This is my concern as well

Mr Gigem said:

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When I say go all in on Soto, that also includes do what it takes to extend him. There is a need for a corner OF, and there won't be a FA this offseason that even comes close. If you want to jump in and make a run at the playoffs, then do it. Put your money where you mouth is

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We'll know in 5-6 days.

Proposition Joe said:

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Soto is going to test free agency. There's zero reason for him to commit long-term to a team that is 6+ years removed from a playoff appearance without hearing other offers.

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Then you make him offer that convinces him stay, especially if you've made the playoffs in 2023 & 2024

DallasAg 94 said:

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rbtexan said:

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Unless you're one of the 3 or 4 worst teams in baseball, tanking makes no sense whatsoever. This isn't the NFL where having the #1 pick will make your team immediately better. The 1st two picks in this year's draft likely are 3-5 years from being in the majors.

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You realize that was our strategy for the past 3-4 years, right?! We were literally tanking the season to get a Top draft pick.

There are ways to be one of the 3-4 "worst" teams.

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I don't necessarily agree with this assessment, but even if it's accurate, that time has passed. We're NOT one of the 3-4 worst teams in the league and it's silly to suggest that is some sort of admirable goal to accomplish.

This team is much closer to contending than it has been in years. Let it play out.

We offered a ton of money to A Fraud two decades ago and look where that got us. Don't make the same mistake with Soto.

Soto alone will not get us a world series win. So unless we have the money for both him and a few pitchers he's not worth it in my opinion.

Reality is that teams that are the 5 worst can do a helluva lot better job of tanking. There's unlikely to be any meaningful ground to make up. It's time to learn how to win

On a somewhat related note, I listened to an interview with Kip ***g about the draft, Rocker, etc. One thing that I found surprising and amusing was his assessment of the Dillon Tate pick - he said basically "yeah, that was a mistake, that was a miss." I appreciated the honesty of that answer.

I feel better about Rocker's medicals after listening, he was emphatic that they had done a thorough job of vetting his health.

DallasAg 94 said:

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If we selloff Perez, Moore, Bush, Burke... man we're right in the thick of worst teams. Until they sell.

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Of those 4, the only ones I'd get rid of at this point are Moore and Bush. And neither are likely to bring much...but then neither would Perez. Oddly enough, Burke probably has the most value in a trade.

rbtexan said:

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DallasAg 94 said:

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If we selloff Perez, Moore, Bush, Burke... man we're right in the thick of worst teams. Until they sell.

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Of those 4, the only ones I'd get rid of at this point are Moore and Bush. And neither are likely to bring much...but then neither would Perez. Oddly enough, Burke probably has the most value in a trade.

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Agreed.

But, you have to admit... getting rid of those 4 would greatly improve our chances of losing.

The difference between you and me is, I'm not interested in seeing this team try to tank this year. Those days are, and should be, behind us.

Yeah, I just think the tank mindset is a dangerous one to allow to enter your clubhouse for too long. 2 years is the absolute limit in my book, and preferably only one.

Rangers ranked 8th most expensive team to go see..wow!!!!

The only players that we need to be selling are the Calhoun's of the team (and by sell I mean dump) and the glut of infield prospects that we have. I see almost no benefit to keeping all of the guys like Foscue, Duran, Smith, Jung etc. Try and flip some of them for a guy already in the MLB (pitcher or hitter), or if that doesn't work, try and flip them for another high level pitching prospect who's close to the MLB.

Tksymm7 said:

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The only players that we need to be selling are the Calhoun's of the team (and by sell I mean dump) and the glut of infield prospects that we have. I see almost no benefit to keeping all of the guys like Foscue, Duran, Smith, Jung etc. Try and flip some of them for a guy already in the MLB (pitcher or hitter), or if that doesn't work, try and flip them for another high level pitching prospect who's close to the MLB.

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Yes to Foscue

Yes to one of Duran or Smith

Maybe to Jung

You listed three 3B there. Need to keep two of them probably

They believe in Jung, which gives me hope, but he HAS to stay healthy. I agree with you though, they need to hold on to at least one; whoever they believe has the highest upside. I also believe the Rangers are entering that period where they need to start either using these prospects at MLB level consistently, or trade them for guys who are already there.

Tksymm7 said:

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They believe in Jung, which gives me hope, but he HAS to stay healthy. I agree with you though, they need to hold on to at least one; whoever they believe has the highest upside. I also believe the Rangers are entering that period where they need to start either using these prospects at MLB level consistently, or trade them for guys who are already there.

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Jung easily has the most potential of the group. He just needs to stay healthy. Hopefully these two injuries are flukes.

Not to mention the draft is a lottery now so tanking doesn't guarantee top 3-4 pick.

rbtexan said:

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The difference between you and me is, I'm not interested in seeing this team try to tank this year. Those days are, and should be, behind us.

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I don't think there is a difference. I'm not interested in seeing this team tank, but that decision was already made, so I'm embracing it. I didn't think we should have tanked prior to this year, and I believe at the Trade Deadline, we should be making moves to win. But, here we are.

I'm also interested in auditioning some guys and giving them some opportunity for meaningful low-stress experience.

