Now having said that... the fallout from Detroit, Atlanta, and Dodgers this season may get interesting.

After our 2 SP run last year and Detroit with 1 SP and a $21M payroll... and Atlanta getting bounced... and Dodgers on the ropes with their $350M payroll... We could be seeing the end of the 32+ SP getting a 3-5 yr $30M/yr deal. Snell looked to be a bust.

Then, you have teams with Media uncertainty, and money spent this offseason could be reduced.

CowtownAg06 said:

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I think we all agree that you need at least 8-10 decent options to get through a full season. Adding/resigning a veteran or 2 is a must. Also, CY has been spending time in Japan with Roki Sasaki. Now every team in the league wants him and him coming early means that everyone will be subject to bonus caps, but CY is trying on that front too.

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I agree. I think we are as loaded as any team and if either Leiter or Rocker continue to improve, that would be nice. CY says he wants both Eovaldi and Heaney. Maybe he just gets 1.

I've posted about Sasaki on this thread.

This is a 2-part process.
Chiba Lotte has to decide to make him available.
Sasaki doesn't meet the requirements to demand it, but how Chiba Lotte handles him could impact other players wanting to play for them. There was some thought Sasaki had language in his contract that could force them to make him available. There is creeping doubt it is there or there would be more drama on his impending availability.

Sasaki will ONLY be able to sign within the International Pool money. Here were my comments:

Quote:

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Top Pool is $7.6M (8 teams) and the Rangers are in the $6.3M Pool level. The article implies an $11M Max. ...<delete>... Then, you'd have 6 yrs (I believe) of team control of Sasaki. Rangers should know the fate of Eovaldi's option prior to Jan 15, 2025.

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The article implied an $11M max, but regardless, the Rangers are about $1.3M below 8 teams to start with on Int'l Pool money.

A team is capped with spending Int'l Pool money so they have what they have and can only add Int'l money from other teams.

IF Sasaki is made available... there likely becomes a bidding war for Int'l Pool money. IIRC, prior to the lates CBA, there was a provision that if a team went over their Int'l Pool Money they'd be reduced to $300K the following year and 2nd Offense would prevent them from signing any International Player. I believe the Dodgers decided to take the plunge and once they went past the limit, knowing they were going to lose the next year's pool shot-the-moon and went crazy. It appears the current state is a hard cap on Int'l Pool.

The article describes the financial impact to Chiba Lotte holding off on posting Sasaki. It is huge. I suggested the Rangers could offer to make some of Lotte's confectionaries available at GLF and it might entice them enough.

Tonight, I suspect all of Japan will be watching Darvish v Yamamoto facing off and highlighted by Ohtani.


From MLB:


This is probably where the $11M comes in. The numbers are probably updated from back then.

Quote:

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Clubs will be able to acquire up to 75 percent of their initial international bonus pool money in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 signing periods and up to 60 percent of their initial pools in subsequent signing periods. This means that a club with an initial pool of $5.75 million can increase its pool total via trade to approximately $10.1 million during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 signing periods.

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Quote:

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MLB and the MLB Players Association did not agree by July 25, 2022, to implement an International Draft, which means that the international signing periods of the 2022-26 CBA run between Jan. 15 and Dec. 15 with the same parameters established in the 2017-21 CBA.

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Playoffs just started. Sasaki is going G1 of the 1st Rd of the Climax Rd.

3 Gm series.

(W): 8.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 SO

With 2 straight losses, the Chiba Lotte Marines were eliminated 1-2.

Hopefully we'll hear something soon about Sasaki being made available for the Jan 15 International signing cycle.

