My wife and her family are from friendswood and are huge Astros fans.. so I love all of that lol

Very interesting commentary on MLB Network

Martín Pérez relied on pinpoint pitching to fuel his career year 🎯

Tom Verducci breaks down the @Rangers' southpaw and what he will continue to provide to the new-look rotation next season.#MLBTonight | #StraightUpTX pic.twitter.com/p6bYe7P4Y2

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 2, 2023

That's a great video

That's a pretty good video and for Martin Perez, IMO, really illustrates his success.

As mentioned in the video, he has always been around the plate. As a "young" pitcher, he never got the close calls. Framed or Not... he just didn't get them. It led to his frustration and ultimately falling apart in games.

So, good for him. Does that mean in 2023 he is likely to regress, or will he continue to get the calls.

Older pitchers get more benefit of the doubt and like traveling in the NBA, older players get more advantage.

Last point that wasn't mentioned in the video. If you look at the catchers mitt, the catcher catches it with the mitt part of the mitt (the web) in the zone giving the impressions that the ball hit the web in the zone when it really hit in the palm outside.

DallasAg 94 said:

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That's a pretty good video and for Martin Perez, IMO, really illustrates his success.

As mentioned in the video, he has always been around the plate. As a "young" pitcher, he never got the close calls. Framed or Not... he just didn't get them. It led to his frustration and ultimately falling apart in games.

So, good for him. Does that mean in 2023 he is likely to regress, or will he continue to get the calls.

Older pitchers get more benefit of the doubt and like traveling in the NBA, older players get more advantage.

Last point that wasn't mentioned in the video. If you look at the catchers mitt, the catcher catches it with the mitt part of the mitt (the web) in the zone giving the impressions that the ball hit the web in the zone when it really hit in the palm outside.

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Perez has cited working with Pedro Martinez as the main reason for his recent success. That video is the result of it.

https://nesn.com/2021/09/martin-perez-shares-important-lesson-he-learned-from-pedro-martinez/amp/

Interesting commentary from The Athletic today. Why did Texas spend the bank on pitching this year?

From the article…
Let's start with the first pitch of an at-bat. First-pitch strikes are important, right? Well, out of the 6,164 0-0 pitches thrown by Rangers pitchers, just 3,068 of those (49.8 percent) were thrown in the strike zone while 3,096 (50.2 percent) were thrown outside of the strike zone. Both of those numbers ranked dead last in all of baseball. But hey, maybe they knuckled down and got better as the plate appearance went deeper, yeah?

Nope. In 3-2 counts, the rankings were the same. Both in the zone (52.6 percent) and out of the zone (47.5 percent), Rangers pitchers were the worst in the league at putting the ball in the strike zone with a full count. As you might expect, that also didn't bode well for the number of 3-2 pitches that led to outs of any kind (431, 23rd in baseball).

I was thinking the same thing.

Yeah, what a weird thing to write.

Maybe he had to hit a certain word count.

It's even worse. He's not counting first pitch strikes, he's counting first pitch in the strike zone.

It's irrelevant if a pitch is in the strike zone or not - it's relevant if it counts as a strike by getting the batter to swing and miss or foul it off. Or fooling the ump.

Weird stat is weird.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/01/rangers-interested-in-bryan-reynolds.html

Do it CY!

Wonder what the trade package for Reynolds would look like?

If you can get him without giving up Evan Carter, Rocker, Leiter, or Brock Porter I'm for it. Possibly Acuña as well.

I think we are set with out rotation, but this will be interesting to watch:

The Los Angeles Dodgers are designating right-hander Trevor Bauer for assignment, sources tell ESPN.

The Dodgers will eat $22.5 million. Bauer can sign with any major league team for the $720,000 minimum and can play immediately after completing a record-long suspension.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 7, 2023

When do pitchers and catchers report? Starting to get the itch for some hardball even if it is spring ball

Mr Gigem said:

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thegoodolag15 said:

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Wonder what the trade package for Reynolds would look like?

If you can get him without giving up Evan Carter, Rocker, Leiter, or Brock Porter I'm for it. Possibly Acuña as well.

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I can tell you with 100% certainly that Rocker and Leiter are untouchable right now

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I would hope Evan Carter is as well.

Id love to add Bauer

I think Evan Carter is going to a star.

AgBQ-00 said:

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When do pitchers and catchers report? Starting to get the itch for some hardball even if it is spring ball

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Feb 15

I'd sign Bauer in a heartbeat.

Mr Gigem said:

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thegoodolag15 said:

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Wonder what the trade package for Reynolds would look like?

If you can get him without giving up Evan Carter, Rocker, Leiter, or Brock Porter I'm for it. Possibly Acuña as well.

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I can tell you with 100% certainly that Rocker and Leiter are untouchable right now

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Here are Evan Grants thoughts:

Open to plenty of packages, but they couldn't include Jung, White, Carter for me. Would probably include Leiter in that group, too. I think since Rocker is within first year since draft, he's not eligible to be traded, but just going off history and haven't re-checked CBA. https://t.co/BXakNW8Anr

— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) January 7, 2023

I wonder if Cole Winn and Acuña would trip the needle for the Pirates?? Acuña appears to have a blocked path to the Rangers and with the length of contracts the Rangers are signing their new starters to…. Winn seems to be a tradable asset.

