Baseball Musings: Deep in the Holes of Texas

December 04, 2006

Deep in the Holes of Texas

Scott Miller details the shambles of the Texas Rangers roster:

In Chicago, they're signing every free agent who happens to answer his telephone -- Alfonso Soriano! Aramis Ramirez! Kerry Wood! Manager Lou Piniella! Henry Blanco! Mark DeRosa! GM Jim Hendry is on the phone so often, the prediction here is, the Cubs accidentally will invite a couple of telemarketers and a pizza guy to spring camp, too.
In Texas, meanwhile, the Rangers right now would get out-shopped by Charlie Brown for a Christmas tree. No team will arrive at the winter meetings in Orlando next week more beleaguered than Texas.

DeRosa signed with the Cubs (three years, $13 million), leaving a hole at third base. Carlos Lee signed with Houston (six years, $100 million), leaving a void in the middle of the lineup. Gary Matthews signed with the Angels (five years, $50 million), leaving a gap in center field and atop the lineup. Adam Eaton agreed to terms with Philadelphia (three years, $24 million) and Kip Wells with St. Louis (one year, $4 million), leaving the Rangers, as usual, short on the mound.

As general manager Jon Daniels notes (groans?), close to 20 percent of the free agents who have changed teams so far this winter started with the Rangers. That's not a good thing. Texas' Alumni Club is growing more rapidly than Notre Dame's vaunted Subway Alums, and the Rangers aren't even BCS-eligible.

I'm not sure DeRosa leaves that big a hole at third base. Hank Blalock is still there. True, he's put up two straight poor seasons, but at least the Rangers have someone at the position.

And all this roster disorder might be good for Texas in the long run. Maybe they turn inward and start developing some talent. It's not such a terrible idea to give some minor leaguers major league playing time to see what happens. The might just uncover a gem without spending a lot of money.

Posted by David Pinto at 11:47 AM | Team Evaluation | TrackBack (0)

Comments

Trade Manny to the Dodgers, Billingsley & LaRoche (can play SS) go to Texas, Mike Young goes to Boston.

Heh...a pipe dream, to be sure...but wouldn't that work pretty well for all 3 teams? Assuming Texas is ready to admit that they need to enter rebuild mode, of course...

Posted by: the other josh at December 4, 2006 11:58 AM

The thing is, if the Rangers had resigned DeRosa, Lee, Matthews and Eaton for that money, people would be yelling at them for overspending. Honestly, I don't think any of them are worth that much money (DeRosa maybe as part of a platoon). I certainly wouldn't give Adam Eaton 24 million dollars.

Don't the Rangers get compensation picks for a lot of those free agents too?

Posted by: Will at December 4, 2006 01:49 PM

All I know is...

"... the Rangers right now would get out-shopped by Charlie Brown for a Christmas tree..."

...that is the best winter meetings analysis I have ever read. Hilarious.

Posted by: Mr Furious at December 4, 2006 01:52 PM

Well, all I have to say is where did having all those guys get us last yr?

Lee was mediocre down the stretch, Derosa had a career yr as did Matthews, Eaton has never pitched 200 innings and when is the last time Wells lasted thru the AS break?

And losing them is gonna kill us?
I think texas will end up no worse without them standing pat. And offseason has just begun, patience grasshopper.

Posted by: Greggo at December 4, 2006 02:04 PM

I agree...where did it get the Rangers last season? Nowhere. A bunch of overrated names who all got too much money. Texas is smart to not give in and patiently wait 'till the overspending is over and some cheap bargains are on the market.

Posted by: Ryan at December 4, 2006 03:41 PM

I just had to comment on that trade proposal by josh. . .two of the best prospects in the major leagues, and certainly the two best prospects playing for the Dodgers (according to Baseball Prospectus) and go to the Rangers, OK that's fair for Manny I guess (the best right handed hitter in the game), but for Michael Young? He's pretty good, admittedly. But he's 29 man, and he's no Manny. C'mon.

Maybe I'm crazy undervaluing Michael Young?

I think Texas should try to sign someone. . .maybe Ted Lilly would be a good fit?

Posted by: Wilson at December 4, 2006 05:14 PM

Bud, you misread my insane "thinking out loud" proposal. The Dodgers would get Manny, the Red Sox get Mike Young, the Rangers get the two prospects. So, for LA, they'd be trading their stud SP prospect and their 3rd best positional prospect (I'm pretty sure he's behind Loney and Kemp) for Manny Ramirez...which you said was fair. :)

The reason I liked this move for Boston was that they need a SS, and (in my opinion) WMP is ready to step up to play LF. And Young, who was the 3rd or 4th best offensive AL SS last season, is signed for dirt cheap through 2008. Again...not gonna happen, I just thought this made sense for all involved. Though the latest is that the Rangers are making a serious attempt to sign Zito and Padilla...in which case Hicks thinks they can win now and would never consider moving Young. So my point is made even more moot.

Posted by: the other josh at December 4, 2006 05:50 PM

The Rangers would get compensation for Eaton only if they offered him arbitration.

(pretty sure they DIDN'T offer him arbitration).

Posted by: the Gov'Nah at December 4, 2006 05:55 PM

It's true that the number of lineup holes seems kind of intimidating when you break it down like that, but yeah, I agree with others here that those are some over-priced names -- Matthews, Wells, and Eaton, for sure. And even Lee, given the size of his deal. The one guy I wish they'd kept at the price, I guess, is DeRosa.

Posted by: JMW at December 4, 2006 06:44 PM

thank you texas for gonzales, young, sledge for eaton and ostuka.

///padres fan

Posted by: colin at December 4, 2006 08:45 PM

Looks like the Rangers just resigned Vicente Padilla for 3 years, $34 million. I agree most of the free agents they've lost already are no big loss. But they still need an slugging outfielder and, as usual, more and better pitching.

Posted by: Chris at December 4, 2006 11:32 PM