Every time the Rangers make a move I get to figure out how many people don't know their ass from a while in the ground with regards to baseball. Rangers Facebook pages are awful.

It's not a "knock your socks off" kind of trade, but it gets a pretty limited player off the books while allowing you to do other things with the freed up payroll. Pretty solid. Hopefully they add another notable piece or two before calling it an offseason.

Another view:



Our 16 position players on the 40:

13 Roster Players
C: Heim, Higashioka
IF: Jung-Seager-Semien-<open>; Duran, Smith
OF: Langford-Taveras-Adolis; Carter
DH: Pederson (L), Burger (R)

3 Remaining hopefuls
Others: Foscue (25), Ornelas (24), Harris (24)

Harris has some experience at 1B, so, maybe he'll be an option at 1B, but it will be at the expense of someone.

rbtexan said:

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You forgot Malcom Moore (C), ranked as the 5th best prospect in the system. We also signed Tucker Barnhart.

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I was focused on 2025. I saw him, but he is projected for '27... so I didn't want to include guys that far out.

ETA - I forgot Barnhart.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/12/rangers-met-with-roki-sasaki-giants-believed-to-have-met-with-sasaki-as-well.html

Officially met with him!

fc2112 said:

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Quincey P. Morris said:

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Every time the Rangers make a move I get to figure out how many people don't know their ass from a while in the ground with regards to baseball. Rangers Facebook pages are awful.

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Indeed. I guess the people crying about Lowe are he same people who cried about Monty leaving last off season.

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Same people (probably) that wanted to keep Gallo, thinking he'd eventually figure it out.

Some of you real smart baseball guys quantify Pederson over Lowe. I don't see it.

Personally, I think the replacement is Burger for Lowe, but getting rid of Lowe afforded us to get Pederson.

But, Lowe ($9-10M projected) who is a GG 1B hits both LHP and RHP. We replaced him with Burger ($750K+3Arbs).

Pederson makes $18.5M, only played DH in '24 and only faces RHP.

We all saw Lowe's swings-and-misses on the high FB, but if you compare Pederson and Lowe for the past 4 years, you aren't going to find the justification in his hitting to pay Pederson almost double what Lowe was going to get. And yet, Lowe played 1B... AND faced LHP.

Would Lowe be a better FB hitter against RHP if he didn't play 1B and only hit RHP? I think so.

What you'll get from Pederson is the playoff bat that can mash the high FB and put stress on the P.

I get the sense CY and Bochy are putting this team together as a traditional NL team that relies on situational substitutions in the playoffs.

Burger will likely play 1B.. platoon with Smith?!

DallasAg 94 said:

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Some of you real smart baseball guys quantify Pederson over Lowe. I don't see it.

Personally, I think the replacement is Burger for Lowe, but getting rid of Lowe afforded us to get Pederson.

But, Lowe ($9-10M projected) who is a GG 1B hits both LHP and RHP. We replaced him with Burger ($750K+3Arbs).

Pederson makes $18.5M, only played DH in '24 and only faces RHP.

We all saw Lowe's swings-and-misses on the high FB, but if you compare Pederson and Lowe for the past 4 years, you aren't going to find the justification in his hitting to pay Pederson almost double what Lowe was going to get. And yet, Lowe played 1B... AND faced LHP.

Would Lowe be a better FB hitter against RHP if he didn't play 1B and only hit RHP? I think so.

What you'll get from Pederson is the playoff bat that can mash the high FB and put stress on the P.

I get the sense CY and Bochy are putting this team together as a traditional NL team that relies on situational substitutions in the playoffs.

Burger will likely play 1B.. platoon with Smith?!

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There's a lot of scenarios that could play out. For example, the team might be able to convince Seager or Jung to move to 1st. That would allow Smith (or a Smith/Duran platoon) at SS/3B, which would strengthen infield defense. There's also a chance that the Rangers aren't done making moves - they could trade some pieces away for another bat. There's also a possibility somebody gets DFAd from another team that would be a fit. We don't know what Carter's health is, so we can't really get a clear picture on what the starting OF looks like, and the Sasaki stuff is still out there - not to mention Yates and the rest of the bullpen.

