A-Rod Spots

There is a list online from Yahoo Sports that talks of the top 10 destinations for A-Fraud. I found it humorous. I'm not going to give the entire details... but here is an abbreviated list.

1. The Angels
2. The Dodgers
3. The Giants
4. The Cubs
5. The Yankees (really?)
6. The Mets
7. The Tigers
8. The Red Sox
9. The Marlins
10. The Rangers

Why? They've done it before. Why not? They've done it before.

It really stinks that the season is now officially over. I have to wait three and a half months before Pitchers and Catchers report. Ah, but the rumor mill is already at work with Kerry Wood on the market and where will he go... I think he should consider this list.

1. Stay AWAY from Dusty Baker. If for anything else, to preserve your arm.
2. Texas Rangers, the team that was in the neighboring town you went to high school (he went to Grand Prairie high and was a Gopher).
3. You've played for the Cubbies...
4. The Braves always have luck with pitching.

Of course, the first two pieces of advice are key. Stay away from Dusty and play for the Rangers. That would be my two cents. The Mavs play tonight and the Cowboys are doing well. I really haven't payed much (if any, really) attention to the Stars. I think the 'boys are going to get a bye in the playoffs. The Giants are a legitimate concern, but they don't have a good offense, so I'm not terribly worried yet. We'll see. The Mavs, well... I think they are the luckiest unlucky team EVER. They'll probably win 70 games and still not win it all. But at least they are entertaining to watch. Oh well. Johnny Out.

Cowboys and Patriots

This is the biggest game I have heard about in recent history. The Dallas Cowboys host the New England Patriots this Sunday with a start time of 3:15 Central Time. Both teams walk into Texas Stadium undefeated at 5-0. The Cowboys, well, let's be honest. They haven't had any "real" challenging opponents and yet squeaked out a win on Monday night against Buffalo.

Evaluate the Schedule for:

New England:

• @ NY Jets W38-14
  
• San Diego W38-14
• Buffalo W38-7
  
• @ Cincinnati W34-13
  
• Cleveland W34-17

Dallas:

• NY Giants W45-35
• @ Miami W37-20
• @ Chicago W34-10
• St. Louis W35-7
• @ Buffalo W25-24

New England's schedule strength (record of played opponents) is 7-17. All the teams New England has played, not a one of those teams currently has a winning record. Dallas' schedule strength isn't any better, but they have played a team that currently has a winning record. 6-19 is the combined record of the Cowboy's opponents. Everyone keeps talking about how the Cowboy's haven't played anyone "real" yet. Fact is, they have played the Giants (3-2), whereas the best opponent for New England has been the Chargers and the Browns (both 2-3).

Time for stat comparison. New England leads the NFL with Points per Game at 36.4 PPG. The Cowboys are second with 35.2 PPG. The Cowboys led the NFL in Yards per Game (429.6) and New England is second with 427.8 YPG.

The Cowboys rank 3rd in 1st Downs in a game, New England is first. The Cowboys are better at converting 3rd and 4th down (48.5% on third and 80% on fourth). New England seems average on third down with a 43.1% and sits in the middle pack of the NFL and have converted 50% of their 4th down tries.

In my humble opinion, time of possession is the one stat that indicates whether you are dominating or not. New England ranks third in the NFL with an average of 34 minutes and 37 seconds a game. The Cowboys are closer to the middle of the pack (8th) with a time of 31 minutes and 43 seconds.

As always, the team who ends up with the most points will win the game. In this game, it will be a battle of the defense (isn't that a stock line or something?). Both of these teams are going to score some points. New England has dominated their opponents (all with losing records, mind you) and held them to an average of 13 points a game. The Cowboys, on the other hand, give up an average of 19.2 points a game. The Steelers, with the help of a shutout, lead the way with 9.4 points a game. The Patriots are second in defensive yardage, holding onto 251.4 yards. They've picked off 8 passes and brought one back for a touch. They have also forced five fumbles. The Patriots have sacked the QB fourteen times. The Cowboys defense has sacked the QB twelve times, given on average 285.4 yards a game, lead the NFL in interceptions with 10 and have forced 3 fumbles. Both the Patriots and the Cowboys have deflected 25 passes.

