Boston is 44-43 and 4GB from being a WC. It isn't like they are a bottom-dweller.

Yeah, I heard Crews was asking for $10M. Not sure if that is his way of avoiding Pitt.

No team has squandered as much talent as Pitt There has been lots of noise that they'll negotiate with one of the Top3-4 and get the best bargain. They could take a HS OF, but I expect them to take a college OF (Langford).

Nationals likely take Skenes.

I agree about Jung. I think he is still in the lead, but he needs to get those Ks down. I'm hoping the ASG settles him and he gets back to how he was early in the season. I like him in the #3 spot, but he can't squander it.

Wow

Looks like he called a decent game but over a 1 run advantage to Boston. Yikes!

Umpire: Alan Porter
Final: Rangers 2, Red Sox 4#StraightUpTX // #DirtyWater#TEXvsBOS // #BOSvsTEX

More stats for this game 👇https://t.co/tHAcbWwUEO pic.twitter.com/pLRJnJYJ4e

— Umpire Scorecards (@UmpScorecards) July 6, 2023

That's technically what it's supposed to be. As long as the ball "touches" the zone at the front of the plate, it's a strike. I've gotten so much grief from my FIL who is a former umpire for even mentioning anything about the auto strike zone. He swears when people start seeing the automated strike zone they're going to cry to have the old zone back. But what pisses me off the most about the umpires this year is how many calls we've seen that are completely off the plate and not remotely close to a strike.

I know JD killed us in the draft the past decade but what's kept Kip ***g (Senior Director of Scouting) around for so long? Feel like he's been right there with all the draft picks that never panned out

bmac_aggie18 said:

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I know JD killed us in the draft the past decade but what's kept Kip Fa(h)gg (Senior Director of Scouting) around for so long? Feel like he's been right there with all the draft picks that never panned out

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Edit cause his name gets hidden

That's interesting - I thought it was half the ball had to be over black.

No matter what your FiL says - I'd love to see the robots. It was worked so well in the minors and people who've seen it love it.

I just don't see how auto strike zones wouldn't work or be a good thing for baseball. It would give hitters and pitchers a black and white consistent strike zone, and would eliminate guessing on if a pitch was a ball or strike on that day. I really think it would increase offense as well, and that's what the MLB is trying to do with a lot of these game changes.

It does take away the art of being a catcher, which being a former catcher, stings, but the positives to the game of baseball outweighs the negatives imo.

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it can't be healthy to constantly be thinking "this game today is big!"

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It helps me to think that way. If I don't, then I wind up losing interest and missing a lot of great baseball while I'm waiting for September and college football to start

Well I've explained to him how league wide it's been bad and he's even said that there's like 6 or 7 crews that have retired from last year, which would make sense.

I personally don't care but would rather keep the human element in it, because "that's baseball". But give me some damn consistency!!!

To me, the concern about robocalls is like anything else in video games. You no longer play to the intent, but to the exploit.

It works in the Minors, because ultimately, you know you'll have to throw before live Umps.

How many times in video games have you skirted the real strategy?!

It will be all about throwing to light the strike. I think a premium will be given to Sinker and Breaking pitch throwers who can bend the ball.

FWIW, in the Coleco Football from way back... if you continued to hit the P/K button, it would re-initiate the throw, but you could still move your player while the D remained stationary. We learned that once a player became open, you could move your receiver all the way to the endzone while hitting the P/K button so that when you positioned him back in the spot after repeatedly going the length of the screen, your 5-6 yrd pass would become an 80 yrd pass and he'd catch it in the endzone. When we played 2P against others we always won.

I'd be good with this one. I can't fathom the White Sox would actually do that trade though.

https://www.si.com/mlb/rangers/news/texas-rangers-address-bullpen-rotation-trade-chicago-white-sox-rumor-athletic?fbclid=IwAR1lJO99kQNcoWnCJzGJwLwGNMQonlkRzm3tz-suNJgMNZ7M7rm2vLQ2BZs_aem_AWrTPRt7iOHVvB7uZ2tgFSAU0a-0mkFR-Kw9eGtekWuDpjNlVCCi5YH6****_P9hz3c&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

I'm not keen on the idea of trading Owen White. Everybody wants him for a reason.

Intriguing

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The Rangers send RHP Owen White, RHP Glenn Otto, IF Justin Foscue and OF Bubba Thompson to Chicago for right-handers Dylan Cease, Kendall Graveman and Joe Kelly.

Per The Athletic:

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With the deal, the Rangers rotation would be headed by Eovaldi, Gray and Cease all three controllable through 2025 (when Eovaldi has a vesting option), when deGrom should be back for a full season with one of Heaney, Prez and Dunning joining Graveman and Kelly as additions to the bullpen in the meantime.

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Once again, this is one of those "I need to win now" deals - the kind the Astros have to make as they're on the backside of their peak already. We aren't. I think Owen White has very high potential and is the kind of controable serf you need to have to make your budget work.