Here is a projected contract amount for Eovaldi, given his upcoming free agency:

https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/rangers/2024/10/14/texas-rangers-free-agency-how-will-team-handle-its-own-free-agent-starting-pitchers/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

"Spotrac, an online sports contract database, projects Eovaldi to garner a deal this winter in the range of two years, $50 million. The website compared his value to that of Sonny Gray's, a 34-year-old right-hander who got a three-year, $75 million deal from the St. Louis Cardinals last offseason. Yes, Eovaldi can return to Texas on a $20 million player option this offseason, but he'd have to turn down a significant raise on the open market if he did so. He'll be 35 on opening day, too, and only has so many opportunities left to secure a long-term, high-money contract."

I know CY has said he has a focus to sign Eovaldi and Heaney.

I think what we have to offer financially "right now" depends on the health of our offense.

Jung: ECU tendon release surgery performed on his right wrist
Carter: ablation procedure
Adolis: left patella tendon strain
Seager: sports hernia

On the surface we need a b/u C, an OF, and a DH. We have Josh Smith and E-Duran. We have a platoon of hopefuls - Foscue, Harris, Wendzel, Fabian, Hill, Huff, Ornelas...

If either of Jung or Seager is not healthy to start the season, I think we need to sign a Big Bat for DH. If both are healthy and Carter and/or Adolis are relatively ok... I wouldn't mind seeing them focus spending on SP.

Our O went for long stretches with no answers for offensive players that were gimpy.

There is no reason to believe those 4 guys won't be ready on Opening Day 2025, but there's no way to know with 100% certainty until it's... close to Opening Day 2025. And CY isn't waiting that long to decide on his free agency strategy.

I would be stunned if Seager wasn't ready for opening day. The guy will have seven months more of less to get it taken care of. Jung and Carter I have absolutely zero clue about. Carter's injury should make us all pretty scared, imo. That type of injury and surgery is a well down the road of option. Jung I have no clue about. The guy has something new going on every other month.

It becomes much of the good and bad of last season.

The good - you have guys on the roster capable of winning a title.

The bad - if they miss significant time, you aren't deep enough to expect still to compete for the division.

The problem with that is again -- what significant moves can a rich but not extravagant ownership really make when these roster spots aren't truly open. You can't realistically pay to replace Jung or Garcia's production if you believe they will be ready for 2025. But at the same time just going out and "getting a free agent bat" is going to require convincing said bat that he's going to find a spot to play everyday.

That's the issue that I see and why if there are any changes to the lineup, it will be via trade. Or at the very least a trade needs to happen if there is any desire to sign a FA for the lineup because there are established starters at each position.

That doesn't mean the starters can't be upgraded. It just means they are there. It's hard to sign a 1B with Lowe on the roster. It's hard to sign a CF when Taveras, Carter and Langford can all play the position. I think they sign a 1A catcher that can DH. That's my #1 goal with the lineup for this offseason. Not having a Mitch Garver type on the roster hurt.

I subscribe to Jamey Newberg's substack and have 3 free passes to give out for a month. If anyone on this thread wants one, PM me. He's doing a position by position look at next year and beyond. His 1B ideas had some good stuff in there yesterday.

Thanks for mentioning that. I didn't see that email, went back and looked and I accidentally deleted it. Will read today.

Should we just follow the Astros thread?

Injuries happen. Depth and planning for it are the difference.

This isn't a criticism of CY or Management. I like the Rangers staying at/below CBT, going over when necessary but not abusing it. I have no issue with the payroll for '24. I do agree loading up on SP provides more opportunity.

Having said that... we got: .204, 15HRs, .585 OPS from the DH spot.

Last year, Seager was known to have a sports hernia issue during the '23 playoff run. They/he hoped/thought it would repair itself without surgery, but it didn't. He had surgery in Jan '24. Duran filled in for him in '23, so there was that history. Jung and Carter got hurt during the season. I think the plan was to run Duran and Josh Smith out there. If Duran matches '23 performance, maybe we have a different season. Adding Grossman at the deadline, was woefully inadequate. There was no reason to go big with how the team was performing, especially with where we were with the CBT, so I'm not upset about that move.