New England's special teams isn't so hot, at least on the kick off side of things. The Cowboys hold the edge here with a 26.3 yard kick off to the Patriots 22.7 kick off. The Cowboys have given up a TD, whereas New England has not. I really shouldn't have to look at punting to know who has the better punter. That's the Cowboys, hands down. But to prove my point, I'll give out some stats anyway. Cowboys average 47.6 yards a punt (ranked 5th). The Patriots are the worst in the NFL at 36.3 yards a punt (ranked 32nd). To their defense, I guess, the Patriots have the least amount of experience, with the fewest punts at 11 (Cowboys have booted 17 punts). On returns, the 'boys aren't so hot. They average 20 yards a return. New England is one of the best, with 30.5 yards a return (actually 2nd in the NFL).

All I can say is that while most I talk to say that the Cowboys "have a chance", statistically, the Cowboys have a much better chance that what most think around here. The Cowboys has beaten a better opponent than the Patriots, and maybe that is why the defensive stats are higher than the Patriots. On the flipside, the Patriots have dominated everyone they have played. This will be a great game. The Patriots are going to score their points. The main concern and the most important thing to watch is Romo vs. the Patriots defense. If Romo can establish himself early, then this will be the game people will talk about for years to come.

Forecast: Cowboys pull an upset and a comeback with a 38-35 victory. Look for Brady to be picked off in the second half and pressure brought on by Ware.

The Ron Washington Report

Question: Is it time for you to do a "Rangers Report Card"? Including pitching, hitting, fielding, Ron Washington, and even ownership. It'll be interesting to read your thoughts on "The State of the Rangers".

Yes, I guess it is time for a report card. I don't remember if I mentioned this before, but out of the Ranger's camp, they have said they will only be pursuing top of the line pitching prospects. This came after I started evaluating the free agency market on starting pitching. I do not know if they are going to be foolish in chassing "older" free agents (I, personally, would stay away from 40+... especially the 45+ free agents out there, they are simply begging to be on the DL). I guess I should note that even the GREAT Julio Franco spent DL time this year. With that said, that would make the market pretty weak in the world of starting pitchers. The only way the Rangers would be able to get a top of the line starter under 35 would be by trade, unless someone snuck in under the radar, and I just plum missed him.

Now, an evaluation of Ron Washington is still pretty hard to do, since he is still "green" and only one year at the elm to show for his efforts. He started rough and couldn't get Millwood or Padilla on target for most of the year. Still with that said, going into the last three games of the season, they were ten games over .500 since dropping 20 games under WAY early in the season. And, it should be noted that the Rangers peaked in the mid 5's in ERA halfway through the season and finished with a team ERA under 5, which the Rangers haven't done in a good while... he still seams to avoid using pinch hitters, even if the hitter has struck out in his last ba-zillion at-bats, but with that being his only major flaw, I can see why the Rangers extended his contract. The Rangers hitting was very lack-luster this year, which is strange since the TX team boasts Rudy Jaramillo as the hitting coach. He may or may not return next season, and should he not, then hitting isn't going to get much better (it could, sadly, get worse. Much worse.). I would think that is one of the TOP things on the to-do list this 0ff-season. In fact, here's a little list as to what the Rangers should be doing this off-season.

TO-DO List:

1. Re-sign Rudy Jaramillo
2. Sign Torii Hunter
3. Stay away from Barry Bonds (it's a shame I have to put this)
4. Stay away from any A-Rod talks... (I think we learned this lesson)
5. Talk to Shawn Chacon about being a Ranger
6. Sign Koji Uehara - a top of the line starter!

Tom Hicks has been desperate since he took the team. He discovered that money doesn't buy a championship. If only NY would figure that out. Anyway, he does have an eye for talent, but he doesn't have the patience to stick with it. He says he is going to do that with JD and Washington, but I really do wonder how long that will last. The reason I say he has an eye for managerial talent is simply look at what the people do after they leave? Doug Melvin, anyone? But still, I think that Hicks continues to learn as he goes. Maybe, just maybe, he learned this lesson by now. Time, again, will tell.

Pitching, hitting and fielding... let's start with hitting. Like I said, this has been an "off year" for Rudy, as the Rangers ranked 20th in team batting average. The Rangers still ranked 10th in RBIs and the 179 team homeruns rank them 8th. The team leader was tied at 21 HRs, which is the lowest for the Rangers that I can remember. The Rangers stole 88 bases, which puts them at 17 out of 30. I think that is the highest I've ever seen them. I'm sure I've seen it up there when we had Gary Pettis and the Doctor of Defense, Mark McLemore... but those days have come and gone. Anyway, the Rangers, who are switching to small-ball, hit 42 Sacrifice Fly's (23rd) and 57 Sacrifice Hits (14th). So that is their hitting. No big hitter (although, if Blalock would have played the entire season - roughly 600 at-bats, he would have slapped around 30 HRs), although Sosa did provide some pop. It would be nice to resign him this off-season, but I don't see it happening.

