2023 is actually a $35 mill player option with a $15 mill buyout for the Dodgers, so I don't think he is technically free yet. But I have to think that relationship ends for a new start elsewhere, but curious what the decision dates are. Either way, I assume the Dodgers pay him to go away, or maybe someone else agrees to pick up that deal which would be $22 mill after his docked pay

Mr. GigEm

Any word on Bally Sports' efforts to secure the direct to consumer (DTC) rights for Rangers games?

I would gladly pay whatever they asked for the app if it showed Ranger games.

Conforto to the Giants

The Bally situation was discussed in the latest "Follow The Money" episode....I apologize that I can't recap it, it's a non-issue for me living in TN so I sort of zoned out. But I do recall that there's been turnover at the upper levels of Bally corporate and the new guy used to work for ESPN, so hopefully it will improve for those of you who are having to deal with that stupid sh*t.

It's a free podcast fwiw, and a good listen anyway.

I'm all about it; dude has great stuff and a dog mentality. Always liked his approach to the game.

Thank you - I'll check it out.

Found this as well - sounds like a resolution one way or another is coming.

https://nypost.com/2022/12/18/mlb-nba-and-nhl-unlikely-to-save-tv-regional-sports-networks-sources/

EDIT: Thumbnail sketch is Diamond (which owns Bally) will likely file bankruptcy early in 2023 in order to stop paying franchises for the bad local broadcast deals they are part of (see below). Teams are expected to quickly set up some local option (that hopefully is easily accessible) and then start marketing their rights to tech companies like Amazon, Meta, etc.

The Rangers are presently getting $80 MM a year for local broadcast rights sale to Bally - and that may go away this spring. From 2010:

https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/rangers/2010/09/27/rangers-new-20-year-tv-deal-worth-80-million-a-year/#:~:text=There%20is%20in%20fact%20a,to%20%2480%20million%20a%20year.

Quote:

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11:46 AM on Sep 27, 2010

There is in fact a 20-year deal in place. A more accurate figure for the Fox Sports Southwest-Rangers deal, reports a TV executive in the know, "is somewhere between $1.5 billion and $1.6 billion." That translates into the neighborhood of $75 million to $80 million a year.

Not as tony a neighborhood as $150 million a year but not half bad.

And, the source said, it would not be wrong to assume that some of $1.5 to $1.6 billion will be paid up front. "Like a signing bonus for a player," the TV executive said.

The new TV deal doesn't go into effect to until the current one expires after the 2014 season. The "signing bonus" of say, $80 million, will be delivered

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FWIU the back story on Bauer was that he had a rough HS.

He was pushed around/bullied and treated poorly not just by teammates but in general. I don't know if he was awkward and brought some of that on himself, or if he was truly one of those kids that gets bullied.

I was on that people just bullied because I was an easy target. He may have just done things people found annoying and brought it on.

Regardless, he dedicated himself to being the best pitcher and as he continued to rise in talent he treated others as he had learned to be treated. He became a terrible teammate that would provoke others to not like him.

He was (may still be) a phenomenal pitcher. My question about signing him would start with his mental rehab. If he has been in counseling for how he carries himself publicly and in the locker room, I'd have no issues signing him to a long-term deal. Assuming he has kept hiss physical ability.

There are some questionable claims by the accuser. It is hard to know what truly happened. Did he punch her? Was it consensual?! The fact she confessed that she went back to his place after the events she claimed had happened makes me suspect she was looking to get paid.

If he is still as good as he was, with deGrom, Bauer, Perez, Gray, Heaney, Odirizzi... would we be favorites for the AL Pennant?!

Throwing out the accusation I really don't know if Bauer is that great. He had a huge jump in spin rate and MPH that led to his dominance. If he returns back to his typical form he's in no way worth the money he'd command.

DallasAg 94 said:

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FWIU the back story on Bauer was that he had a rough HS.

He was pushed around/bullied and treated poorly not just by teammates but in general. I don't know if he was awkward and brought some of that on himself, or if he was truly one of those kids that gets bullied.

I was on that people just bullied because I was an easy target. He may have just done things people found annoying and brought it on.

Regardless, he dedicated himself to being the best pitcher and as he continued to rise in talent he treated others as he had learned to be treated. He became a terrible teammate that would provoke others to not like him.

