
Mike Minor: $9,333,3333

Choo
$21,000,000
Fielder
$24,000,000

And baseball and union players are mad that arbitration and free agency are not going the way they want it to.....are you ****ting me?1!?!?!

Oakland (they sell before they have to pay) and Houston (doing a mix) are the model

I dont know what we are doing....only franchise in worse shape is Baltimore
Chris Davis $23,000,000
Andrew Cashner $9,500,000
Alex Cobb $14,000,000
Mark Trumbo $13,500,000

Pujols contract is bad...buy Miggy Cabrera is almost 36 and will be paid $32 mil until 2023 and then '24 and '25 are option years

Minor and Lynn are basically the 50-60 range as far as highest paid pitchers. The top 90 paid pitchers make $7 mill or more. There are 120 pitchers making $5 mill or more. It's just a position that commands decent dough even for mid-rotation spares.

And Fielder is costing them $9 mill, not $24. Detroit is paying $6 and insurance is paying $9.

the team isn't in a position to compete this year but someone has to take the ball, so I don't really see an issue with these deals that hope they'll end up with a guy they can flip mid-season. The alternative is just having Bob Simpson have a little more cash to plush out his Grand Cayman house a little more.

this process isn't fun, but they competed for titles for a nearly decade. The time to pay the piper has come.

DannyDuberstein said:

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Minor and Lynn are basically the 50-60 range as far as highest paid pitchers. The top 90 paid pitchers make $7 mill or more. There are 120 pitchers making $5 mill or more. It's just a position that commands decent dough even for mid-rotation spares.

And Fielder is costing them $9 mill, not $24. Detroit is paying $6 and insurance is paying $9.

the team isn't in a position to compete this year but someone has to take the ball, so I don't really see an issue with these deals that hope they'll end up with a guy they can flip mid-season. The alternative is just having Bob Simpson have a little more cash to plush out his Grand Cayman house a little more.

this process isn't fun, but they competed for titles for a nearly decade. The time to pay the piper has come.

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This isn't about paying the spoils from the run.

20th in MLB in salary at $102M?!
Fielder was settled with the Insurance, because 60DL counted against the 40, in the off-season.
The $3M for Austin Jackson was merely an attempt to buy prospects.
Lance Lynn's 3yr/$30M signed this off-season is an attempt to get a trade at the deadline.

EVERY team has a Choo's contract.

This is about trying to stack the team for 2-3 years from now. It is selling what you can today, hoping you can get enough talent in 2-3 years to Win.

Traded away lots of talent in pennant races. Sure it is about paying the spoils

And they are 14th in payroll when you consider what they are paying for guys not on the roster, right at league avg.

On the Fielder deal, they worked out an arrangement with insurance so they could take him off the roster (simply acknowledging reality that he'd never play again), but I will guarantee you it didnt change the economics in any meaningful way. Daniels said it didn't change the finances.

Sure, we traded and lost (Rule V) significant talent.

Their payroll is about $40M below what it was 2 years ago. That's 2 very solid SPs.

Say we add Keuchel for $100M/5yrs (rumored asking price). I'm not saying he is worthy of 5yrs, nor am I saying he is a FoTR SP.

Yankees signed Gio Gonzalez to a minor league deal: 32 GS, 4.21 ERA, 171.0 IP.

But, signing Lance Lynn for 3yr/$30M is a head scratcher.

Drew Smyly was a salary dump from Cole Hamels.

Going with:
Keuchel
Minor (150 IP would be the cap)
Gio

Would be a great improvement. We could be competitive.

I'd think the fact that Keuchel is still available would rapidly lower the asking price.

Lucky #007 said:

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I'd think the fact that Keuchel is still available would rapidly lower the asking price.

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I would agree.

Even if you could get him on a 1 yr deal that was more than you'd normally pay in terms of annual average. Instead of the 18-19-20-21-22 scale for a 5 year deal... maybe you pay $21 for 1 year. He gets $3M more for 2019, but becomes a FA at the end of the season.

AND... if the Rangers were to negotiate trade clauses, it could be another injection of prospects, if the Rangers were to not do well.

He may be waiting it out... but I think a message has been sent by the teams. It is why you had a sudden flurry of players accept extensions early. de Grom, Verlander, et al all took extension, rather than risk FA next off-season. There are a bunch of 31+ year old SPs that may not get paid what they want.

Now is as good a time as any, to start looking at the future/minor league guys.

The Nashville Sounds (AAA), still seems weird.

They have 27 players currently on the roster, and will have to decide what to do with 2 of them. Likely pitchers.