CY added Mahle, Urena, and Lorenzen. All great moves and necessary. They kept us competitive. Having said that, we went too far on the pitching side and needed anyone to step up on the offense. Maybe the plan was several of the SPs could be moved for a big return of prospects/hitters. I think that was how many of us (me) saw it playing out. Lorenzen had great value that slowly waned towards the deadline. Gray was likely on the trading block, but he went to the IL. Scherzer could have helped, but his mid-season health ensured he was not reliable. Mahle was expected back and showed some concerns. So, we had 4 huge chances to make a move that were hampered by injury. Trading Lorenzen/Gray... and moving Scherzer/Mahle into a SP role allowing us to not rely on Leiter/Carbito/Others

We need a big RHB for DH. If you sign an OF or 1B, you can move guys around. Duran and Smith are servicable as an "at-replacement" player. Going into 2025, if any of the guys are known health concerns (say mid-Jan) then you need to get a Big Bat. If we sign Eovaldi and Heaney and can't afford to get a Big Bat, then the lineup either needs to be healthy out of ST, or we'll struggle.

If you look up the "available" DH free agents, here is your list:
https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/free-agents/_/year/2025/position/dh/sort/contract_value

Interesting that Jankowski is listed as a DH, that seems off. But anyway, you can toggle it to 1st Base to get more DH type options.

There are PLENTY of options at Catchers, as usual. I actually thought Carson Kelly was pretty decent at least in his limited time with the Rangers, at least batting. Seems like there aren't a whole lot of good or even decent hitting options at catcher these days.

Proposition Joe said:

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The problem with that is again -- what significant moves can a rich but not extravagant ownership really make when these roster spots aren't truly open. You can't realistically pay to replace Jung or Garcia's production if you believe they will be ready for 2025. But at the same time just going out and "getting a free agent bat" is going to require convincing said bat that he's going to find a spot to play everyday.

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You rang???

Pair of #Rangers coaches are set to interview for #WhiteSox managerial openinghttps://t.co/dImnC8Vf4I pic.twitter.com/OKS3t0a2A7

— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) October 18, 2024

Since the Rangers are apparently going to broadcast the games themselves (TV), I have a sinking suspicion they'll take the easy way out and bring back Raymond, Emily and whoever else.

I'm pretty sure they have always had full control over broadcaster choices, regardless of if it was shown on FSSW, Bally's, etc., and that they're actually Rangers employees (although that part might be wrong - at least for the studio broadcasters since they rotate a bit). So I'm not sure it's the "easy way out" - they were the Rangers' choices in the first place.

Saying that, I'm sure you're correct that there won't be any changes unless it's the broadcaster's choice (like CJ choosing to leave before this past season).

As a comparison, the Stars have the same booth/studio lineup on Victory+ as they did last year on Bally's.

ETA: I guess there could be some contractual considerations where contracts were nullified with the split from Bally's...maybe that's what you were referring to - where the team might have an opening to make a clean break on that front.

Have any of you used victory + yet? I heard that you can't pause and catch up later. That would be a pain. I love starting a game after i put my little kids to bed and zooming through in an hour.

I'm talking a hypothetical Rangers app that either joined victory + or did something similar on their own.

CowtownAg06 said:

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Have any of you used victory + yet? I heard that you can't pause and catch up later. That would be a pain. I love starting a game after i put my little kids to bed and zooming through in an hour.

I'm talking a hypothetical Rangers app that either joined victory + or did something similar on their own.

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You can, it's just hard to do with the Ads cause they allow you to skip those if one starts or when you're skipping ahead and you land on one you are stuck.

rbtexan said:

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Since the Rangers are apparently going to broadcast the games themselves (TV), I have a sinking suspicion they'll take the easy way out and bring back Raymond, Emily and whoever else.

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Raymond just flat out sucks and Emily has been there way way too long.