He was (may still be) a phenomenal pitcher. My question about signing him would start with his mental rehab. If he has been in counseling for how he carries himself publicly and in the locker room, I'd have no issues signing him to a long-term deal. Assuming he has kept hiss physical ability.

There are some questionable claims by the accuser. It is hard to know what truly happened. Did he punch her? Was it consensual?! The fact she confessed that she went back to his place after the events she claimed had happened makes me suspect she was looking to get paid.

If he is still as good as he was, with deGrom, Bauer, Perez, Gray, Heaney, Odirizzi... would we be favorites for the AL Pennant?!

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Congrats! you made the Houston thread.


** I rarely click on that thread, but it's been kind of a slow day and thought I'd skim through the last page or so for any recent mlb related news.

The Rangers have received RHP Nick Mears on a waiver claim from Pittsburgh. OF Eli White has been designated for assignment.

— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) December 23, 2022

Interesting we're letting a ML ready outfielder go for a future bullpen piece.

Yeah I really don't look this move. White is a speed threat and plays great defense, still time for his bat to come around

He's been a AAAA player for a while. We have a week to trade him, right?

Is this some kind of joke?

This is from Bauer's instagram, which is actually pretty entertaining and educational. Looks like he still has filthy stuff.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Clh9SpcLXTJ

investorAg83 said:

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He's been a AAAA player for a while. We have a week to trade him, right?

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Yes

Quote:

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The Rangers will now have a week to trade White or pass him through waivers. Though the bat hasn't been great so far, his strong defense and two remaining option years could make him attractive to other clubs looking for outfield depth.

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I'm thinking several MLB teams might want to take a flyer on him - maybe we can score a minor league pitching prospect for him.

Quote:

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White's played 130 games at the big league level over the past three seasons, hitting just .185/.260/.296, wRC+ of 56. His 2021 season was ended by elbow surgery and his 2022 finished by wrist surgery. On the glove-side of things, Defensive Runs Saved has given him a grade of +11 in the outfield so far, along with a +9.7 from Ultimate Zone Rating and 10 Outs Above Average.

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He also suffered knee pain during his minor league rehab assignment last year which is when the Rangers shut him down.

Mets Have "Raised Concerns" Over Carlos Correa's Physical https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/mets-have-raised-concerns-over-carlos-correas-physical.html

Geez. What's up with his leg? I wonder if it's a present concern of if it's a concern for giving such a long term deal.

Merry Christmas to all the Texas Rangers fans!

Wishing you a Merry Christmas! 🌲 pic.twitter.com/BSsqb5ZIf4

— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) December 25, 2022

Interesting. I'm guessing it isn't positive. LOL.

The entire time I was at A&M, I never met an Astros fan. Sure, plenty of people from Houston, but I don't think I ever met someone who had been to an Astros game or could name a player. I probably taught over 15 from Houston about the Astros who became fans that watched on a weekly basis.

But... "we all love a winner," I suppose.

I'd bet less than 5% of the people who post on that thread can name you all of the minor league affiliates of the Astros.

A bit more when I was there in the early 80's as they had some good teams then.

That being said, very few people in Houston are from Houston. Driving through my families subdivision, I see college yard signs / flags from Ohio, Michigan, Florida, Georgia - rarely A&M or Texas. These kinds of people are just bandwagon fans, the same way I was a band wagon fan when we lived in Seattle.

All things go in cycles - they seem to forget just how truly wretched they were not so long ago and got kicked out of the National League. They assume it'll never happen again. It will - and their fan base will disappear like a fart in the wind.



Even with the Astros in our division, I don't care about them.

Evan Grant had some inside dope on the Conforto deal (or lack thereof):

https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/rangers/2022/12/23/giants-reportedly-land-michael-conforto-leaving-rangers-of-options-slim/

Quote:

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Friday, Conforto became the desperate Giants' consolation prize. He agreed to a two-year deal worth $36 million. The deal has an opt out after 2023, so that if Conforto, 30, returns to his 2020 form, he could re-test the market.

The extra security was apparently the turning point. The Rangers offered a similar deal, but Conforto would have had to meet certain playing thresholds to opt out, two people with knowledge of the talks told The Dallas Morning News. In short, the Rangers wanted to give Conforto a comfortable opportunity to bet on himself for bigger things to come; the Giants needed to sign him.