Fielding, well the Rangers actually stunk it up. They finished tied 27th with two other teams and seeded 29th. Only the Florida Marlins botched more errors on the field. The Rangers finished with 124 errors and the Marlins led the majors with 137 errors. The Rockies had the fewest with 68 errors beating out the Baltimore Orioles who were second with 79 (that's 11 fewer errors - NICE!). The Padres were stolen on so much, they just started giving them second base when the opposition hit a single. I mean, why waste time, right? Anyway, the Rangers gave away 98 free passes to second and snagged 47 shoplifters. What that means is 67.6% of those trying to steal, they got away with it. So, when Washington came to town, the defense was supposed to get better. It didn't. Still, just his rookie year at the helm. We'll cut some grace. For now.

Onto pitching. We know this isn't as accurate as it should be. The Rangers climber their way up to 24th. They were at dead last earlier this season, so to climb their way up to 24th, it means they were pitching some good baseball. The Padres had the lowest ERA this season with a 3.70 ERA, and they only through one complete game. The Braves, who have been the benchmark for pitching, only through one complete game as well. The Redsox were the only other team to post under 4 with a 3.87 ERA. Homeruns are an indication of how the season goes... the Rangers gave up 155 homeruns which is the 9th fewest this season. Not bad, really. But when you think about how the Rangers walked so many of the other guys (2nd most in the majors), then that is exposing the problem. The walk is a killer. It raises the pitch count and it puts runners on base to score. Could the walk be the reason why there wasn't a complete game for a Ranger this season? Well, we could take a walk and talk about it... I think this is a reflection on Mark Conner (the pitching coach), but I do not know what the answer is... get rid of another pitching coach? Washington now has a season under his belt. I can't promise that I would be so generous next season. Johnny Out.

The Pitching Short List

Starting pitchers:

• Shawn Chacon (30) - Stats in 2007: 5-4 w/ a 3.94 ERA (1 save) in 96 innings


• Josh Fogg (31) - Has a 4.79 ERA in a hitters park (understatement) with a 10-9 record and 161 2/3 innings. His ERA was at 5.27 on 8/22, but has given up 11 Earned Runs in his last 6 outings. He looks to be a hot item in the off-season.


• Livan Hernandez (33) - He could be a hot item on the market, but only time will tell on that. 4.93 ERA and an 11-11 record, he's tossed over 200 innings this season. He's a consistent 200 inning guy, having done that the previous three seasons. I would consider him. But only if the $ is right.


• Jason Jennings (29) - I can't say that Jason Jennings is going to be a "hot" item... in fact, he might be lucky to land a minor league job this off-season. He finished the year with a 2-9 record (OUCH!) and a 6.45 ERA. If he can attract the Ranger's attention, it would be only because his birthplace is in Dallas.


• Kyle Lohse (29) - went 9-12 with a 4.62 ERA. He had two complete games (that's two more than the Rangers) with a shutout. He pitched 192 & two third innings. (Millwood led the team in innings pitched this season with 172 & two thirds.)


• Joel Pineiro (29) - He ended his season really strong. In his last ten games, he went 6-3 with a 3.68 ERA. He could be the starter the Rangers are looking for this off season. He only started 11 games, but played in 42 games. His 7-5 record and 4.33 ERA are very attractive. He pitched 97 2/3 innings this year. His last start of the season went 8 innings.


• Carlos Silva (29) - He's attractive for several reasons. He pitched over 200 innings this year (202 innings, actually) and his ERA was a nice 4.19, which would have been better than the Ranger starters this year. He did have a record of 13-14 and had two complete games and one shutout.


• Koji Uehara (33) - He currently pitches for the Yomiuri Giants. He is born on 4/3/1975 and is a right-hander. He has never posted a losing record. In 1999, he went 20-4 with a 2.09 ERA. This season, he became a closer, with a 4-3 record and 32 saves with a 1.74 ERA. He gets close to a K an inning over his career, with this season posting 66- Ks in 62 innings. I have to retract about the always a winning record. Last season he went 8-9.