There's just a lot of moving parts right now, and until we get up into ST we're not going to have a good sense of what this roster looks like.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10148461-roki-sasaki-met-with-rangers-giants-reportedly-believed-to-have-met-with-pitcher


Interesting

Agreed.

Agreed.

DallasAg 94 said:

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Some of you real smart baseball guys quantify Pederson over Lowe. I don't see it.

Personally, I think the replacement is Burger for Lowe, but getting rid of Lowe afforded us to get Pederson.

But, Lowe ($9-10M projected) who is a GG 1B hits both LHP and RHP. We replaced him with Burger ($750K+3Arbs).

Pederson makes $18.5M, only played DH in '24 and only faces RHP.

We all saw Lowe's swings-and-misses on the high FB, but if you compare Pederson and Lowe for the past 4 years, you aren't going to find the justification in his hitting to pay Pederson almost double what Lowe was going to get. And yet, Lowe played 1B... AND faced LHP.

Would Lowe be a better FB hitter against RHP if he didn't play 1B and only hit RHP? I think so.

What you'll get from Pederson is the playoff bat that can mash the high FB and put stress on the P.

I get the sense CY and Bochy are putting this team together as a traditional NL team that relies on situational substitutions in the playoffs.

Burger will likely play 1B.. platoon with Smith?!

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To a certain extent, it's about what Water Boy said. Front office has to try something different. The obstacles we overcame in 2023 to win it all was staggering. Some of those same obstacles tripped us last season.

Pederson has some miles on him for sure - as in actual mileage. Dude has played everywhere, but only for contenders. Teams see value in him. Neither he or Lowe are injury prone.

Don't know anything about Burger except he essentially hasn't played in one meaningful baseball game in his 4 seasons. I'm hoping he turns into a fan favorite Napoli kind of dude.

From all the noise... the only thing you need to know about Burger... is that he was at Miami... and we hired (in Nov) the former Marlins Manager Schumaker.

Some say Schumaker could eventually replace Bichy and Burger was a guy many believe that Schumacher advised the Rangers to get.

Listened to Burger on the radio and he describes Schumacher as "a dude" which is what they said Schumaker describes Burger.

So, on the surface.... Burger's stats read much like a JAG spare, but plays at a pace that raises the team.

And don't get me wrong. I like the moves. I just don't think it is this huge no-brainer that everyone tries to project.

I see what they are doing.... and why.

We struggled to find a 3-hole hitter in 2024. Mostly Smith, Langford, and Lowe.

Lowe is Lowe and he'll be who he is anywhere in the lineup and his 2024 numbers kinda reflect that. Langford "could" be that guy, but as a Rookie, IMO, that was asking too much Besides, he is disciplined and consistent and IMO, more of a lead-off guy.

I see Pederson as your traditional 3-hole hitter. You may get some swing-and-miss, but he's going to punish your mistakes and adapt to what the pitcher is giving him.

I also see Burger as a guy who will have a solid 2025. He has played his career (so far) with the White Sox and Miami.

Pederson
3rd: 340 PA - .259, 19 HR
5th: 77 PA - .339, 2 HR
Other: 32 PA

Burger
2nd: 138 - .293, 12 HRs
3rd: 198 - .228, 6 HR
4th: 108 - .258, 5 HR
5th: 129 - .240, 5 HR
Other: 6 PA

Lowe
3rd: 141 - .256, 4 HR, .355 OBP
5th: 197 - .290, 5 HR, .386 OBP
6th: 174 - .255, 5 HR, .356 OBP

I know there is more that goes into the numbers... who hits behind you... hitting with RISP...

Merry Christmas!

RE Langford and batting lead-off, the Rangers have shown no indication they plan on moving Semien out of that spot in the lineup, and I don't expect that to change unless his production falls off the table.

