It’s that time of year again
and the Rangers are sure to be a major factor as we near the 2013 trade deadline.
Even without a potential 50-game suspension coming for Nelson Cruz, the Rangers
are looking for a starting pitcher and a bat (this gets capitalized and bolded
if MLB drops the hammer on Nelly).
I’m sure general manager Jon
Daniels is miles ahead of me, but I’m going to take a stab at offering my
thoughts on a few trade scenarios.
Let’s begin with a starting
pitcher, as this is the more urgent of the two needs (I mean, c’mon, we’ve got
Manny if we can’t add a bat). Matt Garza is an excellent option. He is an even
more attractive option if he will stop pitching so well. Let’s take a look at
his last five starts: 4-0, 37 IP, 4 ER, 24 hits, 8 walks, 34 Ks. That’s a
stunning .86 WHIP, my friends. Theo Epstein is no dummy, so the price may be
too steep. Obviously, the Rangers would have to part with Mike Olt, but what
else would it take? Is a steep price worth Garza in a contract year with no
guarantee that we will retain him? I don’t know. Was the Cliff Lee deal worth
it in 2010? Maybe if the Rangers take on the gigantic contract of Alfonso
Soriano along with Garza, Theo will be more willing to deal and Texas gets a
decent, but extremely overpriced bat.
The other pitching options
are Jake Peavy or Cliff Lee part deux. Neither of these are necessarily bad
options, but if I’m JD, I spend maximum time and effort getting a deal done for
Garza. At least Texas has a chance of resigning him (ballpark 5 years,
$80-85M).
As far as available bats, I
like a pair of White Sox hitters. There has been some speculation about the
Rangers dealing for Alex Rios, but I’d like to take a look at another option.
How about Adam Dunn? Yes, the average is terrible and the strikeouts are high,
but you have to love the HR and RBI production. The lineup is going to need a
power surge, especially if Nelly goes bye-bye and Berkman doesn’t recover. Just
something to consider.
Soriano is also a viable
option (see Matt Garza scenario above). Another notable bat is Hunter Pence if
the Giants decide to throw in the towel (unlikely).
The main thing the Rangers
have to decide is what they are willing to give up to go for it this year. This
team has a chance to emerge as the best of the best, but it requires sacrifice.
Are the Rangers willing to give up Olt? Perez (I wouldn’t)? Murphy (please,
somebody take him)? Feliz? Future prospects in the form of players to be named
later? It’s probably easier to ask what current players in the farm is Texas
unwilling to part with. We’ll all just have to sit back and patiently wait. I
have a feeling JD will come through in a big way. (GARZA!!)
In unrelated news, I will be
travelling to New York this weekend through Wednesday for the All-Star
festivities. I promised Eric a post on that subject, so look for it in the next
week or so. I’m hoping to gauge the overall attitude towards the Rangers from
fans who don’t know anything about them unless they see them in the playoffs.
About the author: Drew Love is a high school buddy of
Eric’s from Plano West and a fellow hardcore Texas Rangers fan (he has season
tickets). He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Management
from Texas Tech University, and is currently pursuing a Master’s of Theological
Studies from Southern Methodist University.
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