Trade Acquisitions: 2006

Kip Wells: Starting Pitcher
This is a key acquisition. I mentioned earlier today that the Rangers need to get a pitcher to be a part of the October festivities. Wells has a career 1.51 GB/FB ratio… and more importantly, this season it is 1.94. And that is huge. Wells may not be Westbrook, but his numbers fit the stadium requirements of what would succeed here as a pitcher.

Matt Stairs: Designated Hitter
It has been a while since the Rangers really had a “true” DH and Stairs is a journey-man of sorts. He’s been on 8 teams already in his career, and adding the Rangers to his list. At the age of 38, health can be a question, especially adding him to the Texas heat. Drink plenty of water, Matt.

Carlos Lee: Outfielder
I don’t think I really need to say anything about this guy, except, WELCOME TO TEXAS! With Texas having more power-outages than California during a major earthquake, it is good to have a clean-up caliber hitter back on the team.

Nelson Cruz: Outfielder
This acquisition is money. What it does is allow De Rosa more playing time in the infield and allow Hank, Young, and Kinsler that day of rest and refocus, should they need it.

Also, the Rangers picked up Miguel Ojeda - Catcher (in minor leagues) and Luis Mendoza - Pitcher (in minor leagues).

Jon Daniels passed with HIGH, HIGH marks on his efforts to get the Rangers to the post. The next person to get a report card will be Buck. It’s him and his team. He has the tools… will it happen? I think so.

Jon Daniels Report Card

Well, J.D. is still working his tail off... He's just got a few hours to go before the close of business to get pitching. PITCHING!!! PITCHING!!! PITCHING!!! If we walk away from this trade deadline without a pitcher, then getting to the playoffs is going to be a tough, tough road. My question again: Do you trade prospects (Danks, Volquez, Diamond) for right now pitchers? Danks and Volquez, mind you, are tearing it up in the minors and are all but begging to get a shot on the Major League level. Pending a trade, they will be in a Ranger's uniform by season end when the rosters expand to 40. Do you trade away the Ranger's future for a right now situation? The question that needs to be asked is this: What trade would put this team in the world series this year? If that is what is being put on the table, then I would consider a trade with one of the DVDs. The thing is, is there a trade out there that can put this team in classic? With Koronka and Millwood being the only pitchers consistently strong, the package would have to include a strong starter to complement them, let Eaton in the rotation and you have four starters with a question mark about the stability of the number 5.

Carlos Lee... that was a good trade, but it always fits the bill of a typical Ranger trade. Hitters, no pitchers. And, we give up two pitchers in the process. On the surface, that looks to be like a garbage trade in the grande scheme of what the Rangers need. But one thing I do like about JD is that he trades like a chess player, or more importantly, like I play Monopoly. Well, I don't think anyone can technically trade in baseball like I do in Monopoly... but he thinks outside the box in this realm. He has a few hours to go to create some magic in Arlington come October... here is his report card as of right now.

A Couple of Math Problems

This was on the Junior Rangers thing for my son... so I thought I would add it here... there are five problems. I was thinking of making up one myself and placing it on here... we'll see.
The solution will also be a Current Ranger.

Here's a picture from last years Junior TX Rangers. That really is Laynce Nix. Really.

Rangers vs. Toronto

The Rangers have scored 4 runs in the last four games. On the flipside, the Rangers have given up 23 runs in those same 4 games. They are 1-3. And have dropped from First to Third in a stretch of actually just the last three games, all losses. John Daniels is in search of a pitcher. He is shopping Kevin Mench. I agree, we need a starter… the last four games, the ERA has been 6.27, and that is with a game in which we won 2-1. The last three games, the ERA is 8.25. A starter is not going to address the 4 runs in the last four games. But honestly, I still trust Rudy. Baseball should trust Rudy. I think they do. Everyone has wanted Rudy in the past and should Rudy ever want to leave the Rangers, that would be a huge blow to the organization.

Rangers (47-46) vs. Toronto (52-40)
Padilla (9-5) vs. Marcum (0-0)
The Rangers need the win… Padilla is hot. He’s actually the best thing the Rangers have going right now. And Marcum hasn’t started for the Boo Jays this year. So, I’m going to go with the hot, experienced major leaguer. My only concern is the Ranger’s bats, but Padilla’s ERA of late should compensate.

Millwood (9-5) vs. Janssen (6-8)
Milly is better on the road, sporting a 2.85 ERA away from home. You almost don’t want to see him at Ameriquest field with an ERA like that. He has a record of 6-1 on the road, as well, which means he has a 3-4 at home. Kinda makes you think how Buck sets up the rotation, doesn’t it? Anyway, I would tweak things to give Milly more road starts. Janssen hasn’t been doing so good. He’s dropped five of his last six decisions. His ERA has gone from 3.07 on June 7th to 4.72 on July 14th.

The thing is, the Rangers are a better team than the Blue Jays. They really are. But the question is, will the score reflect that in the end? The Rangers should win both these games, and they should win them without a doubt. They are better. They have the talent. They have the hitters. They have the pitchers. Will they take the field and show the world what they are capable of?