I would think you'll see something like this (my best guess, obviously, and based on current roster)

Semien -2B
Carter - CF
Langford - LF
Seager - SS
Garcia - RF
Jung - 3B
Pederson - DH against RHP, Duran (?) against LHP
Burger - 1B
Heim - C

Smith would be super utility & bounce around.

And a Merry Christmas to you, as well.

I agree Langford won't be leading off. I just think he will make a better leadoff guy than anywhere is. He takes a bunch of pitches, very disciplined, and hits mostly doubles and gets SBs when he doesn't. He is basically a RISP.

I don't think the Rangers are paying Pederson $18M to bat 7th.

How about this (my opinion/projection):
Semien (R) -2B: .237, 23 HR, .308 OBP <-Down year. Plan is to rest him more.
Seager (L) - SS: .278, 30 HR, .353 OBP
Garcia (R) - RF: .224, 25 HR <- I think he had an Arb hangover. I'm planning a .260/35HR season
Pederson (L) - DH: .275, 23 HR
Burger (R) - 1B: .250, 29 HR
Langford (R) - LF: .253, 16 HR, 19 SB
Heim (S) - C: .220, 13 HR <- He'll get more rest
Jung (R) - 3B: .265, 7 HR (46G) <- If healthy, he is a 25+HR guy
Carter (L) - CF: .188, 5 HR (45G) <- Played hurt until admitting he had an injury

Smith (L)
Duran (R)

I'll be honest... that is a pretty stacked lineup.

Gone:
Janko: 104 G.200, 1 HR, 4SB
Gross: 46 G, .238, 3 HR

I would be surprised if that is not the case!

shack009 said:

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Just want to point out Joc Pederson will (should) hit 3rd against all right handed starters. He destroyed them all year.

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Last year most of his at bats were against RHP's. Do you that will continue, or do we try to name him more of a full time DH?

I'd expect Carter to sit against most lefties

Did I just get an alert that we're signing Pete alonso???

Edit: like a thread title fail on texags: https://twsn.net/2024/12/the-texas-rangers-will-sign-pete-alonso

Not seeing anywhere else. I'd say highly unlikely?!

He is projected to get 5/$125M. He also turned down a QO, which would cost us.

In order to add him, I think the Rangers would have to have had a commit from Sasaki, trade Gray and his $13M due in 2025.

$17M currently under CBT.

Alonso... or Yates ($14M) and Chris Martin ($5-6M?!)

Not sure we could do both...

Why is the projection so low? Is Pete like 35?

Wouldn't mind seeing us sign Yates and move Gray to set up man. If he does well those roles could reverse.

I'm curious of the plan for our starting pitching with so many guys coming back from season ending injuries in 2023. Maybe a guy like Dunning makes a lot of spot starts to skip a turn now and then.

Wouldn't mind seeing us sign Yates and move Gray to set up man. If he does well those roles could reverse.

I'm curious of the plan for our starting pitching with so many guys coming back from season ending injuries in 2023. Maybe a guy like Dunning makes a lot of spot starts to skip a turn now and then.

cmiller00 said:

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I'm curious of the plan for our starting pitching

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Spring training. A bunch of guys will have a chance to prove themselves as starters.

He is only 30, but this is what MLBTR says negative about him:

Quote:

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The rest of Alonso's skill set, however, is at odds with many of the traits modern front offices value when shopping on the open market. He's limited to first base and isn't an especially good defender there. Defensive Runs Saved has him about average in his career but a negative (-3) in 2024. Statcast's Outs Above Average has consistently panned his glovework, never more so than in 2024 (-8). He's also a well below-average runner, with his sprint speed landing at 26.1 feet per second just in the 20th percentile of big league hitters.

Alonso doesn't strike out or walk as often as the prototypical "three true outcomes" hitter.

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https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/11/2024-25-top-50-mlb-free-agents-with-predictions.html

I keep a running status:

Quote:

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SP (4): deGrom, Eovaldi, Mahle, Bradford(L)

5th and/or Long-Reliever (2): Gray, Dunning

Set Relief 5)
LHRP: Latz, Milner, Garcia
RHRP: Webb, Curvelo,
<Bold added this off-season>

That's 11.