Free Agent Pitching

Starting pitchers:

• Shawn Chacon (30) - Stats in 2007: 5-4 w/ a 3.94 ERA (1 save) in 96 innings
• Matt Clement (33) - did not play in 2007
• Bartolo Colon (35) - 6.34 ERA going 6-8 in 99 1/3 innings (missed August)
• Josh Fogg (31) - Has a 4.79 ERA in a hitters park (understatement) with a 10-9 record and 161 2/3 innings. His ERA was at 5.27 on 8/22, but has given up 11 Earned Runs in his last 6 outings. He looks to be a hot item in the off-season.
• Casey Fossum (30) - Retired maybe??? He just might be retired simply due to a lack of interest by the game. In '07, he went 5-8 with a 7.70 ERA and hasn't pitched since August 5th. Later, Casey.
• Freddy Garcia (32) - Went 1-5 with a 5.90 ERA. Not on the hot list... Through only 58 innings this season, but it is his previous seasons that interest me. He could come cheap and might be worth it. But knowing the Rangers luck...
• Livan Hernandez (33) - He could be a hot item on the market, but only time will tell on that. 4.93 ERA and an 11-11 record, he's tossed over 200 innings this season. He's a consistent 200 inning guy, having done that the previous three seasons. I would consider him. But only if the $ is right.
• Jason Jennings (29) - I can't say that Jason Jennings is going to be a "hot" item... in fact, he might be lucky to land a minor league job this off-season. He finished the year with a 2-9 record (OUCH!) and a 6.45 ERA. If he can attract the Ranger's attention, it would be only because his birthplace is in Dallas.
• Joe Kennedy (29) - 4-9 with a 4.80 ERA. He threw 110 2/3 innings this year.
• Byung-Hyun Kim (29) - 6.08 ERA with a 10-8 record (good run support?). He pitched 118 1/3 innings and had 107 Ks. Not bad. He also had 68 walks and gave up 20 HRs. Location, location, location.
• Brian Lawrence (32) - Already a free agent, he pitched for the Mets earlier this season, going 1-2 in six starts, posting an ERA of 6.83 over 29 innings.
• Jon Lieber (38) - Jonathan Ray Lieber (cool name), Lieber had season ending surgery in July. He should still be a great pick up for who-ever lands him. He went 3-6 with a 4.73 ERA in 78 innings. His injury was non-arm related, actually a torn tendon in his right foot. I personally do not know his pitching style, but if he is big into using his legs like Nolan Ryan was back in the day, then it could affect the way he pitches in the future. We'll see.
• Kyle Lohse (29) - went 9-12 with a 4.62 ERA. He had two complete games (that's two more than the Rangers) with a shutout. He pitched 192 & two third innings. (Millwood led the team in innings pitched this season with 172 & two thirds.)
• Rodrigo Lopez (32) - He went 5-4 with a 4.42 ERA. He started only 14 games. He was limited to 79 1/3 innings this season before being sent to the DL in July for a torn flexor tendon in his right arm, his pitching arm. He could come cheap due to some question marks.
• Eric Milton (32) - He went 0-4 in six starts. He has a career ERA of 5.01 and with that said, I will stop looking at him now.
• Tomo Ohka (32) - He has had a dismal year, to say the least. He has a career record of 50-62 and a career ERA of 4.14, which should be considered when looking at what he did this last season. He went 2-5 with a 5.79 ERA in ten starts. The question is will he regain his form of his career ERA or will he continue his 2007 woes if he is signed?
• Russ Ortiz (34) - Ortiz posted a 2-3 record with a 5.51 ERA. He had eight starts and 49 innings. It is notable that his career record is 110-82 and a career ERA of 4.42. He could come with a smaller price tag since he light workload this season... but he will miss the entire 2008 season. Who wants to pick up that kind of luggage? All the same, it could be rewarding when it is all said and done.
• Joel Pineiro (29) - He ended his season really strong. In his last ten games, he went 6-3 with a 3.68 ERA. He could be the starter the Rangers are looking for this off season. He only started 11 games, but played in 42 games. His 7-5 record and 4.33 ERA are very attractive. He pitched 97 2/3 innings this year. His last start of the season went 8 innings.
• Carlos Silva (29) - He's attractive for several reasons. He pitched over 200 innings this year (202 innings, actually) and his ERA was a nice 4.19, which would have been better than the Ranger starters this year. He did have a record of 13-14 and had two complete games and one shutout.
• John Thomson (34) - He had two starts this season. That's it. He had back spasms that put him on the DL in mid-season and hasn't seen the pitching mound since. He went 1-1with a 3.38 ERA in 10 2/3 innings. His ERA has climbed coming into this season and isn't known for being successful (a career 63-85 record with a 4.68 ERA). 2004 was the last season he pitched the entire season.
• Koji Uehara (33) - He currently pitches for the Yomiuri Giants. He is born on 4/3/1975 and is a right-hander. He has never posted a losing record. In 1999, he went 20-4 with a 2.09 ERA. This season, he became a closer, with a 4-3 record and 32 saves with a 1.74 ERA. He gets close to a K an inning over his career, with this season posting 66- Ks in 62 innings. I have to retract about the always a winning record. Last season he went 8-9.
• Jeff Weaver (31) - He stunk it up this year. There's no way around saying that. His record was 7-13 (OUCH!) and his ERA was 6.20... it's hard to say whether he will get a good contract, but he should take what he can get. His career #'s are 93-114 and a 4.72 ERA. Despite his bad numbers, he still managed to get three complete games and two shutouts.
• Jaret Wright (32) - He went 0-3 and had a 6.97 ERA. I don't think the Rangers are going to pursue him, and I can't blame them.