Whether it was the right call for Conforto remains to be seen. If you are a left-handed hitter, it was a lot easier to hit in Arlington last year than in San Francisco. Lefties had a .719 OPS at Globe Life Field with 82 homers in 2022. It was the fourth most homers in any stadium by left-handed hitters. In San Francisco, where things like wind come into play (those luddites!), lefties put up a .703 OPS with just 53 homers.

Right now, left field is going to come from some combination of Bubba Thompson, Josh Smith, Eli White (if he clears waivers after being designated for assignment on Friday), Ezequiel Duran or Joe McCarthy, who signed a minor league contract this week after spending last season in Japan. That quintet has so far cobbled a .211/.280/.300/.580 slash line in 1,053 total MLB plate appearances. They are an athletic group with some elite defenders and still have potential, but they've not proven anything about being ready to play every day in the majors. Brad Miller is on the roster, too, but, if he makes it to the start of the season, he should be counted on as only a part-time DH.

Yes, Pittsburgh's Bryan Reynolds is available in trade and is controllable, but the price would be a swath of the top tier of the Rangers' farm system. There is some depth to spare, but the top five starting with outfielder Evan Carter would certainly be off limits.

They'd like a short-term deal, that's clear. They believe Carter is a year, if that, away. Aaron Zavala, if he can stay healthy, might be on the same track. They need some coverage for 2023. It screams one-year commitment.

They can also now step safely back from the hard full-court press they put on negotiations since the start of the offseason. They can take the Christmas slow down to ponder the next step. It may be to pivot more to relief pitching, where it might give them more money to finally take lefty Matt Moore off the market and perhaps pursue another arm.

And then they can turn back to the outfield. On that front, a reunion with Jurickson Profar would seem unlikely. Profar, who turns 30, might have the most upside and versatility of the remaining guys, but he's probably seeking a long-term deal.

No, if you are looking for a left-fielder on a one-year deal, you are more likely talking about guys like A.J. Pollack, Tommy Pham or David Peralta, all guys in their mid-30s. All have career OPS numbers between .787-.801 and OPS+ numbers above 110. They have been slightly better than average for most of their careers, though none of them had a great 2022.

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PatAg said:

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One could argue learning that much about your minor league system is a waste of time

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It isn't a matter of studying and learning everything. My statement was about who their affiliates are... not who is on their roster.

Even if you follow your team with little more than the 90 secs on the 10pm news, you likely know at least one minor league affiliate.

wbt5845 said:

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A bit more when I was there in the early 80's as they had some good teams then.

That being said, very few people in Houston are from Houston. Driving through my families subdivision, I see college yard signs / flags from Ohio, Michigan, Florida, Georgia - rarely A&M or Texas. These kinds of people are just bandwagon fans, the same way I was a band wagon fan when we lived in Seattle.

All things go in cycles - they seem to forget just how truly wretched they were not so long ago and got kicked out of the National League. They assume it'll never happen again. It will - and their fan base will disappear like a fart in the wind.

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Yes... They got dumped from the NL so Bud Selig could move his Brewers to the NL

THIS:

Quote:

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Even with the Astros in our division, I don't care about them.

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wbt5845 said:

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A bit more when I was there in the early 80's as they had some good teams then.

That being said, very few people in Houston are from Houston. Driving through my families subdivision, I see college yard signs / flags from Ohio, Michigan, Florida, Georgia - rarely A&M or Texas. These kinds of people are just bandwagon fans, the same way I was a band wagon fan when we lived in Seattle.

All things go in cycles - they seem to forget just how truly wretched they were not so long ago and got kicked out of the National League. They assume it'll never happen again. It will - and their fan base will disappear like a fart in the wind.



Even with the Astros in our division, I don't care about them.

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Considering that the Astros went so out of their way to purposely lose more games in 3 years than anyone in the history of the game has lost - so much so that draft lottery rules were written to address the unfortunately quite successful tank job - it might be overstating it to include that level of suck in your cyclical down years argument.

There's simply a diminished return for anyone to ever be that bad again. It's sad that it had to come to a huge market team doing that for baseball to see the problem. Then again, no one else ever had the stomach to purposely be that bad before. Then they kept it up for 3 years.

pattybrhg said:

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Then again, no one else ever had the stomach to purposely be that bad before.

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Or the lack of self-respect.

The Sochi Olympics were just in 2014.

Now let's make a trade for Reynolds and call it a night.

2 year $34M with a player option for 3rd year

vander54 said:

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2 year $34M with a player option for 3rd year

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Same AAV as his Boston contract.