The implication is that Cease is better than Dunning and White and Otto for the next 2 seasons.

Cease is at 4.10 ERA right now. He had a horrible May and a really good June. Is he on track?!

Last I heard, the Rangers had about $9M in 2023 until they hit the Luxury Tax.

I think Foscue and Bubba are likely available for trade.

I'm not opposed to including Otto in a trade... although we'll likely see over the next couple weeks what he has to offer. His 26GS and 4.64 ERA at 26, last year was serviceable for a #5. With 4 more years of team control... he provides some depth and value.

I mostly agree.

With Cease and Graveman controllable for the next 2 years... so, taking those gives us:
Eovaldi, Gray, Graveman, Dunning, and Heaney for 2024.
Eovaldi, Gray, Graveman, Dunning, and deGrom for 2025.

Giving up White, we'd lose him for the 2 years, but then an additional 4 years of team control.

I think White is too much to include. Could we do it for Otto, Foscue, Bubba and someone else?

Not sure if Kelly does anything but a salary dump... of which the Rangers can't absorb without hitting Luxury.

The White Sox might trade Cease for Josh Jung or Ezequiel Duran, plus all of that.

Joe Kelly to the IL with elbow Inflammation. There's a reliever off the board.

Finale from Fenway. #StraightUpTX pic.twitter.com/zo518f8bUq

— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) July 6, 2023

Why does Grossman keep getting PT over Jankowski?

I just don't consider that trade to be of the all in variety. That package for Ohtani? Yes. For three players with two who are controllable through 2025 and one that has an option for next year? I don't think that's a terrible move.

The problem with that is your core players are in their prime (Semien, Seager, Garcia, Eovaldi, Gray). We may not get this kind of production out of this group next year or the year after. Seasons like this don't come around all that often.

I'm of the opinion to go for it when you have the chance. Prospects rarely pan out and this farm system has a ton that are blocked at the mlb level and or will be or are rule 5 guys.

gigem1223 said:

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Why does Grossman keep getting PT over Jankowski?

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Only thing I can think of is they're still being cautious given Jank's recent injury, but I'm with you. He's been a spark plug and we need all the juice we can get right now, especially on the bases.

So hard to win in this sport. Lot of teams in the same boat as us and only 1 will come out on top. So many factors as other have just mentioned. Are there any big free agents this offseason that we would be interested in? I would like for us to go hard on free agents this offseason again and then at the deadline next season make the appropriate moves. I just don't see this season as the best opportunity for us to win. I think the next two seasons are set up better for us, especially when we will have the most dominant guy in ball back. Obviously you never know with injuries and such.

Not a bad approach but I would like for us to have continued success over at least the next 5-7 years. It seems like the Astros always have guys coming up and contending for the Al rookie of the year. I guess that approach is unrealistic and they have just lucked out on hitting on prospects for a decade.

I think we're as well positioned as anyone.

I don't think there are as many as 10 teams that will make noise.

12 teams will make the playoffs, with the 3 WC spots. The format is a 3G WC Series (I believe hosted at 1 team). In 2023, it was Oct 7, 8, & 9. No rest. So, you likely burn your 3 SPs.

Then the LCS started on the 11th and a 2-2-1 (5G) format. So, any WC team will start G1 of the LCS with their #4, assuming the WC goes 3G.

All that to say, if you are the #1 or #2 Seed in the League, you can get away with 3 SPs. If you are 3rd or a WC team, you are looking at 4 SPs. Anything can happen, but a WC team can only be hopeful, IMO, if they have a SP returning late in the season.

Take a look around regarding SP. It continues to thin.

LeClerc activated and Barlow optioned. If we can get LeClerc back to form that would be huge.

I think we are well positioned next year. I say, keep our powder dry until the trade deadline to see what isn't working and needs fixed.

I doubt we go after FAs. Coming off the books:
SP: Perez ($19.6M), Odorizzi
RP: LeClerc? ($0.5M Option buyout), Chapman, Will Smith

OF: Grossman, Jankowski
Util: Miller ($4M)
C: Garver ($3.9M)

So, we'll have vacancy at #4SP, Util/LF, C (Backup), and a bunch of RP

If we get a controllable SP, that goes away. I think we have 2-3 LFs in waiting and some SPs.

beagle2009 said:

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gigem1223 said:

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Why does Grossman keep getting PT over Jankowski?

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Only thing I can think of is they're still being cautious given Jank's recent injury, but I'm with you. He's been a spark plug and we need all the juice we can get right now, especially on the bases.

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Agreed. Not to mention Jank is a great defender. Grossman is a liability on defense.

I'm curious to see how all the young cats on the team do in the second half of the season. Competing for something is giving these guys a ton of experience and it helps when you have a few vets to lead. Like you said, next year is also set up nicely for us. No matter what we do this year regarding trades it's easy to be excited for what this team can do!

Leadoff walk from Eovaldi being squeezed comes around to score.

On weak contact at that. This lull were in seems to never end.