MLB Playoffs

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while. That's right. The Cubs won their division and are in the playoffs. One of two things has to happen for such a feet. Either a team has to be really good to make the playoffs, or the rest in the division have to REALLY SUCK... hhhmmm.... I wonder which one it was for them? I'll just let you figure that one out.

So, we have the Cubs (85-77) vs. the D-Backs (90-72).
Either the Rockies or the Padres (both went 89-73) vs. the Phillies (89-73).
The Angels (94-68) against the Red Sox (96-66).
The Yankees (94-68) vs. the Indians (96-66).

I just want to point a few things... first off, the D-Backs are the only team in the NL to have 90 wins in 162 games. Either the Rockies or the Padres will knock down 90 today. Only four did it in the AL and all went to the post-season. I want the Tribe to rip apart the Yankees. They really need to... and should. As far as the San Diego and Colorado game today, I hope for Colorado to take that one. I guess it is because they are closer? I don't know. I don't have time to dissect the game to make a guess. D-Backs will tear apart the Cubs. Who-ever wins today will be tired and the Phillies will take an early lead in the series. It will cripple the winner and the Phillies go to the NL Championship.

It's really tough to say who is the better of the AL teams. I pick the Tribe over the Yankees... just because. If you've read any of my posts, you should know my stance on the NY team. Anyone who plays them is GOLDEN in my book. Not to mention that the Yankees kept getting embarrassed by Tampa Bay this year, that should be enough to say they have GREAT choking ability.

And the Angels and BoSox... that should be the best series to watch of these four games, I think. That one could really go either way. I will say this, the Angels have more youth, if I am not mistaken. The BoSox have experience, recently winning the World Series a couple of years ago. It should be a fun series to watch. I will take a gander and say that the BoSox will win that series and move to the AL Championship.

BoSox and the Indians - I would take the Tribe as a surprise and upset the favored BoSox.

D-Backs and the Phillies - It would be hard not to take the Phillies, since they are a Cinderella team. People just love to pick the Cinderella team, but I honestly would not take them in this series. I would pick the D-Backs. Why? I'll tell you later.

In the world series, we have the Indians and the D-Backs, with the house favorite being the Tribe (since the AL won the All-Star game, right?). This series would not seven games, not six, but I will call it in five favoring the...

Tribe. Yep. The D-Backs make an amazing run, but peter out in the Series.

Rangers Head To Off-Season

The Rangers... they make it hard to be a fan. But, now with the off season before them, it is time to evaluate who to keep, resign, and let go.

I guess I should apologize for not posting for TWO MONTHS. I had problems with the internet and well... I couldn't get on long enough to do too much for a while. But alas, I am back with my thoughts, criticisms and what-nots.

It is not too much of a surprise to say that the first thing on the Ranger's list is PITCHING. Everybody and their mother knows the Rangers need pitching. They finished this season with the second most relief innings in a season. They also hold the record for the most relief innings pitched (back in 1997).

Here's a list I found for the free-agents in 2008.