Sborz will likely start on IL

Last (2 of 4):
RHP: Daniel Robert, Garabito, GAnderson, Festa, Kumar, Leiter

Adding Yates and Martin would bring us back to the traditional shortening the game. Having a 7th, 8th, and 9th Inning guys. Take 3 SPs to go 5-6 and then shut it down with RP.

A playoff rotation of deGrom and Eovaldi with a deep traditional BP would be fun.

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It's never as deep as you think.
deGrom and Eovaldi are givens. It will center around health for both. I care less about what they do in the Regular season. Give me playoff baseball with these 2.
Mahle is returning and one would think he is #3. Career 4.32 ERA. He has 125GS and 1 RP. I don't think the BP is a consideration. I'd hope for 27GS and 3.75 ERA in 135-150 IP. That'd be success in my book.

I think Bradford is #4. He is likely the only LHSP and he continues to improve. If we can get him for 30GS, 150 IP, and a 3.50-3.75 ERA... another big win.

Personally, that's how I like things. 4 projected SPs and the 5th spot for competition and/or possible Serf.

That brings us to Gray, Dunning, Rocker, and Leiter... and then the big tent possibilities of Winn, Winston Santos, Emiliano Teodo as guys on the 40. I think we signed 3-4 guys to minor league contracts with an invite to Big League Camp.

Gray ($13M, $14M CBT, FA in '26) - 102 IP in '24, 4.47 ERA.
Dunning (~$3M, Arb3 in '26) - 95 IP. Totally came apart. He spent the '23-24 offseason working on a new pitch and it appears to not have gone well. Hoping for a rebound.

Personally, I think Gray is too expensive for what he offers in the BP and has more trade value than BP value. If he does well in ST, the temptation may be to slot him #5, but I'd trade him.

Dunning might be a long-reliever, but with another year of Arb might have more trade value. If either of those guys are in the rotation, then I'm afraid ST might have been a failure.

I think many project Rocker as the likely/hopeful #5. He has everything you'd want and if he is healthy could be a solid addition. Leiter seems like the guy that really needs to prove himself and make that step to the rotation. If either of these guys can earn a spot in the rotation... I think we're going to have a great season.

Winn is a wild card. Could he end up in the BP?!

Guys like Santos (23) and Teodo (24) are guys that I'd like to hear "had a great Spring Training and just missed making the team based on how much success we saw from Rocker and Leiter." I can see them as '26 guys. Santos and Teodo projects as mid-rotation guys.

NRI list for 2025 ST:

Quote:

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C Tucker Barnhart INF Alan Trejo
INF Jax Biggers C Cooper Johnson

RHP Caleb Boushley LHP Michael Plassmeyer
RHP Codi Heuer RHP Adrian Houser
RHP Nolan Hoffman

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Last point... Roku Sasaki from Japan will likely sign with a team as a SP and Texas is one of about 5 teams mentioned (LAD, SDP, NYM, Tex). If we sign him, then all bets are off.

A little FA update:

What's left from MLBTR Top50 list:
2. Corbin Burnes, SP: Seven years, $200MM : Boras
3. Alex Bregman, 3B: Seven years, $182MM : Boras
7. Pete Alonso, 1B: Five years, $125MM : Boras
8. Jack Flaherty, SP: Five years, $115MM : CAA Sports
9. Anthony Santander, OF: Four years, $80MM : GSI Worldwide

11. Teoscar Hernandez, OF: Three years, $60MM : Republik Sports

14. Tanner Scott, RP: Four years, $56MM : MVP Sports
16. Jurickson Profar, OF: Three years, $45MM : Boras
18. Jeff Hoffman: Four years, $44MM : CAA Sports
20. Gleyber Torres, 2B: Two years, $36MM Octagon
22. Carlos Estevez, RP: Three years, $27MM

Notable Rangers:
25. Andrew Heaney, SP: Two years, $24MM
38. Kirby Yates, RP: One year, $14MM

Are there still 6+ teams looking to drop $20M AAV on a contract? Boras has some work to do.