Proposition Joe said:

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Soto is going to test free agency. There's zero reason for him to commit long-term to a team that is 6+ years removed from a playoff appearance without hearing other offers.

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I don't really see this happening (waiting until he hits FA). He'll sign a gnarly extension with whichever team lands him and THEN hit the FA market after that. He'll wind up with 2 massive contracts over his career with a higher AAV than the $440 he passed up.

Trade for him, sign him for 5 years in addition to his 2 remaining (or a brand new 7). And he can hit the market again at 30. The longer he waits, the further out he pushes that second contract and that could drive down his value later.

And the last line is BS…if that were true, neither Seager nor Semien would have signed here. Between the talent about to hit the show and the core that's already there , this is a great landing spot. The question is how much of that talent do we have to exchange for him.

investorAg83 said:

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Proposition Joe said:

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Soto is going to test free agency. There's zero reason for him to commit long-term to a team that is 6+ years removed from a playoff appearance without hearing other offers.

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I don't really see this happening (waiting until he hits FA). He'll sign a gnarly extension with whichever team lands him and THEN hit the FA market after that. He'll wind up with 2 massive contracts over his career with a higher AAV than the $440 he passed up.

Trade for him, sign him for 5 years in addition to his 2 remaining (or a brand new 7). And he can hit the market again at 30. The longer he waits, the further out he pushes that second contract and that could drive down his value later.

And the last line is BS…if that were true, neither Seager nor Semien would have signed here. Between the talent about to hit the show and the core that's already there , this is a great landing spot. The question is how much of that talent do we have to exchange for him.

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Soto is 23. Seager is 28. Semien is 31.

It would be funny to have the Buzzy "S"s... or some sort of moniker name.

As mentioned, there will be plenty of "Opt-Outs" in Soto's contract. 100%.

A +5 (7 yrs) contract puts him at 30... he'll get 10 yrs. That will put him at 33. He'll have "Opt-Outs" at age 27 and likely 28. He'll then Opt-Out... say 27. He'll sign another long-term deal.

Seager and Semien didn't have that luxury. Really good players, but they were signing a contract at their prime and trying to add-in non-prime years.

Semien is likely on the back-side of his career and in 2-3 years, he'll be noticeably declined. He will be 37 in his final year of his contract. Is he worth $26M at 35 and 36?!

investorAg83 said:

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Proposition Joe said:

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Soto is going to test free agency. There's zero reason for him to commit long-term to a team that is 6+ years removed from a playoff appearance without hearing other offers.

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I don't really see this happening (waiting until he hits FA). He'll sign a gnarly extension with whichever team lands him and THEN hit the FA market after that. He'll wind up with 2 massive contracts over his career with a higher AAV than the $440 he passed up.

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He turned down a $440m offer from the Nationals -- if they had an offer like that on the table, they were more than willing to go less years with a higher AAV. He turned it down because he knows he can get those same type offers while also having his choice of team.

Quote:

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And the last line is BS…if that were true, neither Seager nor Semien would have signed here.

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Both Seager and Semien were signed as free agents -- they heard other offers, and based on their age and what they got, they went with the best one. Not some idea that "oh we really like what they have going in Texas they've been rocking an average of 60-70 wins a year for the last 5 years but that 12th best farm system - LOOK OUT!".


If Soto was interested in simply signing a big contract now to get the clock started on his next big contract, then he would have just signed with the Nats instead of rolling the dice on where he's going to wind up for 2.5 seasons.

I'm guessing 10 years, close to $400 mill, and opt-outs that start 5-7 years into the deal. That would set him up to snag an even bigger deal while he's still around 30. Or if he somehow gets hurt or flames out for some reason, he happily collects his whole $400 mill

I'm likely completely wrong on this, but I have a hard time believing that Scott Boras is going to sign a superstar client of Soto's magnitude to a long-term deal without ever testing free agency. If he were 27 or 28, then maybe. But I actually think being 23 works against teams hoping to extend him.

I would absolutely, positively, 100% not trade for Soto unless a contract extension was locked up, and I don't think that's going to happen. The price for a 2 year rental is too steep given where the Rangers are currently as a team and organization.

In terms of dollars per year, I don't see Sota getting much more than 40-45 per year even if he hits the open market in 2 1/2 years. At some point owners are not going to want to pay a single player almost 1/4 of the soft salary cap, because the the competitive balance tax penalties can get pretty steep and the ROI isn't there.

Heyman still saying we're at the forefront of the Soto trade talks

I just saw this article/report. It does make me happy that our owners and front office are legitimately interested and at the forefront of talks. Means they are looking to get back to relevancy and the playoffs.

Lol. Bases loaded no outs and 3 straight strikeouts. That was bad

Mets getting Naquin shrinks the field even more for Soto. Probably realistically down to Padres, Cards, Rangers.

ryanhnc10 said:

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Lol. Bases loaded no outs and 3 straight strikeouts. That was bad

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I missed the first few innings and saw this gem:

The Rangers loaded the bases with no outs in the first against Shohei Ohtani. They did not score.

— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) July 29, 2022

This team is ridiculous.

Starting to get a little excited about Howard. He's showing some progress.