Catchers
Brad Ausmus (39)
Michael Barrett (31)
Ramon Castro (32)
Jason Kendall (34)
Paul Lo Duca (36)
Jorge Posada (36)
Jose Molina (33)
Ivan Rodriguez (36) - $13MM club option for '08
Yorvit Torrealba (30)

First basemen
Sean Casey (34)
Tony Clark (36)
Adam Dunn (28) - $13MM club option for '08
Darin Erstad (34) - $3.5MM club option for '08
Scott Hatteberg (38) - $1.85MM club option for '08
Ryan Klesko (37)
Mike Lamb (33)
Doug Mientkiewicz (34)

Second basemen
Luis Castillo (32)
Damion Easley (38)
Marcus Giles (30) - $4MM club option for '08
Tadahito Iguchi (33)
Mark Loretta (37)
Kaz Matsui (32)
Jose Valentin (38)

Shortstops
David Eckstein (33)
Cesar Izturis (28) - $5.45MM club option for '08
Juan Uribe (29) - $5MM club option for '08
Omar Vizquel (41)

Third basemen
Pedro Feliz (33)
Mike Lamb (32)
Mike Lowell (34)
Alex Rodriguez (32) - Has ability to opt out of contract after season

Left fielders
Moises Alou (42) - $7.5MM club option for '08
Barry Bonds (43)
Milton Bradley (30)
Adam Dunn (28) - $13MM club option for '08; becomes free agent after season if traded
Cliff Floyd (35) - mutual option for '08
Luis Gonzalez (40)
Geoff Jenkins (33) - $9MM club option for '08
Reggie Sanders (40)
Shannon Stewart (34)
Brad Wilkerson (31)

Center fielders
Milton Bradley (30)
Mike Cameron (35)
Darin Erstad (34) - $3.5MM club option for '08
Torii Hunter (32)
Andruw Jones (31)
Kenny Lofton (41)
Corey Patterson (28)
Aaron Rowand (30)

Right fielders
Bobby Abreu (34) - $16MM club option for '08
Milton Bradley (30)
Kosuke Fukudome (31)
Shawn Green (35) - $10MM club option for '08
Jose Guillen (32) - $9MM club option for '08
Geoff Jenkins (33) - $9MM club option for '08
Trot Nixon (34)
Reggie Sanders (40)

DHs
Barry Bonds (43)
Mike Piazza (39)
Sammy Sosa (39)
Mike Sweeney (34)

Starting pitchers
Tony Armas (30) - $5MM mutual option for '08
Kris Benson (33) - $7.5MM club option for '08
Paul Byrd (37) - $8MM club option for '08
Shawn Chacon (30)
Roger Clemens (46)
Matt Clement (33)
Bartolo Colon (35)
Josh Fogg (31)
Casey Fossum (30)
Freddy Garcia (32)
Tom Glavine (42) - $9MM player option for '08
Livan Hernandez (33)*
Jason Jennings (29)
Joe Kennedy (29)
Byung-Hyun Kim (29)
Brian Lawrence (32)
Jon Lieber (38)
Kyle Lohse (29)
Rodrigo Lopez (32)
Greg Maddux (42) - $8.75MM player option or $11MM club option for '08
Eric Milton (32)
Tomo Ohka (32)
Russ Ortiz (34)
Odalis Perez (31) - $9MM club option for '08
Andy Pettitte (36) - $16MM player option for '08
Joel Pineiro (29)
Kenny Rogers (43)
Curt Schilling (41)
Carlos Silva (29)
Julian Tavarez (35) - $3.85MM club option for '08
John Thomson (34)
Brett Tomko (35) - $4.5MM mutual option for '08
Steve Trachsel (37) - $4.75MM club option for '08
Koji Uehara (33)
Jeff Weaver (31)
David Wells (45)
Kip Wells (31)
Randy Wolf (31) - $9MM club option for '08
Jamey Wright (34)
Jaret Wright (32)

Closers
Armando Benitez (35)
Joe Borowski (37) - $4MM club option for '08
Francisco Cordero (33)
Octavio Dotel (32) - $5.5MM mutual option for '08
Eric Gagne (32)
Jason Isringhausen (35) - $8MM club option for '08
Todd Jones (40)
Al Reyes (37) - $1MM club option for '08
Mariano Rivera (38)
Bob Wickman (39)

Middle relievers
Jeremy Affeldt (29)
Antonio Alfonseca (36)
LaTroy Hawkins (35)
Jorge Julio (29)
Joe Kennedy (29)
Scott Linebrink (31)
Troy Percival (39)
David Riske (31) - $2.85MM club option for '08
Russ Springer (39)
Julian Tavarez (35) - $3.85MM club option for '08
Mike Timlin (42)
Luis Vizcaino (31)
Kerry Wood (31)

