DallasAg 94 said:
Before the post-season, I see most projections in the $3-4M. COTS and the FWST (11/4) indicate $6.6M. He has 3 Arbs coming up from '24-26. I'd be curious to see if the Rangers don't lock him up by buying out his Arbs.
I think there are GM meetings on the agenda in the next week or so, then Rule V administrative stuff. FA. And Arb Hearings are likely around mid-January.
Before the post-season, I was throwing out the idea of trading him, when Langford arrives.
Thinking Juan Soto who had 2 more years on his trade deadline deal for:
Prospects:
#2 James Wood (minors)
#8 Robert Hassell (minors)
#12 Jarlin Susana (minors),
MLB
CJ Abrams (22-SS): 151G, .245, 18HR, 47 SB
MacKenzie Gore (24-LHSP): 27GS, 4.42, 136.1 IP, 151 SO, 1.401 WHIP
Luke Voit (32) - 22G, .221, 0 HR
With his post-season heroics?! I would think you could get a huge haul.
Seeing how the players were, he might be more of the heart-and-soul than I imagined and might not be worth it.
"Dominate the fundamentals."
You can't realize how important this is until you see it not being done. I recall a moment after Montgomery joined the team when he covered first, then kept jogging down the RF line, allowing a run to score from second. Those lapses were few and far between this season. The new guy committed it.
Not only did the Rangers make very few of these mental errors, like throwing to the wrong base, but they also made very few physical errors. They hit their cutoffs. They played pitch and catch, blocked pitches in the dirt, got good reads on balls, positioned themselves correctly. But even beyond that, they made the exceptional plays. Not just at a few positions, but at every position of the field. I've never seen anything like it. I've never seen a team that never needed a defensive replacement. If you think about it, that's the reason they won it all.
Jung's double play for Chapman. Seager's double play. Semien's diving stop in game 5. Carter's catch and double play. Adolis' catch in the gap, and his throw in game 3. Countless scoops by Lowe. Heim's throwout against Baltimore.
The combination of fundamentals, brains, and athletic ability made this perhaps the most complete defensive team ever, certainly the best I've ever seen.
This team didn't have to hide anybody. Meanwhile, look down I45. You've got a 26 YO guy with all-world offensive talent, yet he can't play the field. It's embarrassing. They've got a 38 YO with a bad back playing 1B, and a 26 YO who somehow can't or won't learn the position. The guy can hit a triple off the LF wall at Minute Maid, yet he can't learn to play 1B? Give me a break.
The point is, you need to appreciate what this team did defensively, and not mess with it. Adolis is a straight up weapon in RF, and should be for the next 5 years. The fact that Carter was a minor league gold glover cannot be overemphasized.
And finally, those who thought the Rangers were weak up the middle didn't understand how good Semien and Seager were. Sure, someday Seager will move, but no way CY commits $500 mil to get a sub-par defense. People love the high-powered offense, but the cornerstone of this team is the fielding. Do NOT compromise that (which means you go hard after Jankowski. Why not run it back with a known quantity?)
94chem,
That, sir, was the greatest post in the history of TexAgs. I salute you. -- Dough