SP: Could see a 6-Man rotation, or one could find themselves in Frisco.
Ariel Jurado (23-RHP-6'1"/180). Int'l. AA.Frisco/Rangers. On 40.
Brett Martin (23-LHP-6'4"/190). 4thRd 2014. AA.Frisco, last year. On 40.
Taylor Hearn (24-LHP-6'5"/210). 5th Rd 2015 (WSH) From Royse City, Okie Baptist. AA Frisco, last year. On 40.
Richelson Pena (25-RHP-6'1"/170). Int'l. AA.Frisco/AAA.RR
Phillips Valdez (27-RHP-6'2"/160). Int'l. AAA.Syr
Wes Benjamin (25-LHP-6'1"/180). 5th Rd 2014. SP in AA 2018

RP:
Zac Curtis (26-LHP) - Mid Tenn St connection
Del Pozo (26-LHP)
Tim Dillard (35-RHP) - Local mainstay.
Feigl (28-LHP)
Gardewine (25-RHP). On 40
Guerrieri (26-RHP) - Could be SP or long-reliever
Ronald Herrera (23-RHP) <- I think he is recovering from injury, so likely bumped to AA.
CD Pelham (24-LHP). On 40

C: Jose Trevino (26. On 40), Bandy (29. Mil in 2018), Moore (34. TB in 2018)
IF: d'Arnaud (3B-32. SF in 2018), Davidson (1B-28. CWS in 2018), Fontana (SS-27. LAA in 2018), White (2B-24. Oak in 2018. Profar trade), Wisdom (3B-27. On 40. StL in 2018)
OF: Calhoun (LF.On40), Granite (CF-26. FA from Minn&AAA. On40), Santana (CF-28. Atl in 2018), Tocci (CF-23. On40. 66 G for Rangers)

Ok... I'm depressed again.
1 of 3 Catchers were FA signings of guys that really are little more than fill-ins.
Your entire AAA IF is comprised of guys you picked up in the off-season.
3 of 5 OFs were picked up from other teams in the offseason.

Trevino is the only real prospect, with Willie Calhoun and hopeful prospect that is a DH, and marginal defender. And I don't see a backup MIF.

I'm suddenly realizing being in Nashville will limit the DFW coverage of the Rangers' AAA. Purposeful?

DallasAg 94 said:

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Now is as good a time as any, to start looking at the future/minor league guys.

The Nashville Sounds (AAA), still seems weird.

They have 27 players currently on the roster, and will have to decide what to do with 2 of them. Likely pitchers.

SP: Could see a 6-Man rotation, or one could find themselves in Frisco.
Ariel Jurado (23-RHP-6'1"/180). Int'l. AA.Frisco/Rangers. On 40.
Brett Martin (23-LHP-6'4"/190). 4thRd 2014. AA.Frisco, last year. On 40.
Taylor Hearn (24-LHP-6'5"/210). 5th Rd 2015 (WSH) From Royse City, Okie Baptist. AA Frisco, last year. On 40.
Richelson Pena (25-RHP-6'1"/170). Int'l. AA.Frisco/AAA.RR
Phillips Valdez (27-RHP-6'2"/160). Int'l. AAA.Syr
Wes Benjamin (25-LHP-6'1"/180). 5th Rd 2014. SP in AA 2018

RP:
Zac Curtis (26-LHP) - Mid Tenn St connection
Del Pozo (26-LHP)
Tim Dillard (35-RHP) - Local mainstay.
Feigl (28-LHP)
Gardewine (25-RHP). On 40
Guerrieri (26-RHP) - Could be SP or long-reliever
Ronald Herrera (23-RHP) <- I think he is recovering from injury, so likely bumped to AA.
CD Pelham (24-LHP). On 40

C: Jose Trevino (26. On 40), Bandy (29. Mil in 2018), Moore (34. TB in 2018)
IF: d'Arnaud (3B-32. SF in 2018), Davidson (1B-28. CWS in 2018), Fontana (SS-27. LAA in 2018), White (2B-24. Oak in 2018. Profar trade), Wisdom (3B-27. On 40. StL in 2018)
OF: Calhoun (LF.On40), Granite (CF-26. FA from Minn&AAA. On40), Santana (CF-28. Atl in 2018), Tocci (CF-23. On40. 66 G for Rangers)

Ok... I'm depressed again.
1 of 3 Catchers were FA signings of guys that really are little more than fill-ins.
Your entire AAA IF is comprised of guys you picked up in the off-season.
3 of 5 OFs were picked up from other teams in the offseason.

Trevino is the only real prospect, with Willie Calhoun and hopeful prospect that is a DH, and marginal defender. And I don't see a backup MIF.

I'm suddenly realizing being in Nashville will limit the DFW coverage of the Rangers' AAA. Purposeful?

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If you want to look towards the future of the Rangers skip AAA and start looking in Frisco and lower. Hearn and Calhoun are the only players in Nashville that look to be more than roster filler.

DallasAg 94 said:

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Now is as good a time as any, to start looking at the future/minor league guys.

The Nashville Sounds (AAA), still seems weird.