I don't know why they call them "Free" Agents, because they cost a lot. The Rangers could go after Gagne or Cordero to close again next season. Clemens should really retire for real. He really could end up hurting himself at his age. Same with David Wells. I don't think the Rangers are going to go after Pudge or any other catcher, for that matter. The backstop we have right now in Gerald Laird. They could pursue a first baseman, maybe by trade. I think "Salty" should cook a little longer in the minors. Could this be a homecoming for Kerry Wood? How sweet that would be!!! But I still won't hold my breath on that...

Here's a nasty rumor... Barry Bonds to wear a Rangers uniform next season? I would prefer Sammy Sosa coming back here over Barry Bonds coming here... it's just my preference. Well, take out the pitchers who couldn't handle the Texas heat (based on age - no-one over 40), and also remove the pitchers who have already pitched here and we just aren't interested.

Starting pitchers

• Shawn Chacon (30) - Stats in 2007: 5-4 w/ a 3.94 ERA (1 save) in 96 innings
  
• Matt Clement (33) - did not play in 2007
  
• Bartolo Colon (35) - 6.34 ERA going 6-8 in 99 1/3 innings (missed August)
  
• Josh Fogg (31) - Has a 4.79 ERA in a hitters park (understatement) with a 10-9 record and 161 2/3 innings. His ERA was at 5.27 on 8/22, but has given up 11 Earned Runs in his last 6 outings. He looks to be a hot item in the off-season.
  
• Casey Fossum (30) - Retired maybe??? He just might be retired simply due to a lack of interest by the game. In '07, he went 5-8 with a 7.70 ERA and hasn't pitched since August 5th. Later, Casey.
  
• Freddy Garcia (32) - Went 1-5 with a 5.90 ERA. Not on the hot list... Through only 58 innings this season, but it is his previous seasons that interest me. He could come cheap and might be worth it. But knowing the Rangers luck...
  
• Livan Hernandez (33) - He could be a hot item on the market, but only time will tell on that. 4.93 ERA and an 11-11 record, he's tossed over 200 innings this season. He's a consistent 200 inning guy, having done that the previous three seasons. I would consider him. But only if the $ is right.
  
• Jason Jennings (29) - I can't say that Jason Jennings is going to be a "hot" item... in fact, he might be lucky to land a minor league job this off-season. He finished the year with a 2-9 record (OUCH!) and a 6.45 ERA. If he can attract the Ranger's attention, it would be only because his birthplace is in Dallas.
  
• Joe Kennedy (29) - 4-9 with a 4.80 ERA. He threw 110 2/3 innings this year.
  
• Byung-Hyun Kim (29) - 6.08 ERA with a 10-8 record (good run support?). He pitched 118 1/3 innings and had 107 Ks. Not bad. He also had 68 walks and gave up 20 HRs. Location, location, location.
  
• Brian Lawrence (32) - Already a free agent, he pitched for the Mets earlier this season, going 1-2 in six starts, posting an ERA of 6.83 over 29 innings.
  
• Jon Lieber (38) - Jonathan Ray Lieber (cool name), Lieber had season ending surgery in July. He should still be a great pick up for who-ever lands him. He went 3-6 with a 4.73 ERA in 78 innings. His injury was non-arm related, actually a torn tendon in his right foot. I personally do not know his pitching style, but if he is big into using his legs like Nolan Ryan was back in the day, then it could affect the way he pitches in the future. We'll see.
  
• Kyle Lohse (29) - I WILL PICK UP HERE TOMORROW WHEN I LOG BACK ON...
  
• Rodrigo Lopez (32)
• Eric Milton (32)
• Tomo Ohka (32)
• Russ Ortiz (34)
• Joel Pineiro (29)
• Carlos Silva (29)
• John Thomson (34)
• Koji Uehara (33)
• Jeff Weaver (31)
• Jaret Wright (32)
  

Wouldn't it be great when Michael Young is playing on his birthday? His birthday is just a couple of weeks away (10/19/76). Anyway... I'll run over who will be the best pick up for the Rangers this off season. Maybe we'll knock down some wins and see some Post-Season in '08. That's what I'm talking about. I'll also talk about the MLB Playoff's and my picks tomorrow. Oh, I do love October!