I think the tv broadcast just isn't a big priority for the rangers. They probably hire people who are cheap and easy to get. Remember when they fired Josh Lewin and brought in Rhadigan to replace him? Worst move ever.

I wonder if we'll start to see a continued shift in the overall MLB approach to prospects. Personally, I expect to see more teams drafting more college players and HS players going the college route. Will we see 75%+ drafted players come from colleges?

Supporting commentary:

The NYM and DET both were sellers mid-season and took that young talent to the playoffs. While the LAD and NYY spent crazy money, I think more teams are going to take a more conservative and opportunistic approach.

Negatives of Minors:
There are fewer Minor League teams reducing the number of prospects.
Minor League Teams are moving towards being controlled by MLB.
The 315th pick (last in 10th Rd) slots at $178K. Compare that for NIL.
Low-income living for 4-5 years

Pros of College:

• The 11.7 scholarship limit for 30-35 players pushed some HS players to the Minors. That number could (rumored) increase to 17-18 giving more players a full ride.
• NIL money to play college could incent players to stay another year or two to increase their draft position.
• Recent success of players like Skenes and Langford, et al, shows college players quick entry/impact.
• College baseball financials/coaching will continue to improve with more players coming through college. SEC and ACC teams will continue to pull in players from lower teams/conferences acting as a minor league hierarchy.
• Education and Dorm life along with CoA money that likely exceeds Minor League pay.

Japanese players are having more impact.
Structured Int'l Pool money has brought more credibility to LATAM player selections.
Could we see more players from DR go the college route?!

Additionally, I think you are seeing a slow decline in the 35 yo big contract that flops.

I think baseball broadcast is just tough. Especially TV. You are asking these people to spend 81 Games on the road over a 7month period. That doesn't include pre-season, travel days, etc.

Let's say that's 12 days a month on the road. I don't think Tom Grieve was that good, but the fact he was "available" IMO, is what allowed him to be involved.

My income takes into consideration travel and it pays a premium. I get to influence when I travel and it is hard with young kids when you have to say, "Hey, I know I've missed your 1st day of school your entire life." Or, you have to say, "I won't be home for your birthday, but we'll celebrate when I get home."

My wife was very gracious and would explain that my job required me to miss some things, but it was a job that allowed us to do other things. She helped train the kids and was onboard. But, ask yourself if your wife and kids would be ok with you missing their most important events in life.

_lefraud_ said:

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Can we sign this guy for the booth in 2025?

Courtesy of @CleGuardians, here are all the great calls from the best play-by-play man in baseball, Tom Hamilton. #Hammy #GuardsBall #ForTheLand #CLEvsNYY #ALCS pic.twitter.com/8sbVBGvKBz

— Ed Greenberger (@EdGreenberger) October 18, 2024

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It's been a long time since I've heard a better nickname than Big Christmas, if ever.

Lewin grew on me--most of his time here, we were just terrible. But he could help make a broadcast still be enjoyable. Then, Rhadigan and Dave Barnett took over and weren't good. Busby was, though. A great baseball voice and experience as a player, too. Raymond is not terrible, but he's very bland. Vanilla...especially with color guys that aren't great. I like Mike Bascik because he brings energy, but David Murphy and Dave Valle bring very little to complement Raymond's dry delivery. It wouldn't be terrible if they have Raymond, Bascik, and Emily Jones again as the MAIN crew, but it can be improved upon greatly. I do like Emily, though, as she is the bridge across generations of Rangers fans and she loves the team.

Agree on Bascik. CJ was great and Bascik did a pretty solid job following him, especially as a first year guy. Murphy is super generic and Valle is just plain bad, not a fit at all for a Texas team. I think almost any competent PBP guy out there would be better than Raymond. He's not good at reading the ball off the bat which impacts his calls, and he's got a weird combo of being kind of aloof and goofy at the same time. Kind of that neighborhood dad that doesn't quite fit in

I'm fine with Emily. Sideline/stands reporters are lame in general