They have 27 players currently on the roster, and will have to decide what to do with 2 of them. Likely pitchers.

SP: Could see a 6-Man rotation, or one could find themselves in Frisco.
Ariel Jurado (23-RHP-6'1"/180). Int'l. AA.Frisco/Rangers. On 40.
Brett Martin (23-LHP-6'4"/190). 4thRd 2014. AA.Frisco, last year. On 40.
Taylor Hearn (24-LHP-6'5"/210). 5th Rd 2015 (WSH) From Royse City, Okie Baptist. AA Frisco, last year. On 40.
Richelson Pena (25-RHP-6'1"/170). Int'l. AA.Frisco/AAA.RR
Phillips Valdez (27-RHP-6'2"/160). Int'l. AAA.Syr
Wes Benjamin (25-LHP-6'1"/180). 5th Rd 2014. SP in AA 2018

RP:
Zac Curtis (26-LHP) - Mid Tenn St connection
Del Pozo (26-LHP)
Tim Dillard (35-RHP) - Local mainstay.
Feigl (28-LHP)
Gardewine (25-RHP). On 40
Guerrieri (26-RHP) - Could be SP or long-reliever
Ronald Herrera (23-RHP) <- I think he is recovering from injury, so likely bumped to AA.
CD Pelham (24-LHP). On 40

C: Jose Trevino (26. On 40), Bandy (29. Mil in 2018), Moore (34. TB in 2018)
IF: d'Arnaud (3B-32. SF in 2018), Davidson (1B-28. CWS in 2018), Fontana (SS-27. LAA in 2018), White (2B-24. Oak in 2018. Profar trade), Wisdom (3B-27. On 40. StL in 2018)
OF: Calhoun (LF.On40), Granite (CF-26. FA from Minn&AAA. On40), Santana (CF-28. Atl in 2018), Tocci (CF-23. On40. 66 G for Rangers)

Ok... I'm depressed again.
1 of 3 Catchers were FA signings of guys that really are little more than fill-ins.
Your entire AAA IF is comprised of guys you picked up in the off-season.
3 of 5 OFs were picked up from other teams in the offseason.

Trevino is the only real prospect, with Willie Calhoun and hopeful prospect that is a DH, and marginal defender. And I don't see a backup MIF.

I'm suddenly realizing being in Nashville will limit the DFW coverage of the Rangers' AAA. Purposeful?

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I don't think there was anything purposeful about going to Nashville. We tried to move to San Antonio, but the city of SA refused to help upgrade the stadium to a AAA level I believe. Nashville was the best option available. Haven't been there, but it a newer / modern AAA stadium and it's in a city with good airport connections. If somebody is recalled, there are plenty of flight options available.

And yes, beyond Hearn and Calhoun, not many legit prospects in AAA currently. Pelham possibly, Tocci hit better this Spring so maybe on him too, but he still is a long ways from a starting mlb outfielder. MAybe an eventual fourth mlb OF'er if he can keep the bat progressing.

One thing about Keuchel is that signing him before the draft (June) costs a draft pick (and Houston receives an extra pick). Not sure this team can afford to lose picks (not that they've been great at drafting).

The Sounds stadium is awesome, been to a few games there.

Nashville's team is twice as good as Round Rock last year....that team was just plain awful

KT 90 said:

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I don't think there was anything purposeful about going to Nashville. We tried to move to San Antonio, but the city of SA refused to help upgrade the stadium to a AAA level I believe. Nashville was the best option available. Haven't been there, but it a newer / modern AAA stadium and it's in a city with good airport connections. If somebody is recalled, there are plenty of flight options available.

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That was meant tongue-in-cheek.

dvldog said:

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One thing about Keuchel is that signing him before the draft (June) costs a draft pick (and Houston receives an extra pick). Not sure this team can afford to lose picks (not that they've been great at drafting).

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Great point.

Not a great start

Good AB by gallo

We did a redraft in our keeper league, and I ended up with Darvish.

Thought I'd get an easy W with him pitching against the Rangers.

Starting to sweat after the 3 BBs.

PWestAg18 said:

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This might be the most Yu Darvish inning I've ever seen. I know our pitching staff is hot garbage so I don't have much room to talk, but man this has reminded me why I was so happy we traded him.

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Yep.

SO... Darvish.

Shew... I know... terrible fan, but I need my stats.

1.0IP, 3Ks, 3BBs, 0H, 0ER, and almost 35 pitches thrown. Just Darvish being Darvish

Sounds like the game is being played in Wrigley

Mazara is just terrible on defense.

Who the frick is Gomez?

gigem1223 said:

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Who the frick is Gomez?

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Just another of the 20-25 FA spares the Rangers added to the talent pool.

Damn Joey.

Big fly.

I guess I don't understand how that's a legal pitch, but whatever. Still sent him back to the bench