Pirates are gonna want a kings ransom....having a player ask to leave there cant be precedent UNLESS its a huge trade win...he's controlled until 2025

Eovaldi (USA and Perez (Venezuela) will be pitching in the World Baseball Classic:

didn't even realize this, but it appears Nathan Eovaldi will be the lone Ranger (lol) playing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.

Martín Pérez said he plans to pitch for Venezuela. https://t.co/aP0hA1dQ0e

— kennedi landry (@kennlandry) January 6, 2023

Mr Gigem, any idea when spring training tickets go on sale and is that something you can benefit from helping with?

Mr Gigem said:

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thegoodolag15 said:

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Wonder what the trade package for Reynolds would look like?

If you can get him without giving up Evan Carter, Rocker, Leiter, or Brock Porter I'm for it. Possibly Acuña as well.

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I can tell you with 100% certainly that Rocker and Leiter are untouchable right now

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SO, they're gone.

KT 90 said:

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Mr Gigem said:

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thegoodolag15 said:

---

Wonder what the trade package for Reynolds would look like?

If you can get him without giving up Evan Carter, Rocker, Leiter, or Brock Porter I'm for it. Possibly Acuña as well.

---

I can tell you with 100% certainly that Rocker and Leiter are untouchable right now

---

Here are Evan Grants thoughts:

Open to plenty of packages, but they couldn't include Jung, White, Carter for me. Would probably include Leiter in that group, too. I think since Rocker is within first year since draft, he's not eligible to be traded, but just going off history and haven't re-checked CBA. https://t.co/BXakNW8Anr

— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) January 7, 2023

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I thought the last CBA removed the 1yr clause for new draft picks.

Schall 02 said:

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Mr Gigem, any idea when spring training tickets go on sale and is that something you can benefit from helping with?

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I believe you can purchase now, but you need to contact the office in Surprise

I'll be out there March 17-20 if anyone is looking for autographs

Here is my take.

Talk to the Dodgers and offer salary for Bauer. Get either prospects with it along with Int'l Pool money. Better prospects... more money.

The Dodgers will owe him $22.5M for 2023. Since the Dodgers would be 3rd time offenders, they'll owe 50% tax on every dollar over $233M. They are at that point. Not sure what their needs remain for 2023, but any wiggle room could save them.

Rotation of:
deGrom: 11GS, 3.08 ERA <- Controlled through 2027
Perez: 32GS, 2.89 ERA <- 1 yr
Eovaldi: 20 GS, 3.87 ERA <- 2 yr
Heaney: 14 GS, 3.10 ERA <- 2 yr
Bauer: <- 1 yr

Extras:
Gray: 24 GS, 3.96 ERA <- Signed through 2025 ($15M, 13M, 13M)
Odorizzi: 22 GS, 4.40 ERA <- 1 yr
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Dunning (27): 29 GS, 4.46 ERA <-Team control through 2026
Otto (26):27GS, 4.64 ERA <- Team control through 2027

Now trade off Dunning and Otto.

Trade for Reynolds.
Sign Matt Moore.

Win World Series.

I think Pittsburgh is loaded in MIF.

They have the
#1 MIF - Termarr Johnson (18-A-2025) <- Pirates #2. #29 Overall
#5 2B - Nick Gonzales (23-AA-2023) <- Pirates #5. #93 Overall

Their #4 prospect is Liover Peguero (22-SS-MLB) #62 Overall

The Pirates' immediate need, from best I can tell... OFers, especially if they trade Reynolds. They also need RP.

Not sure how much Duran and Foscue bring.

rbtexan said:

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I'd offer the Pirates Ragans, Winn, Duran, Foscue and either Dunning or Otto for Reynolds.

...

edit to add, could also throw in someone like Sborz or John King.

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I'd go something like:

#9 Rangers prospect Dustin Harris (Util/OF-23) or Josh Smith (24)
#11 Rangers prospect Zavala (OF-22-AA)
Thompson (24)

Burke (LHRP), Team control through '26
Dunning or Otto
Ragans (24) over Winn (#10) who didn't have a particularly good 2022.

I look at Burke as a big piece. They just signed two SPs for 1 yr deals, so Dunning and Ragans give them some depth. Thompson gives them an OF immediately, Harris and Smith provide some depth in the now and Zavala gives them a long-term future option.

I keep looking at these potential deals for Reynolds that include Bubba and a bunch of guys and find myself thinking "man Bubba could just play that position and we could keep all those guys".

I know Bubba =/= Reynolds - but is he that much worse that the upgrade is worth all that?

wbt5845 said:

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I know Bubba =/= Reynolds - but is he that much worse that the upgrade is worth all that?

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YES. It's not even close.

If he can consistently draw walks and get on base at an average to above average rate, I feel like his speed and ability on the basepath can arguably be better than what Reynolds can give with his bat. Plus we'd be able to keep Thompson for longer than Reynolds probably