"Get Fuzzy" and the Royals

Now the Royals have the worst ERA right now... so they are more worthy of the bashing than the Cubs, although the Cubs are still not doing great by any means. And Dusty Baker is the worst coach in the history of baseball. Period. My grandmother, who knows nothing of the sport, could do a better job than him, with all do respect. :-) And now Kerry Wood may be done. The background is a picture I took of the Ballpark in Arlington, now called Ameriquest Field...

"Get Fuzzy" and the Cubs

You're going to see more of this little cartoon in the near future. It's a "Get Fuzzy" comic strip from the paper. I added some color to it, but I will be doing a lot more to it than just that.

7-1-06 Update

It seems forever since I have updated my thoughts on sports. The Rangers are a game and a half back now behind Oakland in the west. Detroit is the best team in baseball with Kenny Rogers leading the way for them (go figure). San Diego leads the NL West with Chris Young leading the way (7-3 record, 2.97 ERA). Again, go figure. So, the rest of the way predictions… well, before I can do that, I guess I have to address who I am going to address prior.

Where they are now:
Detroit: 55-25
1st in the AL Central; Majors
White Sox: 52-27
2nd in the AL Central; 2nd Majors
Oakland: 42-37
1st in the AL West
Rangers: 41-39
2nd in the AL West; 1.5 back behind Oakland
Atlanta: 34-46
4th in the NL East; 13.5 back behind NY Mets
Houston: 38-42
4th in NL Central; 6 back behind Cards and Reds (Tied)
Arizona: 38-42
Last (5th) in NL West; 4.5 back behind San Diego

These are the teams I am going to focus on. I’ll just address Houston right now. They are done. There will be no playoffs for the Astros this year. Yes, they have Roger Clemens and yes, they have all sorts of good players… blah, blah, blah… but, they aren’t going to make it. They would have to do a couple of trades to make it happen, but not with what they have right now. Should Houston make zero changes, they may pull to an over 500 mark by the end of the season. Arizona has a better chance than Houston, division wise. They are fewer games back, despite being in last place. They have the same record as Houston. Arizona really is a great trade away from first place in their division. Really, it may be two trades to make some noise in the playoffs, but in this division, to win it, just one quality trade. That trade would be for either a solid run producer (HR-RBI guy) or another solid starter to work around Brandon Webb. My goodness, if want, you can trade him to the Rangers, just a thought. I mean, we’ll trade you, say Hairston Jr.? Not a fair trade, but I like it. Atlanta… well, golly gee, it seems we just want to write them off. You never know with the Braves. The hitting for them seems to be fine, but the pitching, the backbone of the franchise for the longest time over the recent years, is what is struggling. Do they have a starter (over 10 starts) with a winning record? Actually, they don’t. They do have a pitcher with a 7-1 mark, but he is a relief pitcher and if you’re a Braves fan, that just sends shivers down your spine (or it should). In a prefect world, relief pitchers shouldn’t have records, except for saves. But if they do, I guess it is good to let them have wins. But think about this: 21% of the Braves wins are held by that one relief pitcher and that means a lot of bullpen work and that means a lot of the starters are not doing their jobs. And that is where the shivers come in. So do the Braves rebound? Miracles do happen and the Braves seem to hold the magic wand. I like their chances better for a wildcard than the division (10 games back), but even that is a stretch. I will just say they will push and fizzle and then make some trades in an effort to “rebuild” for next or future seasons. Detroit, they almost seem like a lock for the playoffs, but teams who start like this, they do fizzle as the year goes on. They will make the playoffs, most certainly, either as the division winner, or the wildcard in the AL, but they won’t go to the World Series. Sorry to burst anyone’s bubble out there, but that’s what generally how these things go. If anything, it would be more than likely the ChiSox, they went last year, they have the experience, if they can just pipe down the manager (who gets in trouble for saying racial comments because it offends, but not cussing, because obviously that doesn’t offend people. I find that interesting. Where are the scruples these days?), the White Sox have a brilliant chance of repeating as champions. Oakland has staying power for first place in the west. Seattle was a shock to spark in second, but that was short lived and I don’t see them really challenging too much in and out the rest of the way. However, this is baseball. Stranger things in stranger days. Can the Rangers challenge? Yes. I have been pondering this for a while and I can answer with honesty that they can make a strong challenge on Oakland for the division. Will the Rangers go to the World Series this season should they win the division this year? Not unless there is some big changes in pitching and a big change in Teixeira’s power numbers. Eaton should help when he comes off the DL but how much, we really don’t know. Diamond, Volquez, and Danks (DVD) and still making a good deal of noise in the minors, Diamond is the only one left in AA, the other two are in AAA. Volquez should be back in a Rangers uniform before the season is out, especially if the Rangers fall out of contention. If the Rangers are in contention, but are still struggling with a number five spot, Volquez may still find himself in a Rangers shirt. Rupe is another minor leaguer performing well. The Rangers motto that we as fans continue to hear year after year “next year”, I believe that if the Rangers don’t find themselves in the running at mid-September, that “next year” is a valid case. And we really don’t have to shop outside of what we already have. Millie is signed. We have the DVD guys. Eaton, Padilla, Loe (you have keep Loe, period, for the rest of his carrier. I guess I am stuck in Loe gear.), and the whole infield, Mench, Matthews, De Rosa, Kinsler… I mean there may be a minor adjustment, maybe between Eaton and Padilla, and another starting pitcher… and the bullpen.